For what it's worth, here's a picture from a month ago. They all looked awesome then. I'm really thinking its a nutrient deficiency since they've been in these little cells so long.

Can't help but wonder how they aren't badly rootbound by now. They are well past the point at which they should have been transplanted. Brassicas shouldn't be started more than about a month ahead of when you plan on planting them. If the seedlings get stressed for any reason they will grow poorly the rest of the season.

And where about are you located?

Rodney

I was surprised too! But when checking them several of them we're completely fine below the dirt! They really were supposed to be planted out a month ago, but the weather has still been dipping too far below freezing at night and this year I don't have my cold frames yet, so it was kind of a matter of choosing to let them die from constant 20's overnight without protection, or keep them in until night temps come up and risk root bound issues. I should have transplanted to larger pots, but every week the forecast looked promising, and then turned bad last minute, so it's been a weekly battle of "I'm transplanting this weekend" followed by "nope, snow and sustained 20's again". But this weekend finally looks to be the one. Our day temps are now getting a little toasty (into the 60's) so I might just be calling it a loss this year and getting the cold frames ready for next year to plant before it gets too warm. I've never fall gardened, but our falls are a little more predictable and gradual, so I may try planting as a fall crop if I can get cold frames ready by the frost date. I've seen a lot of successful gardens in the area with brassica in the fall instead, so we'll see!

Although I guess to be fair, my father had always had success planting his broccoli out in May and getting a decent crop, so maybe all hope isn't lost if I can get them in the ground ASAP. The cauliflower is probably hopeless though.

"damping off"

has happened to me plenty of times, and there is little you can do about it, but be a crazy anti-fungal germaphobe. a sure sign of damping off is pinkish color around the stem where it meets the soil, and thinning of the stem eventually down to nothing. While not crazy about bleach, I spray all my tools and starting trays in late winter with the stuff, wash them good with soap and water and make sure they stay dry while i start my seeds. there may be another option the damping off expert would know