I'm still here...Here's what those seed flats below looked like this past Sunday morning, November 9, 2014. 
It's been 41 days since I constructed and seeded the flats. I've been waiting, and waiting for them to take off, and, in the process I learned yet another lesson, regarding temperatures and the fall/winter crops. Observation: It does not matter how soon you sow those seeds in the fall -- they will not really take off until the ambient temp drops to at least 65°, and the soil cools off. I saw it with my own eyes, overnight.
Last week, it rained really hard on Wednesday, and the temps began to drop. By Saturday, the temps had dropped down to 48° overnight. From Saturday evening to Sunday morning, those seedlings grew a whole 1.5"! And, with the nighttime temps averaging in the mid-50s now, they have put on phenomenal growth in just a few days.
Moral of the lesson: Save your water, your fertilizer, and your time. Get everything prepped and ready to go. But, don't drop those seeds until the nighttime temps average 75°- 60°.
Here're a couple more shots of what's growing in the seed flats.
[Photo LEFT]
Red Creole Onions (left half of flat) and Red Grano Onions (right half of flat). These will be transplanted New's Year's weekend, in an 18"x15', sunny bed on the north side of the yard. Observation: The Red Creole seedlings are more robust than the other onion seedlings. These declared first, grew the steadiest in the daytime heat, and, they're beefing up faster than the other two varieties being grown. 
[Photo RIGHT]
Texas 1015Y Onions (bottom flat in pic)
[Photo BELOW]
Blue Stem Georgia Collards (bottom flat, left half),
Georgia Collards (bottom flat, right half)
Buttercrunch Lettuce (top flat, left half -- right half didn't germinate at all...). 
Observation: There were at least two little fuzzy caterpillers making their way throught the flats of greenery, chewing holes in the seedlings. However, there is NOT ONE HOLE in the Buttercrunch Lettuce tray! Something to think about next time, cause this lettuce is gorgeous! The leaves look like lime green lamb's ears. Can't wait for them to grow up so I can taste them (first time)!
Observation: These greens and lettuce seedlings definitely will not grow in the heat. As soon as the weather dropped, they took off! These will all be transplanted into RB #3, which sits along the northwest corner of my yard. Bright daylight (no direct sunlight -- they don't need too much sun...). I've been giving them a regular sprinkling of bloodmeal for an added, slow-release hit of nitrogen, and using the Mittleider Weekly Feed once a week.
All in all, I am very glad that I constructed the seed flats, and, I intend on making many more. It was much easier to seed the flats and keep them outside to grow on, than have them indoors under fluorescent lights. As I improve my gardening skills, I am making better decisions about "how" to do "what". Since these seedlings thrive in the cool/cold weather, they don't require the kind of attention tomatoes do, regarding fluctuations in temperatures. This was "set it, and forget it - 101!" I will definitely start certain of the cole crop seedlings outdoors in the flats from here on.
I will, however, continue to sow the broccoli, cabbage and beet seedlings indoors, in the cool. I usually set them out at 8 weeks from sowing, which means they get started while it's still too hot outside. I have a better handle on the sowing timeframe, though, if this season is any indicator. This first wave of broccoli (right) was sowed on August 30th, and, they are just now taking off in the cool, but growing very, very fast. It doesn't take long for them to catch up when the temperature is right!
[LEFT] Transplanted beets and heading Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages. Next season, I hope to stagger the sowing dates: 8/30, 9/30, 10/30, 11/30 and 12/30.
If I stick to the sowing schedule, I should harvest broccs, cabbages, beets and collard greens from 11/30/14 through 03/30/15. By then, it'll be time to rip the cole crops and replace them with the summer crops.
These carrots (below) were also sowed on 09/29/14. I layered one-ply toilet paper on the soil, sowed lightly, covered with a thin layer of fine sand (can also use vermiculite), then sprinkled lightly with the garden hose on mist (see previous blog entry for method). The TP allowed me to see how many and where I was sowing. These need light to germinate, which is why I barely covered the seeds. They came up in FOUR DAYS! and, I haven't had to thin them!
Observation: "I LOVE the fall/winter garden!"
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