Look, this is why...

[Cutecumber]

Look, this is why you shouldn't sow too early...

Lettuce and cabbage sown last Sunday and put on windowsill. Germinated on Wednesday, looking for some light!

[Nicos]

Good one cutecumber!!!

Are you going to do weekly/fortnightly trials so we know when we missed the right date????

Actually...that would be quite useful to compare photos of the seedlings week by week if anyone fancies adding to the photos?????

[seasprout]

Are you sure they are not just leaning out to look into the neighbours garden..?

[smallblueplanet]

Lol!

I realise its not a proper 'cure' but you can make 'light reflectors' out of cardboard boxes and aluminium foil. Stand them behind the seedlings to reflect the window light back onto them. Tried it for the first time last year with a reflector about the same size as the propagator and it made a real difference. They still leant a little but not as badly as in the piccy.

[Two_Sheds]

I realise its not a proper 'cure' but you can make 'light reflectors' out of cardboard boxes and aluminium foil.

It's not really worth the hassle though. You must have hundreds of spare seeds? Just sow some more in a few weeks time.

[Cutecumber]

Glad you liked my failures!! There'll be plenty more

I'll sow again next weekend and if it's as mild as it is at the moment, put them in the (frost free) greenhouse instead.

Oh, and I do actually make reflectors for windowsill growing, I just haven't got round to them yet this year. I find they make a difference - I usually use them for tomato seedlings in early spring.

Oh, well, off to make some more school-girl errors...

[smallblueplanet]

It's not really worth the hassle though. You must have hundreds of spare seeds? Just sow some more in a few weeks time.

If you're growing indoors and don't have a very light room, then it definately is worth it. Our room is west-facing and is really quite dim in the mornings compared to the afternoons. When you're growing toms/peppers/aubs that extra light can make a big difference - nothing to do with having lots of seeds.

Its hardly a big deal to sellotape a piece of foil to a piece of cardboard and prop it behind the seeds, no you don't have to bother but if you've sown seeds early or there's not a lot of light it can help.

[momol]

Oh CC, I got carried away after receiving my roottrainers , sow some peas today and some chrysanthemun, Kai Lan, and spinach...hope they don't go leggy too....
Momol

[Cutecumber]

I sowed peas in rootrainers last week too - they seem fine. I've put them outside now (under cover, frost free) as they are a fully hardy variety anyway.

Be careful with the Kai Lan - they are a brassica and will germinate ridiculously easily. Try and keep them cool, that should help slow them down a bit.

Spinach - should take a little longer to germinate, so it'll be a bit lighter when it pops up!!

Keep saying to yourself "cool and light, cool and light" and maybe you'll find that perfect place

(I'm still looking for it!)

[Two_Sheds]

...nothing to do with having lots of seeds... Its hardly a big deal to sellotape a piece of foil to a piece of cardboard ...

I meant, it's hardly worthwhile to bother trying to save these seedlings, which are already floppy.

[smallblueplanet]

Ah right, you were talking about Cutecumbers seedlings.

Anyway for future seeds I'd definately recommend it as an easy way of providing some more light to help stop seedlings 'bending' towards the window/light source. Especially for toms as cutecumber says.

[veg4681]

For me personally, I wouldn't chance it with early sowing for stuffs like cabbage and lettuce, esp the latter...though I would with fruiting vegetables.

I can't think how it would hurt to put them outside during the day to catch the light as it's really not that cold, you've got nothing to lose just to see if they'll fatten up. Poor things!

[Seahorse]

I think the 'what have you got to lose?' philosophy is a fine one. With the weird weather at the mo, I'm happy to risk 'wasting' a few seeds, just in the interests of experimentation. I currently have some 18" high Borlotto beans, which I can only suppose will meet an unhappy end, one way or another - but then again, who knows?

[momol]

I sowed peas in rootrainers last week too - they seem fine. I've put them outside now (under cover, frost free) as they are a fully hardy variety anyway.

Be careful with the Kai Lan - they are a brassica and will germinate ridiculously easily. Try and keep them cool, that should help slow them down a bit.

Spinach - should take a little longer to germinate, so it'll be a bit lighter when it pops up!!

Keep saying to yourself "cool and light, cool and light" and maybe you'll find that perfect place

(I'm still looking for it!)

My worries, if any will be for the Kai Lan and the Chrysanthemun (edible type) but again, we got nothing to lose. I sow lots of brassicas early february last year, this year I am pushing it 2 weeks earlier...we will see....

Momol

[veg4681]

My worries, if any will be for the Kai Lan and the Chrysanthemun (edible type) but again, we got nothing to lose. I sow lots of brassicas early february last year, this year I am pushing it 2 weeks earlier...we will see....

Momol

Wot, did you say Kailaan? I would sure want that too, early if I can have 'em . I didn't bother sowing last Autumn even when I had ample of time within the recommended sowing period. BTW my August sown Pak Chois are still in the bed growing and 'alive' despite the several frost we've had! Just goes to show how hardy they are. I hadn't realised people were pushing early for leafy vegetable too .