[zepherine]

Is it best to start seeds in a seed bed outside or do they take quite well to being started in pots indoors?
I am unable to do much at the plot atm so was wondering if I could start them off indoors and then transplant outside in a few weeks.
Any advice is much appreciated ,thankyou

[gobs]

You can very well start them off in a gh or cold window sill or cold frame.

[gobs]

You can very well start them off in a gh or cold window sill or cold frame.

I thought you said broccoli there, SB, is a bit too early to start and I wouldn't bother indoors.

[zepherine]

Aww that great ,thankyou Gobs  
I am itching to get to the plot, so at least that will go some way to fend off the withdrawal symptoms hehe.

[zepherine]

oops i must have been typing as you posted that next reply  
Ok ...thats a shame ,I will just be patient then, i thought maybe I was a bit behind but its good to know i still have time then...Ty.

[Eristic]

I see no problem starting them now indoors in a small pot. Makes sense to me. You'll not need many plants and the pot can be transplanted to a deep seed tray, the best moved to a nursury row somewhere and finally shifted to their finishing position when an early crop finishes.

OK there is several transplants but brassica take this in their stride and it helps to ensure the finished bed has the required number of plants at the correct spacing without any gaps

[Earl Grey]

Sprouting broc can be successfully started off indoors, you can start off in a seed bed but would best to have some protection against birds and bad weather. If you start them off too early indoors many brassicas can get a bit leggy because of the lower light levels this time of year. It is more usual to wait until Mid April onwards. I've always sowed seed into large cell trays from the start and put a few seeds in each and if all germinate remove all but the strongest in each cell. This saves time with transplanting.  I've always found they get a better head start this way than sowing direct outside

[gobs]

Of course it can be. But why would anybody want to waste gh space on them?

[zepherine]

Thankyou for all your replies, I just wasn't sure if this was possible because all the packets say start in seed bed outside and its only because im still recovering from an operation and cannot work at the plot atm that I was wondering if I could start indoors  
I just have itchy fingers and dont want to get too left behind   but April sounds good so I'll wait a couple more weeks and maybe try a few in pots.

[noshed]

I started mine really late last year - about September, and they're going great guns now. Well it did say "late" on the packet. I've transplanted them twice with no harm done - quite a good method really, you can have them close together for a while and then put them out in proper spacings, nice and neatly so the pigeons can get them without having to stretch too far from the path. They treat my plot like Tescos.