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I started them from seed 3 to 4 wks ago. I germinated them on kitchen towel in bags on my kitchen window sill (had problems getting them to germinate in trays)  Then i  potted them on in my mini green house at home to get them ready for the lotti..

Thing is they are only about 2 to 3 inch high at the moment.  they seem to me to be very slow in getting bigger.

I have some in at the lotti that are growing OK they are approx a foot high at the moment. I had to buy them from a local small nursery. (See the above about germination)

Any one else having problems ? I am in mirfield west yorkshire.

I have noticed that Brassica seeding tend to be slow at the beginning but suddenly take off, might be slow in developing its root system, don't worry. Somebody will come along with more info.

To be honest, I have never succeeded brassicas started off indoors. Using advice from TeeGee, I now only do them in a seed bed, in the coldframe outdoors and I currently have red  cabbage, brussel sprouts and broccoli growing, planted out about 3 weeks ago and they are now about 25 cm tall.
I also currently have pak choy, kale and more broccoli in the coldframe and they have germinated well and are grwoing successfully. I think they like cool and variations in temperature, and I feel  that if their whole growing cycle is outdoors, they do much better.  just my 2 cts.

That has been my experience too.  As a newbie I started them all off indoors and they came up well to begin with but then just slowed right down. The only ones that got to the planting out stage were the calibrese , which took forever to get there  but are going great guns now.  I gave up on the cabbage and sprouts, and sowed more seed outdoors in an old tin bath.  I was amazed how quickly they got to a size to plant out.  And so that's my method from now on!

This is quite common with brassicas and it can be put down to 'transplanting!

They don't like it! and it can take a short while for them to settle in again.

Antipodes doesn't have this problem because she doesn't transplant as early as say people who grow in trays then pot on.

When she does get down to transplanting her plants have a bigger rootball so suffer less stress.

I like to use cell/plug trays to sow in this allows me to pot on a plug rather than a 'bare rooted' plant so again stress is minimised.

Reply for Tee Gee.

Thank you for your advice much appreciated.

I forgot to say in my first post" that after i germinated them on kitchen towel" i put them into small modules so when i transplanted them on into pots they were as plug plants.

will this still have caused them to be stressed and slow them down and how long will they take to catch up so i can plant them out?

Up to this year i have always done them in trays and transplanted them into pots without any problems must be a funny year for me what with problems with germinating and now transplanting on!

I try to actually dig them out of the soil with their root system all covered in dirt, They seem to appreciate being planted out like that. I didn't plant them out till they were at least 10 cm high!So they had been in the coldframe for a fair while. Then they went off like rockets! Water them well after planting and for the next few days.
I have never had such nice brassica as I have following that method.

Quotewill this still have caused them to be stressed and slow them down and how long will they take to catch up so i can plant them out?

One could argue that you have moved them twice.

Its difficult to say how long it will take for them to pick up for a number of reasons, e.g light & temperature are but two.

QuoteUp to this year i have always done them in trays and transplanted them into pots without any problems

This is how I grow them in trays and cells;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pricking%20out/Pricking%20out/pricking%20out.html

and this will give you an indication of planting out size;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Brassica%20planting/brassica%20planting.html

Quotemust be a funny year for me what with problems with germinating and now transplanting on!

Tell me about it! I can't remember a worse year for me either.

Where as Tee Gee uses root trainers I prefer paper pots. This way they never get disturbed, plant the whole pot, dibble a larger than needed whole, spoonfull of lime and push well down to depth of their first true leaves.
Tread in, water well and leave them to get on with growing.
Both methods work, always start mine off in a cold G/house, never indoors.
Its trial and error to find whats best for you...have a good season... ;)

Last year I had a lot of problems with brassicas in plugs with damping off and going leggy and forgetting to water them, so this year I have them outside in neat little rows.  With a lot of watering they seem to have coped with moving very well.  Moved a lot yesterday hoping for rain.  Rained today so I am off to transplant some more.  I did have to go to allotment several evenings to water the sprouts in the hot weather.  I just do not have enough space for lots of brassicas indoors. 

I am having more problems with pigeons and find that now I need it most there is no more netting left at £1land and 99p shops.  Luckily bougth quite a lot earlier in the year.

Just spoken to some one from one of the other lotti sites in mirfield. They are having the same problem as me with their cabbage plants. but they germinated theirs in trays and then potted on.

Their the cauliflower / broccoli and sprouts were done the same way as above and were OK and are now in and thriving!  Their  seed was from a different supplier and different variety and different compost to mine! strange don't you think .

My Sprouts on the window sill seem to have withered away, I started mine off in peat pots. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy some plug plants (I need Calebrese anyway.)