Beginner Gardening: Please help with cabbage plant problem! URGENT!!!, 1 by Gymgirl

Gymgirl wrote:
Seeds,
How cold is it outside right now? I'm asking because I have broccoli and cabbage seedlings in milk jugs that I winter sowed on January 16th. They've come up in the jugs from seeds.

Once they were up about 2" I opened the lids of the jugs. They've been open for almost 4 weeks now and are really perking up. We've had nights ranging from the high 20s to the mid-30s on average for the past 3 weeks.

I'm inclined to tell you to take those seedlings outside and let them loose with some kinda vented protective covering (like a milk jug cloche) for the nighttime dips.

I'm no expert, and I could be totally wrong here, but I think they need more cool air. I don't even bother covering the cole crop seedlings anymore if the temps are hovering anywhere between mid-40s to the mid- to high-30s.

Right now, you're losing seedlings. If it's worth it to you, you might want to give this a try...

Please LMK how you turn out. I currently have 13 cabbages in various stages of development growing outside in self-watering eBuckets. This is only my second time growing cole crops. They're doing fine, except when the temps start rising above the 50's. Then, I pray for more cold weather to bring them to maturity. I need about 4 more weeks in the 40's to get them there.

This pic is from January 18, 2010. They're 2.5 times larger today...

Linda



This message was edited Feb 20, 2010 3:13 PM