Ready to prick out?

When I started gardening, many of the seed packets said - sow from Feb till April/May.
So I did them in Feb.
That worked well.....
Light is probably the biggest factor in having healthy seedlings, and they never mention it, which is why people end up with leggy plants. That's the problem here - there isn't good light until March, at least. Always darker the further north you go. We then get all the extra light in summer.
I often sow in April until about now.
It also depends on what you're growing, but by the time you have seedlings potted on, the conditions are usually improving a good bit and they can grow on well. If you need something ealry, you have to go down the route of grow lights/heat etc.

 

Ok, so I understand that @JennyJB and @fairygirl but those cosmos were only shown last week! Surely down south in the first week of May there should be enough light? OR maybe they are just a leggy seedling?

 

I agree, @latimer, that should have been fine. Are they in a shady location?

 

Well according to the seed packet then you would be too late.
The dates on the seed packet are for guidance and have to cover the whole of the UK at least.
It will depend where you are in the country, what the season is like and what conditions you can give the seed. You might be better off with a south facing windowsill indoors rather than in a cooler outdoor shelter for example.
I have a cold greenhouse and sow some perennials when I get them in January/February and then leave them to get on with it. Others that need a bit more warmth get sown March/April in the greenhouse. Meanwhile pepper and tomatoes get sown in a propagator with a grow light Feb/Mar, these are joined by perennials and annuals that need a bit of heat. Other seeds such as Ipomoea, Tithonia, Melon, Cucumber, squashes and courgettes go into the propagator in April/May as they germinate pretty quickly and don't like cold conditions when planted out; at the same time runner, French beans and sweetcorn are sown in the greenhouse.

 

I've always found Cosmos seedlings to be leggy.

 

Not at all @Punkdoc, South facing!



@NigelJ that’s fantastic info! Thank you!

@JennyJB maybe I’m just panicking over nothing!

 

There's also a lot to be said for succession sowing. A few seeds sown every week. The extra room in the tray does help to keep them from going leggy. Plus, if sown on a window sill, a piece of white card on the room side can help even out available light