Topic: Calebrese Seedlings

[Digeroo]

I used to buy all my brassicas from a guy at the local market, really nice plant very reasonable price.  But when he retired new guy not in the same league.
Last year all my calabrese seedling were floppy.  Instead of a nice perky plant they drooped over the side of the modular trays.  They finally grew well once planted outside.
So what did I do wrong?  And what to I need to do to get nice brassica seedlings?
Were they too hot on the windowsill.  Some I put outside got eaten by deer. 
Maybe I need to put the seeds deeper.

[ancellsfarmer]

Did your original supplier hand over the plants wrapped, perhaps, in damp newspaper?

If so, he was likely growing them outdoors in nursery beds. I have found that sown into a suitably prepared, and protected, bed which can be fenced in from predators,  brassicaes develop into sturdy plants for transplanting. Sown thinly, but with a multiple spread, gives a sturdy strait growing 'sapling', rather than my experience of modular trays, when almost always, they flop and grow a curved 'drooping' form.
My no-dig beds have plenty of organic material and encourage bushy rooting, such that plants require a trowel 60mm dia to plant out rather than the dibber40mm. Plant them tight &deep

[Tee Gee]

Instead of a nice perky plant they drooped over the side of the modular trays.

Sounds like they were too warm.

AS soon as they are pricked out they want to be in a coldframe or as Ancell said grown in a nursery bed.

This is how I grew mine;

https://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Content/C/Calabrese/Calabrese.htm

[Digeroo]

No my original suppliere grew in modules.  I think I would be very wary of bare roots on brassicas.   He used best quality compost and seeds.  His plants were brilliant, planted outside and they took off like a rocket.  I was very spoilt.  He retired. 
The new guy cut some corners used poor compost and very ordinary seed, cheaper but poor results.
So I want to copy the first guy, but so far no brassica seedlings look good.  Results on planting out good but take a long time to get going.
The possibilities I think might be: too hot on windowsill, poor seed compost, seeds not deep enough, forgot to water them, too much water, not enough fertiliser at the right time.  One set I thought I was winning.  Nice looking seedlings, first true leaf just showing.  Then suddenly they too were all in the droopy class.
I have given up on no dig.  Just became overrun with stinging nettles. 
Some germinated well and then they took ages to get bigger. Once they got the true leaves the coteledon shrivelled up really quickly.  I though it was a problem with fertiliser in the compost, but the same compost grew some very bonnie courgette plants.
I had both Hilliers and Aldi, tested out two trays of 10 courgettes/squashes, each one had five in H and five in A.  The results were very difficult to tell apart.  So only the price to choose between them.
The best plant was in A and so was the worst, but all 20 plants were good.
I just wish I could grow a brassica plant to look as good as the courgettes. 

[Digeroo]

Thank you TG.  Too warm is quite probable.  I tend to have them on a sunny windowsill.  Which would suit the courgettes but not the brassicas.  I shall have to put them outside sooner.  I put them in the porch in the end, but the deer got bold and ate quite a few.  But I now have some very lightweight micro fleece, which should keep her off.   I might make some into bags and put the whole cell tray inside. 

[Plot22]

I know that it had been mentioned in previous replies but good compost is the main element to produce good seedlings. I get mine from the allotment shop and both the seedling and main compost are the professional type . I have never had any as good. I set the seeds in very deep modules, there are only 15 to a tray with 2 seeds in each. When they are big enough to handle I replant them in cardboard pots from the £1 shop again in the best compost. As soon as they have settled down I put them in the cold frame and eventually to the allotment where I just cut the bottom off the cardboard pots and plant them as deep as possible up to or just past the first leaf. All my brassicas are grown under netting or else I would loose them to the pigeons. I have clubroot so I have to grow clubroot resistant varieties but very seldom loose any and the odd one that I loose is not to clubroot. I think another point is not to set too early and buy the best quality seeds that you can afford.

[JanG]

You’re lucky, Plot 22, in having access to good compost. I’m still in search of a good quality peat-free one which isn’t too expensive.
But until the last year or so I’ve always grown brassicas in a 24 module tray and found it’s fine to plant them out from there. But no longer. They seem to languish after three or four weeks so more recently I’ve been potting on into 15 module trays or small pots and adding slow release organic fertiliser pellets. Then planting them out as somewhat bigger plants.

They can tend not to grow very upright in modules but as they can be planted very deep, I haven’t found that matters too much.

[Digeroo]

I certainly found my droopy plants grew very well once planted out.  I nearly did not bother but Mrs Deer ate a better tray. In the end they did very well indeed. 
I have bought myself a couple of small plastic grow houses which were on special offer, so I hope I can do better this year.  And I have several micromesh tunnels as well to keep Mrs Deer at bay.
Thank you all for your help.