Room is far too dark to raise seedlings in... sorry!

I took one look at the photos and was going to say exactly the same MG. So I won't bother.

P.S. Nice table though. Protect it. :o)

Which seeds have you plated in here pdb?

It think that there is a cover on the table, Sarraceniac, so I would be more concerned about water running off on that expensive wooden floor.

You might be interested t know that my OH ( a bit of a brain box) worked out that leading on windows incredible cuts out 20% of light!! (We have it too)You also have some shade at the sides from those heavy curtains. Its a shame when you have gone to all that trouble but I can't see yow you are going to get useable results. Better to raise a tray or two at a time on the windowsill as I suggested before.

LOL , I just love this site. The answers you can get are very informative. Thanks SG.
Darn it I knew I should have taken a photo when the sun was shining and the sky wasn't grey and full of snow. Ha .
My list is rather long Scotsgran but a few are:
About 4 varieties of cosmos
Trifolium Rubens
Cupids dart
nicotiana mutabilis
N sylvestris
Petunia
Laurentia
Bacopa
Morning glory
Lobelia
Osteospermum
Silene pendula
Phew and a few others but thought I'd better stop!!

Now I hope to prove some of you wrong later in the summer with pictures of said straggly seedlings ( I hope) ;-))

Thank you for the list Pdb. Some plants like the bacopa are pendulous anyway so don't worry too much about it. If you can pot on your plants in to 3" pots they will have room to grow better roots. They are best in a cool room from now on. The Cosmos could have been sown outside in April/May and would soon have caught up on those sown indoors. Perennials like the Trifolium rubens can be sown at any time and placed in a cold frame and they will germinate when they decide the time is right. They are going to flower for years to come so you may not get flowers this year. I think your photograph is probably showing the space to be much darker than it actually is. It is difficult to get the right light when taking photos in to the light so your plants are probably way ahead of what they should be because they have been in a warm room. I hope they flower well for you and that you can show us how well they have done in the summer. I sowed Cerinthe seeds according to the packet instructions but they too are leggy. I hope I can use them but if not I'll have to sow another batch outside in April /May.

Many thanks for your encouragement Scotsgran. I have turned the heating off in that room but woke up to about 6/9 inches of snow this morning. We are doing a bit of shivering now :-).... All for the sake of my plants!!

Aah. Now you are learning something about gardening that the books and TV can't teach you. You have been bitten. Lol.

Yes I got bit about 4 years ago but never really bothered about them being straggly , I just buried them deeper in the pot! But this year I wanted to grow them properly but looks like I've messed up again. Love it !!

Next year you can consider growing only your half hardy annuals which take a long time to grow, things like your lobelia, indoors in the heat. Its useful to find out how long they take to germinate after they are sown, add a few weeks for growing on to planting out size - then work out when you will have frost free days to get them in to their permanent spaces and count back to work out a sowing date. Sowing in the house in a room with full CH is probably too hot for most plants. They will gallop away and not be as strong as you want them to be when they do go outside. It might not be a good idea to turn off all the heating in the room either. It is really trial and error. I'd have it on but at the lowest setting to ensure it is frost free in that room. If you don't want to spend a lot on a greenhouse, a cold frame where you can keep them cool but protected during the last few weeks before they go out or one of those cheap shelves with plastic covers which you can stand against the house wall will be adequate. They can be opened on fine days to allow your plants to get used to being outside but you can't do that until at least May. I would not want you to get hypothermia for the sake of a few plants.

Great info Scotsgran!

Thank you Mg. I just hope it is not too much. I was at the Stirling Show in Kincardine today and I am amazed at the quality of exhibits given the weather we have had over the past 18 months.

Hi Scotsgran delighted to hear there were lots of good plants on the show benches we simply could not get down!

I was on tenderhooks wondering if it would be cancelled. The snow has been pretty awful in lots of places and people were saying that they can't get in to their gardens to get work done for fear of compacting the wet soil.

I know Carole & Ian Bainbridge could only put three pans on the benches - even if we had got down we would not have had any plants.

I'm wading through my photographs and you will be able to tell whether the weather has affected the overall show.

Great!

Yes thanks Scotsgran . I have checked my seed box and have got cosmos left over so I shall reseed some more in a few weeks.

I think I remember lessons learned the hard way better than any number of tellings Pdb. I tend to be profligate with seed and use a whole packet when less would do so its good that you still have seed to try again.