Start of the 2025 Kitchen Garden Season #4

 In Part 1, I described the setting up of my indoor heated propagator (20 - 23 ℃) to start the germination process for cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, aubergines and courgettes.

Photo 1: Indoor Heated Propagator

Once the seeds have germinated and appear above soil level, they can be moved to a cooler climate (18 ℃ in our reserve kitchen) with plenty of daylight to encourage growth (a daylight lamp can help with this).

I sow cucumber, tomato, aubergine and pepper seeds in individual pots or cells filled with coir-based seed compost. A few days after the seedlings appear, I transfer them to larger pots filled with potting or multi-purpose compost (Photo 2). Many gardeners recommend waiting for the first true leaves to appear before potting on. This is fine if you have plenty of growing space but that is a luxury I do not have. Using two fingers, I scoop out the seedling, with as much seed compost as I can, and transfer to a 9 cm pot half-filled with coir-based potting compost before topping up with more potting compost. This technique allows me to pot on the seedling without having to touch it - thereby avoiding any damage that might kill or halt its growth.

Photo 2: Seedlings Sown in Individual Cells

The potted-on seedlings then need to be well-watered and grown-on indoors (at about 18 ℃) until the weather warms up sufficiently to move them to the polytunnel (mid-April onwards).

Setting up a self-watering system indoors means I only need to check on the seedling every two or three days. You can buy simple self-watering trays but it is very easy to create your own. All you need to do is make a raised platform inside a tray and cover the platform with capillary matting.

First, find a suitable sized tray; for example, a 100 cm by 40 cm garden tray designed for use with grow bags. For the platform, I use some anti-climb plastic spikes designed to deter cats and other 'pests' from using walls/fences to access your property. In my experience, they don't work on cats; our local felines seem quite happy walking over the spikes with no obvious discomfort!

When placed upside down in the tray, the plastic spikes make a stable raised platform (Photo 3) with a small gap at one end.

Photo 3: Raised Platform in Garden Tray

Cut a piece of capillary matting to fit the tray, wet thoroughly and place over the platform area. A short length of matting should extend from the platform into the bottom of the tray (Photo 4).

Photo 4: Self-Watering Tray Ready to Receive Plant Pots, Seed Trays, etc

Fill the tray with clean water and add plants pots, seed trays, etc (Photo 5). Top up with water every 2- 3 days.

Photo 5: Heated Propagator and Self-Watering Tray