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Seed prep before planting...
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Posted by
heirloomjunkie 5a (
My Page) on
Thu, Mar 25, 10 at 16:06
| I'm planting tomato, spinach, sweet pea flower, and pepper seeds on Tuesday. Do I need to soak, scratch, or do anything to the seeds to make germination easier?
Thanks!
Kim |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| Only sweet peas. Soak overnight. |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| So just throw the seeds in a container of regular tap water overnight? This just makes it easier for the sprout to pop through, right? kim |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| That's right Kim--Soaking swells the outer hard cover and lets the seed sprout. You do this with any seed that has a hard outer covering. However I wouldn't start them indoors. I have started them both ways and I found they do best with direct sowing. In another 3 weeks you can plant them outside. They like to sprout in cooler temperatures and do much better started outdoors. A light frost doesn't bother them. Soak your seed. Then dig a trench in front of whatever you are going to have them climb on. Fill the trench with water and let it soak into the ground. Then plant the seeds. The soaking softens the cover and the moisture in the ground helps them sprout. |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| Yes, I agree with oilpainter about the Sweet Peas. I haven't had good experiences starting them indoors, they grew fast and ended up a tangled mess! |
Oh, and...
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| I would direct sow the spinach as well, it prefers colder temps as well:) |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| It's too late for you now but sweet peas(flowering) do well sown in indoors in November and kept in a cold light place,such as an unheated greenhouse or porch, until March when they can be planted out. They need to be grown cool so they stay tough and not leggy. They also need pinching out regularly to produce multiple shoots. They benefit from being grown in deep containers such as root trainers or, cheaper, toilet roll centres. Mine are now about 6 inches tall with multiple stems and are just being hardened off ready to plant out next week. |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| flora uk That would work for you in you're mild climate, but it wouldn't work where you regularly have -30C to -40C |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| Oilpainter - good to know. Do you think they will have enough time to grow with direct seeding? I am planning to mix them with morning glories. Can these be direct sown as well? Or should I plant them indoors? Thanks! |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| Yes, Sweet Peas will have enough time to grow. You are planting them earlier than the ones in the house and they won't have to recover and get used to growing outside. I venture to say they will be up and growing by the time you set out your other plants. Morning Glories are not frost tolerant and like warm soil. They are not a good mix with Sweet Peas unless you are planting them separately next to the Sweet Peas. Morning Glories have large leaves --Sweet Peas have smaller leaves, The Morning Glories will shade the Sweet Peas and they won't grow well, you'll end up with only Morning Glories. Morning Glories should be direct seeded but only a couple of weeks brfore your last frost date. They won't freeze as long as they are under the ground and they will be ready to break ground when danger of frost is gone. However they should be planted exactly the same way with soaking and the rest. Both these vines are fast growers. |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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| Wow. Didn't know that. Ah, the time and frustration you've saved me. :) I have plenty of room in the area I want to grow them, so I will separate them. Thanks! |
RE: Seed prep before planting...
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Here is a link that might be useful: what when
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