Brassica Problems

I would go straight to the soil, not into 3" pots. I sow a scatter of seeds in a 3" pot and prick out when about 3" high. Straight to their final growing place. They like to be well firmed in - and I always 'puddle them in' too - pour a decent puddle of water round each plant to settle it in.

Brassica seed is pretty cheap...cheaper than the peatpots and compost. I'd say get some polystyrene modules(easy to find ...I have loads and never seem to buy one!)... sow two or three in each section and thin to the strongest once the first real leaf starts to come.

Ocassionally I'll split a double to fill a miss, but they don't like transplanting much and it takes a bit of practice to do it without damaging the delicate roots. Drench them afterwards by leaving in the shade in a tray of water for a few hours. If you need to pot on into a 3" pot, fair enough as they use up nutrients very quickly in containers (I don't just get em out in the plot like Flum and fleece/cloche em up) but whatever keep the little rootball intact. I always make a shallow trench so I can keep 'em very moist for a while after setting out and then pull the soil back and really firm in deep afterwards. Brassicas have delicate surface feeding roots that don't like windrock ...which is why they like it firm.

You could try using a seedbed...easy to make a little box with a glass lid to sow under.

I don't think peat pots help anything.

I'm a bit confused, so tell me if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

You're sowing into peat pots and then transplanting into bigger pots? The whole point of peat pots is that you don't repot: you just plant them straight into the ground.

I hate peat pots. They either dry out and kill the roots of the plants, or get really soggy and grow green mould. I sow my brassicas in cell trays, and then transplant onto the plot when they are big enough (if I remember and have the space)