Help with seedlings please

[Kahriss]

Ok here goes, I am a total newbie at this gardening lark so bear with me I bought a couple of heated propogators and 1 unheated plus a load of various seeds, mainly veg and herbs. My mum gave me a packet of cottage garden seeds but according to the packet I was meant to sprinkle them in my borders and they would flower next year.
Patience isn't something I know much about so I came up with the bright idea of putting them in the heated propogator.. to cut a story short, I have 5 x 3inch pots which are coming up with loads of seedlings. I don't know which flowers are which (obviously) or what to do with them now. Do I have to seperate each one and do I leave them in heated props or put them on a windowsill?
I only moved into my bungalow late last summer and everyone elses garden is lovely, I just wanted to bring mine up to scratch as well. Thanks for reading and any advice will be very appreciated before I get taken over by seedlings!

Karen

[Flummery]

If they are a cottage garden mix you don't need to know which is which - if you'd sprinkled them as instructions you wouldn't know, would you? Maybe they will flower next year becasue they are biennial (grow a rosette of basal leaves one year and flower in the second year) in which case hurrying it along with a heated propagator won't make much difference. They should be out of the propagator now (I assume they are?) so let them get a bit bigger then divvy them up into small clumps and plant a foot or so apart each way.

Best of luck with them - gardeners HAVE to be patient! It's in the job description!

[chris]

If you want to get ahead this year, I guess the only thing you can do is buy some plug plants, or ones that are in flower and plant them in your garden

(or steal your neighbours, but I'm not suggesting that - they might notice!! )

[Ouya Mellsa]

Some may flower this year as you have sown quite early.

Separate them all and pot up individually.

[Kahriss]

Hi Flummery

Thanks for the reply :-) They are still in the propogator, they've only been in since saturday so I was amazed they are growing so fast. I'll take them out and see what happens, I guess I'm going to have to learn to wait!

[Kahriss]

Thanks Chris, plug plants was what I had in mind. I thought I could start them off in the propogator and grow my own. I can see a trip to the nursery coming up lol.

Ouya, I've heard of pricking out but the seedlings seem so small. I definitely put too many seeds in a pot but they were teeny and difficult to handle. I'll let them get a bit bigger and then have a go at seperating some. I bet my nan is looking down at me in horror! She had the magic touch with anything to do with the garden lol.

[chris]

Some flowers, flower in their first year - have a look in the poundshop at their range (details on back) or check online... [bulbs I'm on about] cheap and cheerful ;p Lidl are also good, sell cheap flower seeds, etc - as long as you're not stuck on the 'cottage mixed seed' idea - you can mix and match your own!

If you'd like a few poppy seeds PM me your address, i've BAGS sent to me from someone here, far more than I'll ever use. Then just let them self seed - job done!

[chris]

(they're dark red ones.... from this kind member: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ies_51290.html back in august!)

[Kahriss]

Thanks Chris, have sent you a pm :-)

[Two_Sheds]

Do I have to seperate each one and do I leave them in heated props or put them on a windowsill?

I'm pretty sure they'll be hardy annuals? In which case they will germinate outside - don't keep them indoors or they'll get leggy and weak

I've heard of pricking out but the seedlings seem so small. ... I'll let them get a bit bigger and then have a go at seperating some.

You can divide them into clumps, you don't have to separate into single plants all at once.
Keep dividing as the plants grow bigger. Or, sacrifice some - just nip their heads off. They won't be strong healthy plants if they're kept crowded together

[Kahriss]

Thanks Two Sheds, I'll make a start on them tomorrow. I think I'll seperate them in clumps, definitely a bit of a challenge to do them in one go. Yesterday was lovely here and I thought spring had arrived but today is grey and cold again. Gotta love the british weather lol