My seeds have germinated too quickly!

[WanderingWildflower]

Last Sunday I sowed some seeds in my heated propagator - tomatoes, pepper, lettuce and some herbs. The packets said they would appear in 1-3 weeks but 6 days later I’ve got absolutely loads germinated.

I have potted on the tomatoes in my other propagator and will leave the peppers but is it too cold to put the herbs and lettuce outside (I have a mini greenhouse but it’s pretty cold). The packets say it’s ok from March but I don’t remember last March being this cold and we keep getting dustings of snow (south west).

Im an amateur at this so any advice much appreciated. The herbs are basil and coriander if that makes a difference. Thanks

Make sure they're getting plenty of light, too little and they'll grow all leggy and weak. I would not put them outside yet. I've been growing my seeds in a cool but bright room that gets a lot of sun, compared to last year when I kept them warm growth has been slower but the seedlings are much more robust. I have the window in the room on vent and it stays around 12-15 degrees.

I would wait another week or two before moving to a mini green house, this cold spell will definitely kill your seedlings

Thank you @Beneficialchampion2 . It is pretty grey and miserable here but my propagator has lights, should I keep them under there and take the heat off do you think? My house isn’t the warmest tbh!!

Not sure about coriander but my basil died in the mini greenhouse when it got cold last year. (It was happier there than inside though while it was warmer).

Thyme is still going in there. Lettuce might be OK - if you've got lots maybe try a few seedlings but not all? It's still sheltered from the wind in mini greenhouse. I don't have experience though, still trying to get some to germinate!

I have some tomato seedlings on the go. They actually germinated over three weeks ago. Once they had germinated indoors, I started putting the seedlings out in my little greenhouse during the day as long as the temperature inside it was at least 7°, because they need the light, but I bring them back indoors onto a cool windowsill overnight.

Actually, they have been indoors all the time since the snow reached here last Wednesday, but I will resume the outdoor treatment again this week if the magic 7° is reached. I've been doing this for a few years now and it works for me.

You have to have a good memory though, and not forget they are out there if a very cold night is forecast.

Could you post a link to your heated propagation. I'm looking for a good one with lights. I wouldn't put anything out just yet. It's too cold here even in my mini greenhouse- though mine has a hole in it and needs replacing.

Basil is a tropical plant and will prefer to stay indoors anyway. Coriander goes to seed, and needs to be resown at intervals

I am well behind this year as work has been full on so only just sown everything - in contrast to last year when I was far too early. I would just pot them on when ready but leave them inside.

Thanks for all the comments. I bought some bigger pots so I’m keeping the Basil and coriander inside on our sunniest windowsill along with a few of the lettuce seedlings and the rest has been potted on and gone in the greenhouse so hopefully one or the other will make it! Don’t have the windowsill space for it all unfortunately we have an awkward facing house.

@Merryweather80 sorry I was a bit misleading about the heated propagator - it’s actually a propagator from Amazon with LED grow lights sitting on a heat mat also from Amazon. I will put the links, it’s done the job rather too well!

Hyindoor Seedling Heat Mat Heated... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HL59XNH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

YAUNGEL Seed Trays with Grow... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BHNT52HD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Thank you

If the tomatoes are getting too tall, pick off the seed leaves and add compost up to where they were. Or higher if they are very leggy and there are hairs on the stem. These will grow into roots. Lots of lettuce varieties are hardy, so you could try hardening off for a few days then putting them in the greenhouse. They will slow down growth for a while. Even if everything dies you still have time to start again with everything except probably the peppers, so just consider this a test run.