Best Germination Mediums

9 years ago

I am doing planning for next year, and since I'm ordering the seeds soon, am going to be buying the pots, peat pellets, whatever else I need, etc. for the seeds within the next few months.

I am growing pretty much everything - beans, beets, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, okra, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash (summer & winter), tomatoes, and watermelons.

And amaranth.

Anyway, obviously not all of these are going to be started inside. I am not starting inside the beans, beets, carrots, chard, onions, potatoes, and radishes. Since I have a short growing season, they are going to be started outside, but covered up for 1-2 months (depending on frost tolerance and when I'm germinating them). I am thinking about starting the beans inside, since it went so well this year the first 5 times (and then I tried it again and lost over 70% of the seeds!).

My question, bottom line, is :

- what is the best germination medium, way to start seeds, whatever you want to call it, for commonly transplanted plants (i.e., peppers, eggplants, tomatoes)?
- what is the best germination medium, way to start seeds, whatever you want to call it, for less commonly transplanted plants (i.e., squash, melons)?
- what is the best germination medium, way to start seeds, whatever you want to call it, for generally considered "bad transplant candidate" plants (beans, okra)?

I would like to thank you beforehand for your time and consideration! - Mac

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Comments (4)

cold_weather_is_evil
9 years ago
>> what is the best ... for commonly transplanted plants (i.e., peppers, eggplants, tomatoes)?

There is none. It heavily depends on the environment you're sprouting in and all the ambient conditions. This is where people get weird and defensive.

>> what is the best ... for less commonly transplanted plants (i.e., squash, melons)?

There is none, and don't do it unless you have big problems direct seeding.

>> what is the best ...for generally considered "bad transplant candidate" plants (beans, okra)?

There is none. Don't do it. Ever.

And don't believe anyone who tells you that there is something "best". I could tell you how to do all that and have strong success but only if you live in my area under the same conditions I've learned to adapt to. Otherwise it's all wild guessing.

So, where ARE you?
zzackey
9 years ago
Beans and okra can be direct seeded in the ground. Wild guessing? Can't say that I agree. Planting is the same in alot of areas. Not all gardening is a micro climate.
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LyraJayne
9 years ago
Anything started in pots needs light soil to allow roots to grow. I've had good experiences using Pro Mix BX, but you can use any light seed starting mix. Whatever you use indoors, make sure it's sterile. Avoid re-using pots unless they are sterilized and remember to clean your trowel. I also had a bad problem with damping off this spring because I added an organic fertilizer to the soil. The bag had been opened and left in the shed last year and must have been contaminated with fungus spores. The outbreak killed my pepper and eggplant seedlings just as they were germinating but I managed to save the tomato plants that germinated the fastest. Next year I will just use very dilute liquid fertilizer indoors and save the organic stuff for the garden.

Also, since you have a short growing season you should be starting your onions indoors around Jan or Feb or buying plants if you want large bulbs. A long or intermediate day variety would be appropriate depending on your latitude.
paul_30068
9 years ago
When I do start seeds in small pots and/or indoors I use coconut coir plus inexpensive soil conditioner.

I'm a container veggie grower in Atlanta, Georgia... coming on 4 years now. I used to grow veggies in the ground but I switched to raised tables and containers due to back problems.

I have an indoor nursery but it gets little use now because the only plants that I find do well starting indoors and under lights, and that I like to grow, are tomatoes and eggplants. These veggies hate the cold. I start them in Dec/Jan and put them out after first frost to get the most out of them come May-Sept. Everything else that I like to grow does better outside and sowed directly into the container soil.

Note that I use a seed warmer in my indoor nursery as well. I use lidded 1020 seed trays and keep an eye on what's sprouting and then move them out to being under grow lights ASAP.

My new soil is usually a 1/3 each mix of perlite, peat moss, and Black Kow. My "old" soil is last year's soil, reasonably washed of salts, and then revitalized with some inexpensive generic 13-13-13 slow release fertilizer plus compost and vermicast from my compost tumbler and worm farm, respectively. I like the results that I get from this, and the lower watering and fertilizer and money demands, versus other soils that I have seen touted on this website.

As far as starting from seed goes, in my own experiments I have shown that the less I transplant the healthier the plant grows. I have done comparison tests growing from seed indoors versus direct sow starting at the same time, as well as giving the indoors plants a few weeks head start, and found the direct sow did better and produced more veggies, with the most memorable such experiment being cucumbers.

So much goes into growing healthy plants that this one factor - how I started from seed - may well not be the reason why I got the results that I got. I recommend you try a few things out at the same time and see what works best for your plants... *as well as for you*. By that last statement I mean you have to enjoy the process, too! I read a lot of posts here where the labor and money involved seems excessive to me. I do what works to produce veggies without making it so much of a chore that I don't enjoy it.

I hope that my shared thoughts help you in some way to find your gardening path.