< long, spindly seedlings.>

That is caused by insufficient light. Any plant that develops its new growth from a central stem can be transplanted deeper. Be sure to checkout all the Growing from Seed FAQs here for more details. Just click on the blue FAQ button on this forum's front page.

Dave

Thanks, I am surprised that it's due to lack of light as the seed tray is just next to the kitchen window. I will give them a couple of days and transplant them at the weekend.

Sorry James but there is plenty of info here on how windows aren't nearly sufficient. Not only is the angle, intensity, duration, and spectrum wrong this time of year but any window reduces it even more. The only way to get even close to ideal growth indoors is with supplemental lighting. Nothing fancy, just a 4' shop light with a couple of fresh fluorescent bulbs makes a world of difference. Got a good FAQ here about it.

Dave

Thanks Dave I am never going to be keen enough to do much more than plant a few seeds under natural light. I will pot these up hand if they survive, great. If not I will try again later I the year.

I am in central Scotland so I was probably being a bit ambitious planting them just now.

Thanks again

James

James - lights are much more widely used in the US than over here. Very few UK domestic gardeners use them. I grow all my plants without lights but I do have a glazed porch and I only raise vegetables. You have chosen two semi tropicals so they are a bit harder to grow since they need to be indoors longer and have warmer temperatures. If you keep turning your seedlings they may be leggy but they'll probably manage. But they won't be as big and healthy as the garden centre plants because they grow them with lights and heat.

Ahhh Scotland. Envy you. Beautiful country and wonderful people when I visited there some 30 years ago. :)

But as floral says you all have much more experience compensating for Mother Nature's limitations when it comes to gardening than we do over here. We tend to go for the "quick fix" too often I think. Or maybe it is over-compensating, depending on one's point of view. But then I have greenhouses so it is much easier for me to cope than it is for many.

But I'll stick my neck out to say if tropicals and semis are what you are after then you will need to expand your set-up just a smidge. Good luck.

Dave

Thanks both. I grew busy lizzies and coleus before as house plants but someone gave me seedlings which grew really well.

I am only growing enough to cover a couple of window ledges and they will never be outdoors. I am going to pot my seedlings over the weekend and will see how they go.

Aha - so you are growing these as houseplants? Once you have potted them on and have them growing you can get further info on the Houseplant Forum. Houseplant Forum