Did I Do It All Wrong??

It's been a week and almost all of my seeds have started to sprout. A lot of them started up sooner than I expected based on the packaging and I was so happy and proud. But THEN I discovered that actually I might have done something (or many things) wrong and they might not survive.

I learned about something called "leggy" seedlings. Which is apparently when they stretch really really high. Supposedly, this is a sign of stress either from not enough water or not enough sun. I think all of my seedlings are fine except for the marigolds, which sprouted first. All the others I think benefited from me noticing that something might be wrong with the marigolds, although now I'm keeping a super close eye on all the seedlings to see how they are doing and have become a bit paranoid.

So here are the marigolds:

I don't know what to do about them. They still look alive and green and they respond to being watered (they get firmer) and the sun (they move towards it if I turn them around) so I don't really want to throw them out. But like with anything on the internet, there are those who are like they will definitely die, you might as well trash them now, and those who are like you can absolutely save them. So I'm not really sure what to do. I guess, for now, I will leave them as they are and see how they go.

Also, I have more marigold seeds, so in a few weeks, when I plant group 2 (carrots, peas and cucumbers) I will plant some more marigolds and see if that helps. Maybe I just planted too early.

But I have to say, I was really disappointed when I suddenly heard, while watching a gardening video about proper seedling care (I was a bit over-excited when they started sprouting) about this term "leggy" and that my seedlings might have failed. I got really disheartened and was ready to give up. But this is why I created Balcony Garden 365. It has to be 365 days of gardening. No matter what. And after I slept on it, I felt better anyway. Which is usually the way.

So, here's how my seedlings look after 7 days in the ground (the mint isn't out yet and the sweet peppers are just starting to poke through).