Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi everyone, we have had a lovely, warm, bright day today in High Wycombe. I have got shelves in my south facing lounge close to the patio doors with lots of pricked out seedlings doing very nicely thank you. But when I got back home this afternoon they have all stretched and gone leggy...why has this happened? Too much light or warmth or sunshine? and is there anything I can do to improve their chances? I do have an unheated greenhouse but its too chilly for toms, peppers and aubergines. Help, any suggestions welcome?
Thanks Helen

Hi Helen, its most likely too warm.you need all the light you can get early in the season so its unlikely to be too much light (most likely not enough for the heat generated on a sunny day.). the general advice for stuff grown on windowsills is to turn the trays 180 degrees every day.

This is probably one for Johnboy but my guess is that it's a combination of too much warmth and strong light. If they're tomatoes, they'll recover by potting them on a little deeper than normal. Otherwise - it's over to you JB.............

I do turn them every day as you suggest, but was a bit stunned at the growth rate of today and how stretched they are. Is it only toms that you can bury deeper or can I do it with the peppers and aubergines too?

I know you can with toms and cucumbers, because they put out a mass of additional roots, but I don't know about the others. Someone will though.

am no expert but noticed my aubergine seedlings were looking leggy and repotted them deeper a week or so ago – it doesn't seem to have bothered them at all