Starting Growing - Tomatoes etc

[Mr Gus]

sausagemaking.org (cold smoker projects) fridge use.
instructables website a good startler for 10.

The cautious message is be wary when drilling holes due to whats behind / buried in the insulation & the harm leaking refrigerant poses.
Pauls glass shelf light shining position makes great sense (less work) & we know its toughened glass.

If I were to go drill free, I'd plan around the door & run stuff through a crack in the magnetic closure strip & bodge a simple pull tight-ish closure maybe some self adhesive hooks & a stretchy band (thick hair band) ?? ..& not worry about perfection till I had more time & inclination.

Necessity / bodgineering..mother of invention, & all that.

[Paul_F]

The cautious message is be wary when drilling holes due to whats behind / buried in the insulation & the harm leaking refrigerant poses.
Pauls glass shelf light shining position makes great sense (less work) & we know its toughened glass.

If I were to go drill free, I'd plan around the door & run stuff through a crack in the magnetic closure strip & bodge a simple pull tight-ish closure maybe some self adhesive hooks & a stretchy band (thick hair band) ?? ..& not worry about perfection till I had more time & inclination.

Necessity / bodgineering..mother of invention, & all that.

The cable to the thermometer for the heat pad + the heat pad itself is fed out through the condensation drain hole, so the fridge closes nicely. I only had a 13A cable available for the light (came without a plug) so for now that's fed out through the door which stays open a crack and covered up with whatever I had lying around in the garage.
I'll probably put together something nicer for next year, but I was in a hurry so just bodged it. Seems to be holding temperature pretty nicely though. Probably want to keep some ventilation though - otherwise it'll be sopping wet inside and the seedlings will go mouldy.

[Mr Gus]

Yeah I realised that after I posted, was thinking a bit to much that the obvious eluded me, though my brain was screaming an image of perforated metal in the gap (to hold it ajar for moisture transfer)

I didn't think about the condensation drainage hole for power cable feeding, nice one!

[richbee]

Wow - never thought about using an old fridge as a growing space!
My greenhouse propagating space is a wooden frame, with PIR on the bottom, then sand with heated coil in it, and the sides and (removable) top is thin perspex, so it can be enclosed when it is cold and the plants are small - then when the tomatoes etc get going and out grow the space, hopefully everything has warmed up and the top gets stored ready for next year!

[SafetyThird]

I picked up a pantry (full height) fridge from eBay for £10 a few years ago. I put a tube heater in the bottom with the cable going out through the drain along with the thermometer head coming in the same way. A controller has the heater and fridge plugged into it and you set the temps you want. If it's cold, the heater kicks in, if it's warm the freezer compressor kicks in. It's variously used as a brewing fridge, chiller for deer and pheasant I harvest and a cave for making salami or cheese occasionally. Brilliant thing, just sits in the barn and uses very little power.

I have a table full of seed packets currently being worked through, I'm planting a few packs each day. So far I have 4 types of tomatoes on the heated propagator bed (made from celotex, vivarium mats and a tray full of damp sand) a few trays of salads, cucumber, mange tout, peas and the potatoes are chitting, though I was late getting them this year.

Today I'll get the peppers, courgette and chilli's planted into modules and then it's just do a few each day over the coming weeks. The Polytunnel is weeded and topped up with compost and I'm working my way through the raised beds outside, at least I will when it stops raining. Busy few weeks on the farm

[Windbag]

Anyone growing realseeds "Grushovka" this year?

Stunning tomato, does everything you want, salafs, burgers& sauce.

And no faf to grow. Just plant and forget.

[Andy]

Anyone growing realseeds "Grushovka" this year?

Stunning tomato, does everything you want, salafs, burgers& sauce.

And no faf to grow. Just plant and forget.

What spacing are you using on them? I think I have some left though a few years old. I think I put them too close together last time.

[Windbag]

About a 18". If you want some seeds I have loads. Pm me your address. Happy to share.

[renewablejohn]

Does anyone else use the sideshoots as there main tomato plants as it saves growing lots of seeds and I find you get far stronger plants.

[MoSTiE]

I'm growing "Ethel Watkin's best" short vine & "Jen's Tangerine" cherry vine