Notice that my delicate seedlings are "upstairs", in an attempt to keep them away from slugs. Notice also the little saucer of blue slug-pellets down below as a tempter for the pesky molluscs!
These little Brussels Sprouts have just produced their first true leaves. In a week or so they will probably have two leaves each, and that is the time I consider them ready for transplanting to individual pots.
The "De Ciccio" broccoli is a bit less advanced. In fact, it doesn't look very strong at all. I hope it will buck its ideas up because I have high hopes of it!
These few Purple Kohlrabi ("Modrava F1") are all that is left from a packet of seeds I opened two years ago, but they seem all right. I'm not expecting to have space for more than 3 or 4 plants, but they do provide a bit of interest, in terms of color and form.
I pricked-out my Celeriac ("Monarch") seedlings a few days ago. Just like with the kohlrabi, I won't be able to grow more than a few, but for me this is a real Challenge vegetable. I have previously tried growing it three times, but I have never produced anything bigger than a tennis-ball. I'm not going to be defeated though! The fact that there was a pack of Celeriac seeds (amongst others) on the front of "Grow Your Own" magazine last month may have been an omen...
I have kept eight, but I expect I will only use four. They have a long way to go from this stage to maturity!
I shouldn't be short of Lettuce this Summer. I have already sown some of eight different varieties, and I plan to work hard on the successional sowing this year. Mind you, it will be a few weeks before I can harvest any, because this lot ("Devin") is the furthest advanced!
Here are some of the others - "Ice Queen", "Tom Thumb" and "Webb's Wonderful".
In current weather conditions (sunny and warm), you have to keep a good watch over tiny seedlings like this. They can easily get scorched, and the shallow seed-trays dry out very rapidly. I check mine at least twice a day, and water them with a small watering-can if they need it.
