Nursery area in your garden: what works for you?

[funnyperson]

In my small garden, half the patio and a shelf thingy against one wall are taken over by plants being nurtured/seedlings/cuttings etc. Only the top shelf of the shelf thingy really functions as plants on the bottom shelves are too shaded by those on the shelves above. However it is useful to prevent seedlings being eaten by slugs and they get more sunlight being raised.

DS has complained that the area for sitting and eating is gradually being taken over, and he is right, but some of the plants aren't ready to be planted out yet.

So where do those of you without acreage to accommodate large greenhouses house your seedlings and cuttings and plants being nurtured?

Do you have a 'nursery bed'?

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Did you mean DS or DP? I'd have thought your DS would be more concerned about space for playing than eating.
I'm afraid I'm an impostor on this topic as I've pretty much prioritised running-about space for DCs over garden 'stuff.'

Bumping qnyway so someone more helpful might see.

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Imposter

[sunbathe]

But if there's enough room still for sitting and eating, I don't see that it matters that much.

Presumably you're saving money by doing this and maybe it's your hobby, too?

[sunbathe]

And, ahem, to answer your question! I don't have a nursery bed, as things tend to get munched. I pretty much do what you do.

I've been thinking of maybe getting an étagère

[sunbathe]

..which sounds like your shelf. Possibly mix potted flowering plants with seedlings, to give more of a 'display' feel?

[funnyperson]

Etagere sounds good, any thoughts as to long high ones?

DS is 22 yrs now, home on his summer holiday, and 'playing' (DD is the same) is mostly putting up the innumerable tents we have on the lawn to see which one suits the latest travel plans. He also enjoys cooking in the style of the latest place he has been to, hence the importance of eating. They both like brunch and supper al fresco atm, due to the lovely weather, pleasant surroundings, and previous lack of sunshine whilst studying.

Having a growing area is partly saving money, partly the desire to propagate plants in my garden so I can plant more of them, partly when 'plugs' arrive in the post they arent ready to go in the flower beds and need growing on. I am a compulsive plantaholic. Also when I buy more plants they don't go on straight away as I am too lazy they are acclimatising. Cold frames are too low down and take up too much floor space. The patio is in shade so cold frames there aren't great for plants.

[FunkyBoldRibena]

I have small acreage; so put a greenhouse in our small courtyard. I even knocked down an old garage to do it.

As for nursery bed; I have a small area where I put all my trimmings as cuttings; so when I prune the quince, elder, herbs etc; I take 10 or so cuttings and put them in a V in one of the beds. I have a specific corner each year for this. Last year's are already dug up and potted on.

I also have a few corners where I nurture small trees before deciding which to sell and which to grow.

Can you get a side greenhouse that can go up against a wall somewhere?

[sunbathe]

I've only just started looking, but the highest I've found so far is only 3 'steps'.

I'm doing my garden on a budget, so my ?tagère's got to be reasonably priced. Might be looking for a while!

[funnyperson]

Steps, of course, much better than 3 shelves on top of each other.

funkyboldribena do you put different compost in your nursery bed?

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Ignore my earlier contribution - grown up DCs surely means parents get to decide what to do with their own space!

[funnyperson]

shotgun grown up DC's mean they are vocal about how space should be used! Anyway the whole point, which is your point, ie that a garden is a family space for the family to be happy in and with, doesn't change really over the years. Just that one gets time to mooch about in it when they go away!

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Fair enough

[Liara]

I'm a spreader :)

I put my plants in wooden boxes which then go on tables, I have two tables on the shady terrace and another one further out in the garden.

When I run out of space on those, they go on the ground in boxes, but by then they are usually big enough to survive some snail damage.

Fortunately the dc are as bad as me when it comes to plants, and dh knows better than to get between us and our plants (and is grateful enough when we do the veg plot seedlings for him).

[echt]

We have a small plastic propagation greenhouse for seedlings on the drive and a itchy potting bench. The drive is full of pots of cuttings and is never used for the car.

[Callmegeoff]

At the moment I'm using a wooden ladder Dh found, it's propped against a wall. I have other areas as well, long shelf by the green house and some staging by the garage.

I used to have an old staircase, about 6 steps, sadly it rotted but I'm on the lookout for another one.

I have noticed that since redoing the shingle path, pots that are on it get less slugged so am about to move the baby Delphiniums onto it.

[Rhubarbgarden]

I have nowhere at the moment due to the perennial problem of lack of time; but in The Grand Plan in my head I will have cold frames in the orchard along the east facing wall and a nursery bed down in the bottom 'functional' garden by the compost bays and bonfire patch.

[MaudantWit]

My set-up is almost the same as yours. I have a four-shelf plastic mini-greenhouse and a wooden cold frame with another three shelves. I have a basic cold frame still in its box that I shall probably never use because (as you say) it will take up a lot of floor space and will be in the shade anyway.

It is all about being a plantaholic. If I was as good at planting as I am at buying, the patio would be less crowded!