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Help !! Growing from seed for the 1st time

eghamrecruitereghamrecruiter Posts: 18
in Problem solving
Hi all , I’m after some advice , rather than buy plug plants this year I thought I would give seed a go so off I went and bought loads of seeds and trays and good seed sowing product , I’ve taken notice of seed planting instructions as to when to sow and they are all fairly around March time , what I am seeing may not even actually be a problem but I don’t want to wait and wait and waste time , take broccoli for instance , they seem to be growing tall quickly as in maybe one week and there 3 inches high with a leaf or two on the top but any taller and there just going to fall over , they have been planted in one of those green rectangular trays where I just sprinkled seed over then covered and get watered sparingly, is this normal or am I doing something wrong , maybe I should have sowed in deeper pots or should I be transferring them to individual pots although I would have to be very careful as there almost cress like so hard to handle without damaging , help !!! 

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    that's the trouble with sowing too early. Stuff gets too leggy before it's safe to plant it out. Better to wait .
    One of the hardest lessons is patience I'm afraid.
    Devon.
  • eghamrecruitereghamrecruiter Posts: 18
    Oh ok interesting , so if I had sowed them in a months time for instance what difference would there be in the seedlings themselves ? , would they not be so leggy ? But they are inside in a warm climate so as far as they know it’s summer ???
  • eghamrecruitereghamrecruiter Posts: 18
    I’m sure you get
    my drift 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    but you can't put them out in the garden, as they'd soon find out it's not summer.
    Light levels are better later, so they don't "stretch" so much.
    We've all been there, don't take it badly,  ;)
    Devon.
  • SlumSlum Posts: 385
    The warmth is telling them to grow quickly but there isn’t enough light so they get leggy trying to reach more light. Either give them more light once germinated or wait until the days get longer. 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Sowing early doesn't often give you earlier crops. Later sowings invariably "catch up" so try to leave the seed packets alone. 
    If in doubt, follow the instructions.  :D
    Devon.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
    Light levels are still very low, your seedlings will be growing to the light, hence them getting leggy. The instructions on the packet are also only a guide, depending how far north you live you might need to sow a few weeks later than someone in the south.

    Early varieties can be sow now, I've leeks coming up in an unheated GH, broad beans, early pea's but if sown at home they would be leggy.

    Some stuff, like chillies, peppers and aubergines need  to be sown early as they need a long growing season to produce a harvest. 

    Once the true leaves have formed, seedlings can be potted up to their first leaves but if they are very leggy, you might be better off starting again in a few weeks time.

    Do you have pictures....



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  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If it really is cress-like (as in lots of seedlings close together) they'll be fighting each other for light as well as what everyone else has said about light levels.  You'll need to be really careful when you come to prick them out (that's transplanting each one into its own pot or module).  It's difficult to sow fine seeds thinly, and tempting to sow the whole packet, but it's worth trying to space them out more next time.  And don't worry, I'm sure we've all made the same mistakes (I know I have).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • eghamrecruitereghamrecruiter Posts: 18
    That would make sense as they are leaning towards the light
  • eghamrecruitereghamrecruiter Posts: 18
    Brilliant advice guys , thanks so
    much 
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