This may or may not work, depending on the extent of the mold/mildew, but you may want to try it. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda in a quart of water, shake it well, and mist it on the seedlings and the pots. Also, make small holes in your plastic wrap or lift one end for an hour or two to allow some air circulation. Baking soda is a mild fungicide, and I use it on my seedlings to prevent mold/mildew. You will be able to tell if it has any effect in about two days.
You might want to consider using plastic sectioned trays with a sterile starter mix next time. Potting soil is nice, but it isn't sterile. Peat pots I have had nothing but trouble with.
Good luck with your fall garden!

Thanks so much...gonna do that right now. I've removed the plastic all together. The only direct sun in my sunroom is late afternoon.

What's everyone's opinions and experiences with peat pots? You've made me curious :).

bugtussellmom, if it were me I'd try to keep the seedlings alive AND start over with new seed boxes. Having said this, I'm not sure of the timing for your area.

For my area I'm just getting started. My method is to fill the planter boxes with potting soil, saturate it, sprinkle seeds on top, cover with a fine layer of potting soil, and them gently water (e.g. mist) the surface. I leave the planter boxes outside in the shade until they germinate and them move them to plant racks which get PM sunshine under the roof overhang. This process is repeated weekly for about 5 or so weeks.

I set out plants directly into the garden when they reach about 5-6 inches tall. Completey saturating the soil in the planter box at transplanting time helps with root separation.

I've tried peat posts (either direct seeding or by transplanting smaller plants). This works OK but the peat pots have a tendency to dry out faster than the planter boxes. However, they do have a better transplant success rate. I plant far more seeds than I need to compensate for losses during transplant.

I usually set out about 150 or so broccoli, cauliflower & brussels sprouts plants over a 5 to 7 week period.

Why do you have your seedlings covered in plastic? The moisture and mold is a sign that they need air. I start several thousand seedlings every year and the only time I use plastic is when I first plant the seeds, I cover with plastic, then uncover as soon as the seedling emerges. As far as peat pots go they can dry out easier. I only use them for melons, and early crops of zucs. and cukes.

I am one that likes to use peat pots. I would recommend tearing off as much of the peat as you can without disturbing the roots too much. I've had dry years here where I've pulled up plants at the end of the season just to find the roots pretty much contained within the pots. Not good. At the very least tear off the bottom or remove pieces from the sides. This will allow the roots to penetrate into the surrounding soil in search of food and water.

The mold is a sign that the soil need air. I use plastic when I am waiting for the seeds to germinate. Once they sprout I remove the plastic and bottom water the pots as needed. Never let them sit in standing water or completely dry out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kim's Garden

Thanks for your replies!

With 150+ plants, are you selling them or do you just have a big family? I don't want it to all come in at once but my kids will eat broccoli or cauliflower almost daily. I'm wondering how to space out my planting next season. I now know to plant my seeds earlier for this crop. I am keeping a journal to record planting dates of both seed and plants and I've starting taking pictures, I'll get one of my broccoli and cabbage tomorrow and figure out how to post a picture. I hope that keeping a journal of my screw-ups will help me.

I only used the plastic for three days, they germinated that quickly. Now my problem is that...well, I have several. I wasn't sure what temp to keep the new seedlings at so I left them in the heat for a few days before realizing it was too hot. Currently we are having warm sunny days but my sunroom only gets sun in the afternoon. I've turned the A/C back on because I assumed I needed a 70 degree temp or lower. It would be too hot outside for baby plants in GA right now, wouldn't it? Am I correct to try for 70 degrees?

I used the baking soda/water that someone mentioned (thanks so much!) and wiped the mold off the pots with my hands. I went ahead and thinned them which let me remove the molded seedlings and keep the healthy seedlings.

Now they have grown and they don't look right at all, the stems are too long. I got the idea they were reaching for sunlight? It just seems weird to see cabbage and broccoli with long stems, even as seedlings(I threw the cauliflower away, it had the most mold). Why do they have long stems as seedlings?

I also planted some(broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) outside and they haven't come up as of yet. I read that the soil temp needs to be around 65 and it's hot here suddenly so have I wasted the seeds or do I wait?

The ones in the sunroom, I can't take them outside, it's too hot (I think, but I may be wrong, please correct me if I am). I liked the idea of starting them outside in the shade. I need to stop trying to turn my sunroom into a greenhouse :( . I'm seeing that in the fall, it may not be necessary.

Grandad, Do you grow these same crops in the spring? If yes, how do you start them then?

Thanks for all the advice about peat pots! I like the idea of saving the money and using the little trays instead.

Bugtusslemom, I guess I'm a bit like your kids in that I can eat broccoli and cauliflower about every day. My wife also likes broccoli but not every day. Having said that, 150 plants would be a bit more than I can handle by myself. So I share with family and friends. My brothers & sisters look forward to me bringing them fresh broccoli and cauliflower to the Christmas holiday get-together at my mother's house.

In addition, I don't grow these same crops in the springtime. They don't do very well with our late spring heat. Secondly, they don't taste nearly as good as the fall crop. I usually freeze about 10 or so gallon bags of fall/winter broccoli tightly packed. Cauliflower doesn't freeze as well so I've discontinued freezing that.

Staggered planting is the way to go. I've just finished my 3rd weekend of seedbox planting. Seeds are germinating in about 3 or 4 days. I'll probably continue for another 3 weekends. I'll expect to have about 10 or so seedboxes with plants when finished. The 1st planting has just started to put on their first true leaves. They do get PM sunshine which causes them to be a bit droopy, but they look fine in the AM.

My last set plantings are usually go a bit beyond the recommended planting dates for our area. Sometimes this works; sometimes not. But when it works, it greatly extends the harvest period (usually into February and early March.)

Here is a picture of last year's fall cole crops.

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