[Cheshire Phill]

Hi all:

Well pretty excited, lots od seedlings up now, including summer cabbage, cauliflower and others. These have germinated in a cool, frost free conservatory...which may be warm-ish in the day when we get sun.

However, some of my cabbage & cauli seeds have shot up, Greyhound has only just got to the two leaf stage but must be 2" or so high already. Pricked them out into 15s cells, as deep as poss, most of stem under soil.

How can I keep them well and slow the legginess? Is it mainly that they are searching for light, or maybe the temp is a bit too welcoming?

My only other option is a cold greenhouse - bubble-wrapped but still around zero over night here recently, so I reckon that would be too harsh. I have them right near the glass in conservatory (East-facing), and rotate daily, but at this rate, none of them will last to hardening off stage. Or are Greyhound and caulis a bit straggly anyway? What do others do please??

Cheers,

Phill 

[DD.]

The conservatory can still be warm for brassicas. They do not need much heat. It is early to be starting them, unless you have the facilities to look after them.

As regards leggyness, have a look at this thread, in particular the bit about aluminium foil.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=49569.0

[mumofstig]

Patience is one of those virtues that comes in handy at times like this.
It's too easy to loose loads of seed by sowing too early at this time of year.

Sow a couple of seeds to get a few early plants.... you may get lucky with the weather, but never more than that...it's too risky IMO.
The later sowings catch up usually anyway, so you may as well wait for better conditions

For me it means another couple of trips to the library  ...........probably to read about what I should be doing when the time is right, instead of getting on and doing it too early

[Cheshire Phill]

DD/MoS - ta for replies...yep, know I am impatient...but this year have religiously not planted anything before its "suggested" dates...the caulis and brassicas all said Feb..perhaps not for sunny Cheshire though...

No worries, I can always sow again...its just that I doubt I can actually physically manage to plant everything if I leave them all to March...!!

Am desperately holding off on leeks as we speak cos DD recommends March...but how to sow cabbages, caulis, leeks, peas, beans, plant spuds etc. etc. etc. if you work, have a family and a golf habit too?..

LOL!!

Phill 

[DD.]

Easy.

Family's got to go.

Then the golf.

If you sow too soon, you'll find that you're actually making more work for yourself. Especially if you have to do it again.

[mumofstig]

How long does it take to sow a seed tray...realistically.....not long at all. Plus it's one of the things that you can do at home in any odd few minutes
I agree the peas n spuds take longer, but sowing a seed tray.....nah.
It's all the transplanting later that takes the time  

[robbodaveuk]

We are all in the same boat. We can't wait to get things growing,but patience is a virtue. Listen to D.D. You will not achieve anything by going against nature, you will only make things harder for yourself. Bite your tongue and  grow  things as they are meant to be.

  Robbo.

[diggerjoe]

I'm resitsing temptation by making charts in a book of all seeds I have so I can tick them off when I'm done and make a note at the end of the season what worked - diversion tactics but its helping get through the waiting - although I did put some alpine strawberry seeds in at the weekend

[muddywellies]

Hi Phill,

I always start off sowing my brassicas in a cold greenhouse at this time of year. It's actually one of those plastic four-tier mini greenhouses. They take a bit longer to germinate. PSB usually takes about 2-3 weeks but the seedlings grow on very strongly. They're hardly little fellas!

[Snoop]

Patience is one of those virtues that comes in handy at times like this.
It's too easy to loose loads of seed by sowing too early at this time of year.

This is good advice for me. I'm champing at the bit and have been reading all the posts from people who have started aubergines, chilis, etc., and here I am in Spain twiddling my thumbs! Mind you, we had snow yesterday and night time temps are still hovering around minus 7șC. I was thinking of waiting till March to start my plants off (last frost here usually mid-April but not unheard of later).

So thanks for posting, Phill. Hope your plants do well in the end.

[Cheshire Phill]

Thanks for all of the replies - funny thing is, I've already waited longer than last year, and as stated earlier, only planting things that say Feb - whenever on the packets, so don't feel much ahead of myself really...

All the work is in pricking out etc. for me, and although my plot is ready and waiting, I do like to start lots of things in modules, so the conservatory gets pretty busy...

OK, gonna plant some more brassicas in the cold greenhouse in the next week or so, and leeks are going in DD-style in March if I can wait that long...

Haven't even dreamt of tomato seeds yet...

Phill 

[DD.]

This is something posted by Aidy on another thread and I wholehearted agree with it. He's not far off your latitude, Phil:

The rule of thumb I use is the dates on the packets are for southern climates, so I wait approx three weeks for the majority of veg then sow. (even tho I am in the north west tropics) As both daylight hours and temps increase, germination and growth will be so much more reliable, and no checking of plants as everything is ready.

[Aunt Sally]

I live in the balmy South East and I find that the recommended sowing dates on the seed packets are too early for me.  I usually start sowing at least a couple of weeks later than it says.

[Pompey Spud]

I've just got Leeks and Onions from seed going. Germinated in warmer conservatory and when most of them showed put into cold greenhouse covered.

Aubergines have just germinated...but they need an early start if poss.

[Cheshire Phill]

Thanks all for replies, will then consider say "February" on a packet means perhaps the 28th (I usualloy think 1st!!), and since I live in the frozen NW, add some weeks on, then Feb = late March...

That will be testing my patience!!

Plus for laster things like swede in May, could be sowing end June!!! (last frost time), making me thionk they'll never catch up!!. Will consult last years dates also...

Ah well, we'll see how we go - have decanted some of my small seedlings to the greenhouse where they will now do one of two things...have plenty more...

Phill