On January 12th I was in the middle of experimenting with some very early sowings of cabbage and broccoli.
Planting this early is unusual, even in my relatively mild climate*, but after successfully overwintering young broccoli plants the last couple of years, I wanted to see if I could replicate that success with a winter sowing.
After all, I can always replant later in the year. But if they are successful, I may manage to get a harvest before the dreaded cabbage white caterpillars appear!
There’s one problem – they are getting leggy.
(This may be because my propagator is set up for chili plants, which need more heat.)
You’ve probably had this happen to you too – it happens to the best of us.
When stems grow long and thin, the seedlings often topple over or snap if the issue isn’t dealt with promptly.
Solutions
A common solution is to plant seedlings deeper in compost when potting them on.
However, if the seedlings keep becoming leggy, you’ll have to do this repeatedly.
I thought this would be the problem with my seedlings, given how quickly they had become leggy.
However, one simple thing that helps is leaving a gap between the top of the pot and the compost when repotting seedlings.
I generally like to leave an inch or two of space, but you could leave more if you have a large pot.
As the seedlings grow, gently add compost beneath the bottom leaves to cover the stem.
This supports the plant as it grows taller.
The result?
Stronger plants and less frequent repotting, as the roots have more time to develop before needing a larger container.
If you keep getting this problem (maybe you’re like me and experimenting with planting in less than ideal conditions) it’s also worth deliberately planning ahead for leggy seedlings.
That’s especially the case when they are getting leggy fast, as otherwise you’ll need to repot the seedlings on while they are still small and delicate.
First choose a deeper pot than you would usually use for seedlings.
Then, leave a large gap between the compost and the top of the pot.
You can then top the compost up as the plant grows, delaying the time it needs before repotting.
*For those interested, I’m in Zone 9b in the UK.