Topic: What to do with seedlings now?

[shirl]

Hello there and sorry for the probably stupid question but what do I do with the seedlings now they are a couple of inches high?

I found all the info I needed on planting seeds, plus good advice on not putting the plants out until the risk of frost is over, but cant find much on what to do with them in the meantime!

Mine toms, cucumber and peppers are a couple of inches high (planted them late) and at the moment are still sat in the greenhouse in a heated propagator.  I'm sure they must be due to come out of there now as they seem to have stopped growing, but I really dont know what to do with them next.  They are in seed trays at the moment.

Please a few pointers would be good.  I have a number of books but they discuss moving into cold greenhouses, but not what to do until that time comes.  Should I pot them in separate pots and bring them in?  I was thinking of just leaving the lid off the propagator so they still have warm roots.

Any help much appreciated :-)

[aquilegia]

Too much heat after germination makes them go leggy.

After the seeds have germinated you need to switch it off. And a week or so later take the lid off.

What containers are they in now? (modules, seed trays, what size pots?)

[shirl]

Thankyou aquilegia.

Oh I see, they have been in the propagator for a few weeks now and I still have the lid on for most of the day (although at an angle so its ventilated)

I have one of those aldi (sankey) propagators and im using the shallow trays that come with it.  Would I be better off transferring everything to pots and then bringing them in the house overnight, they are still very small.

Thankyou again

[tim]

Does this help in any way?

Most of the seedlings will be in the lean-to until they go out into the cold 'house at the end of May. The ones in the prop are overdue being potted up.

There are toms, aubs, courgettes (for outdoors), peppers, rocket , celery, celeriac etc.





PS This is NOT an exemplary set up!

[shirl]

Fantastic!

Thank you Tim.  Your seedlings look very healthy and far stronger than mine (although looking at your other pictures over the last few months im not surprised) 

I see you have yours separated too, whereas mine are all bunched together.  Right thats it, im going to pot them into proper pots and bring them out of the propagator and into the house windowsill.

Thank you again   :)

[wardy]

Some seeds can be transplanted into bigger puts but still in the clumps.  Some seedlings like chives and spring onions don't mind so you can just carefully lever some out (eg a small clump) with something like a biro or pencil and put them into a larger, deeper pot into new compost.  Some seedlings get potted up singly such as courgettes.  You'll get the hang of it. 

Tim posted a pic somewhere of his spring onions pricked out in clumps.

[shirl]

Thanks Wardy, yes I saw Tim's spring onions, amazing, mine are just deciding to put in an appearance!

So can I take it that you peeps without a heated greenhouse are just using indoor windowsills for the seedlings?  I've brought mine in now as I think the temps may be falling too much at night.

[tim]

Multi-sown, Wardy - not pricked out.

[philcooper]

Shirl,

It's warm enough now in an unheated greenhouse, in fact when the sun comes out you need lots of ventialtion to keep the temp down.

If there is a frost warning then fleece over the plants will do the job.

I would go in 2 stages though so as not to shock them too much, prick out into pots/modules as Tim's advice but keep them on the window ledge or in the propagator with the heat on but the top off for a few days until they are standing upright again, before you move them to the greenhouse

Phil

It'sa good fun raising from seed - in most cases they succeed no matter how badly we treat them!

[tim]

And the ones that you spill in the garden always germinate!!

[kitty]

that'll be why i have a clump of carrot leaves growing in the middle of a pristine( ???)row of spring onions tim! ::)

[philcooper]

that'll be why i have a clump of carrot leaves growing in the middle of a pristine( ???)row of spring onions tim! ::)

You've got carrots to germinate !!!!!!  >:(

and by accident !!! >:( >:(  !!!

I think I'll follow the hint given by Tim and spill my seeds instead of sowing them in rows!

[wardy]

tim  I thought you'd transplanted your spring onions in clumps.  I did it with chives after being so careful and sowing them thinly and them all doing nothing.  Then my two non-gardening neices sowed chives really thickly and pricked em out in little mini batches and it worked.  Loads of chives now so I learned from them and I always do it now.  Works with other tiny seedlings too

[Amazin]

That's the spirit Phil!
You should see my newly planted lawn... and it's fine crop of baby sunflowers - I forgot I spilt a pot of the  darn seeds last year!

[tim]

Wardy - yes - in module-fulls!

Phil - when I grew bunching carrots for the WI market, I broadcast them & then just very lightly raked. We had them in before Evesham!! Here's a typical pick.

[philcooper]

Tim,

There's no need to rub it in  ;)

Worst of all Monty Don recommended sowing carrots by scattering last night  >:(

Phil

[tim]

Yes - so I see from the 'carrot' thread!

[shirl]

Well after three weeks, the carrots have finally started peeping through.... how lazy!!

I potted half my plants into bigger pots and brought them into the house last night.  The other half stayed in the prop in the greenhouse but with the lid off, so I shall compare the difference in growth, a good way of learning I think.

Thanks again everyone

[kitty]

not only that they are coming up in the shallots too! ::) ;D

[wardy]

Mine are up too.  Yipppeeeee.  I thought they were spring onions but my kindly lotty neighbour pointed out the error of my ways  ;D