I feel guilty, because it always goes the same way. I have a bunch of plants, they end up squished together under the lights, their branches get all tangled together and rip off, and the plants don't get an optimal amount of light. Later in the season, I get overwhelmed about watering all those plants, and they don't produce as well as they would have if I watered. Then I tell myself "why did you do this again?? You would be much happier if you had a few healthy plants!". I know that too many germinating is the beginning of a vicious cycle, so yes, I feel guilty in advance when too many sprout!

I found this on a site......does it help you figure out when in your area? I think the photoperiod info is the most useful. Climatic requirements. Average temperatures of 55°-70° F (13-21° C) are favorable. Temperatures above 75° F (24° C) may cause some burning of the tips and prolonged temperatures below 55° F (13° C) can cause premature bolting. Bok choy is also very sensitive to photoperiods for flowering. Long days (16 hour days for a month) induce flowering in some cultivars. Short days and warm temperatures keep the plant in the vegetative phase. I'll give you some info about what happened with mine this year. First of all I planted a baby bok choy because somewhere I found info that it took heat better. Next we had a strange spring and I didn't get it into the ground until late April......that means the days are pretty long and warm here. It grew fast and didn't bolt....I think it's because it never got under 55 degrees the whole time and it got confused about not having a cool period. Sorry I haven't really given you any local info but it might help you figure out how it gets the signal to bolt. Good luck.....I'll be trying some this fall so maybe next year we can trade results.

Just came cross your post, Zora. I expect you already have dealt with your growing seedlings, but I thought I�d describe my technique. See the link below for a photo of some of my little herb & flower seedlings at Flickr. Over the years, I have started thousands of plants just as you did (though I happen to use pots, not pop bottles--but certainly your containers are just fine!). I learned this technique when I worked at a small, family-run nursery; my boss started all her seeds for her commercial nursery as well as her husband�s truck farm in paper strawberry boxes (pints and quarts), starting literally thousands of plants in this way each year. I was the only person she employed as seeder & transplanter (she did much of that herself), so I have had hours and hours of experience doing this! After she retired & closed the nursery, I continued at home the techniques I learned, but on a much smaller scale! I learned always to water the pots from the bottom. I set mine in a dishpan with a few inches of liquid kelp solution (I use Maxi-Crop per label directions). Once the seedlings have grown their 2nd set of leaves (first true leaves), I allow the pots to get fairly dry, but not to the point that the seedlings become wilted or stressed. Of course, I have the cell packs prepared: labeled with the plant name & variety and filled with moist soilless mix that I make up (a blend of peat, vermiculite, perlite, coir, and my worm compost). I also have a quart bowl of extra potting medium within reach. I knock the chunk of seedlings out of the pot, cradling the top of the pot in my left hand (I am right-handed) and sharply smacking the base with my right. Sometimes the soil block takes some persuasion, but the roots are all intertwined and all should come out in a block. Some types of seedlings fall apart easily once out of the pot, others have to be teased apart by gently tickling at the root ball. Don�t squeeze the stems to separate the individual plants or they may be killed; try to handle them carefully by the leaves. This comes easier with practice! Using your fingers, create a small planting hole in the cell pack (or a pot), lay the seedling into the hole, scoop up a small quantity of your soilless mix from your bowl of extra mix and fill the hole in, firming it gently around your seedling. Once the cell pack is complete, set it briefly into a pan of water as described above. The kelp solution helps avoid transplant shock and adds a very light bit of fertilizer. Leave it in the water only for a moment; when you lift it, the surface should not be wetter than the mix you used, but the container will feel heavy and water will drizzle from the bottom. That�s enough; the water is down where the roots need it. Too much water invites damping-off as well as fungus gnats! Set your planted packs into a flat with drainage holes; this may be set into another flat with a solid bottom. Put it under lights (or into your sunny window) and that�s it. These usually will not need watering again for several days. Again, lift the container: if it feels heavy, it needs little, if any, water. Depending on what and why I am growing (sometimes I plant for friends or relatives) and weather & timing, I often will pot on once more from cell packs into individual pots. I always plant lots of Genovese basil as everyone I know loves it. And it is such a pleasure transplanting these & other herbs since they are so fragrant! Best wishes! Here is a link that might be useful: Herb & Flower seedlings

Thanks, Silverwind! That's the kind of answer I was looking for, because it was helpful! (For any moderators reading this, I ignored Risbyhuggins, because of course I'm going to remove dead plants and put somethins else in. If he'd actually had any intention of being helpful he'd have seen that I was looking for advice as to whether I should put more of the same or something else.) I have actually seen a perking-up in the garden since the storms passed and the draining has started. It has pointed out that the snow peas have had it, though! So I'm off to the local garden center to see if they have any snow peas. I'm a bit sad to give up the idea of growing the golden variety, but I can get over it! If I don't see any there, I'm going to try some of the seed I have left. Thank you again!