Cauliflower Mistake - Give Up?

[Dogs and Veg]

Hi all,

So recently joined and said I was a rank beginner...didn't quite realise just how incompetent I was!

5 days on from sowing Cauliflower seeds I was super chuffed when some leaves started poking through and now 7 days on I have a forest. Problem is...I now realise from looking at pics online I should maybe only have one or two shoots per pot as opposed to what I have so obviously "sprinkling lightly" didn't quite mean what I thought it did from the packet

So, questions i have are this....

1. Am i correct, should there only be one or two per pot?

2. What do i do, do I try and see if can separate or give up and get rid of them?

3. Are these what you would call leggy, and if so are they then not any good?

4. If i have sown all 80 pots the way I have done with the cauliflower, are those pots destined to failure too?

Thank you in advance...just heading into garden to plant the chided potatoes into bags, surely I can't mess that up?

[veggiechicken]

Well done - they've germinated. Its not all doom and gloom - all you need to do is decide how many caulis you want to grow.
If its 4, snip the tops off all except 1 or 2 in each pot.

If its 8, leave 3 in each pot.

Of course, if its 40, you'll have to prick them out into more pots.

[Snoop Puss]

^Seconded.

Or should I have said ditto?

[Greenleaves]

Well done on the germination, and as above. One question to ask yourself is how many cauliflowers can we eat in one go try sowing less at 2/3 weekly intervals

[nickdub]

Hi all,

So recently joined and said I was a rank beginner...didn't quite realise just how incompetent I was!

5 days on from sowing Cauliflower seeds I was super chuffed when some leaves started poking through and now 7 days on I have a forest. Problem is...I now realise from looking at pics online I should maybe only have one or two shoots per pot as opposed to what I have so obviously "sprinkling lightly" didn't quite mean what I thought it did from the packet

So, questions i have are this....

1. Am i correct, should there only be one or two per pot?

2. What do i do, do I try and see if can separate or give up and get rid of them?

3. Are these what you would call leggy, and if so are they then not any good?

4. If i have sown all 80 pots the way I have done with the cauliflower, are those pots destined to failure too?

Thank you in advance...just heading into garden to plant the chided potatoes into bags, surely I can't mess that up?

Not to worry, too many definitely better than not enough :-)


1. Am i correct, should there only be one or two per pot?

Depends really on what you are growing and how big the pots are - in this case 3 would have been about right.

2. What do i do, do I try and see if can separate or give up and get rid of them?

Again rather depends on how many cauliflowers you want. No harm in using something like a seed label to lever some from the edge of a block and put them in another pot. On the other hand cauliflowers will take up quite a bit of room eventually, so only you can decide how many you want to try to grow. Its always better to have a few spare, slugs etc being what they are.
As VC says where the seedlings are v close together snip off all but one, so they stop being over-crowded

3. Are these what you would call leggy, and if so are they then not any good?

No not leggy, bit early for that - so far so good - give them plenty of light, don't over water and don't keep them in too warm a place.

4. If i have sown all 80 pots the way I have done with the cauliflower, are those pots destined to failure too?

I should think the other things will be rescuable too - best post another question when we can see what you have, together with the name of the seedlings concerned.

BTW Cauliflower growing is one of the trickier arts in the veg garden, so it might be wise to have a read up on the conditions they ideally like. I'd be really chuffed if it was me, and I got a decent crop first time out. Enjoy your gardening.

[Bluenowhere]

Nothing is a failure just a learning experience!

[Bluenowhere]

As others have said good germination is better than none. When they have the first true leaves you can separate what you want of most things into extra pots, or snip off what you don’t (if you can bring yourself to do so - I hate disposing of the extras)

[lottie dolly]

Well done in germination,as others have said,all is good so far,some of my brasicca are in modules,when i ran out of them,i got wider pots and transplanted them with about an inch apart,they will stay there until ready for the ground,they look well the next day,when i sow the winter ones,i will plant each seed seperate in a wider pot,much easier than in little pots and pot on.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Well done on the germination, and as above. One questiohttps://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1589011n to ask yourself is how many cauliflowers can we eat in one go try sowing less at 2/3 weekly intervals

Unless like me yo enjoy sharing with fellow plot holders or freezing any surplus

[Bren In Pots]

Well done - they've germinated. Its not all doom and gloom - all you need to do is decide how many caulis you want to grow.
If its 4, snip the tops off all except 1 or 2 in each pot.

Don't forget that any that you snip of will taste fine in a salad.