Picture of my cabbage

[The Griff]

Are my greyhound cabbage looking like they should do?
I have them under a clear plastic hood thing in my unheated greenhouse, there was 12 spouted up yesterday and about another 12 have appeared today.
I thought I had overwatered them when I sowed them about a fortnight ago and had more a less give up on them thinking they wouldn't germinate, the compost is still quite damp so have not added any water since sowing them, should I keep them covered, if so when should I remove the clear plastic lid thing?



Thanks

[Hazel at the Hill]

They look great, but take the lid off and put them in the lightest, brightest place that you have to prevent them going leggy.

[Alison]

I'd remove it now. Brassicas are pretty hardy and will get leggy without light.

[The Griff]

Thanks, will they be ok in in a unheated greenhouse with the lid off, I have white washed the south facing side of the greenhouse glass and half of the roof to stop it scorching my strawberries, will this still be light enough?
I am new to this sowing seed thing, I have only ever grown carrots and spring onion from seed before and sown these directly outside into the ground.

[AlanP]

They just look like mine, mine are in a unheated greenhouse without a lid thingy, we have had quite a hard frost for a couple of nights and they are still OK.

Alan

[Hazel at the Hill]

Thanks, will they be ok in in a unheated greenhouse with the lid off, I have white washed the south facing side of the greenhouse glass and half of the roof to stop it scorching my strawberries, will this still be light enough?
I am new to this sowing seed thing, I have only ever grown carrots and spring onion from seed before and sown these directly outside into the ground.

Yep - that sounds good to me.

I'm glad that you have grown carrots and spring onions from seed - we may need your tips. My springers have never germinated outside; and my carrots always get struck by carrot fly. It's a mesh tunnel for me this year - but I suspect that I will still be sowing in a spirit of optimism over experience.

[The Griff]

Yep - that sounds good to me.

I'm glad that you have grown carrots and spring onions from seed - we may need your tips. My springers have never germinated outside; and my carrots always get struck by carrot fly. It's a mesh tunnel for me this year - but I suspect that I will still be sowing in a spirit of optimism over experience.

I have never had a problem with spring onion outside, I just mix a bag of compost in with the top soil and they seem to just grow, however I sowed some in my greenhouse the same time as my cabbage and they have yet to show through the compost yet.
The first year I grew carrots(or tried) was a disaster, I used a rainbow variety that were multicoloured, they all forked and then got carrot fly and rotted. It put me off growing them again until last year. I bought 2 variaties, one early and one called fly away. The idea being I sowed them at the same time and used the early ones as baby carrots and the fly away variety as the later ones and also as it's carrot fly restistant it was a plan B if the other got carrot fly. After spending a couple of weekends digging a 18 inch deep hole 5 foot square and then refilling it with a mixture of top soil collected from mole hills and compost mixed with plenty of sharpsand I planted both variaties. I only picked the carrots late on an evening and took the tops off them away from my bed to reduce the risk of attracting carrot fly, I had brilliant carrots and have just lifted the rest of both variaties to prepare the bed for onions.