6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

Indoors under regular shop lites.

We typically put up the portable greenhouse we have....but the peppers and tomatoes won't chance it out there until mid to late april....with a small heater if need be. Try earlier on your peppers, you won't be disappointed! We set out pepper plants about 10-12" tall, totally critical for so many of the varities we grow. This year we are trying about 23 varities:)

With the peppers experiencing some cool nites(45-50 degrees) before being set out permanently, it stimulates bud set, and we always have buds ready to go when they get in the ground. If we get a flower or two...off they come.

good luck!

Status update:

I put the pansies on the patio under the awning just after I posted. It was warm for a few days (early morning sun) but then we had snow. They did great. But I know they are cool weather plants anyway so I figured they would be okay.

I will start to move the other hardy perennials out in the next few days. Again, on the patio under the awning. We are expected to stay above 40 until next week so I'll keep an eye and if it is getting too cold, pull them back in for a night or two.

The tender ones (plus peppers and tomatoes) will have to stay inside for another couple weeks. I have hoop houses on my raised beds but I've had disasterous results putting things out there too fast. I think the patio is going to be the best. And it is somewhat sheltered from the wind.

Most of the veggies I will direct sow in another 2-4 weeks in the hoop houses. That has worked extremely well other years.

I tried winter sowing last year with limited success. I can assure you it was operator error though.

I always start way too many seeds indoors than I know I'll have room for. I like it though, gives me plenty of options to choose the best plants for my beds and garden. Plus I can give away the leftover to friends and family.

Got a 12 x 10 greenhouse and started soil blocking this year and I have enough plants to start a small farm. Approximately 2400 so far and I'm not done yet. I live in the city and have a 200 square foot garden. My plan is to sell the extras to raise money for my daughter's school. I just can't leave seeds in the package once they're opened. I am a germination addict.

Thanks! So I should be ok with 2009 seeds?

Yes, the seed is said to be viable 6-7 years (stored dry, not exposed to moisture or wildly fluctuating temps), although I haven't stored it that long myself...You could possibly get a lower percentage germination with 3 yr old seed but you should have sprouts - and most of us tend to sow more than we need anyway :).

Most seeds you don't want to plant too deep. Zinnia seeds are pretty big though. I would err on the side of a deeper planting of like an inch. I do this because the weight and compression of the dirt helps the newly growing seedling to pull its shell off. I'm sure that many of us have seen the ones that come up that still have darn thing attached. I hate to mess around with Mother Nature's gyrations, but I have been known to pull the capsule off of a seedling that came up with it's hat still firmly on. They often don't make it and it is nice to NOT have to do this. So yeah, given the size of zinnia seedlings, I would go ahead and plant them deep (for a seed).
Sweet pea sized seeds, sunflowers, and lupines: like 1&1/2 to 2 inches deep
Zinnia sized seeds: like 1 inch deep
Broccoli sized seeds: 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch
Coleus, Petunias and other tinies: I sow them on the surface and then cover with a layer of sand
Specials like Aquilegia (Columbines): surface sow because their shiny black hull absorbs and needs the sunlight

I like to sow deep because I really don't want to help them out of their coats.

I've always been told that the rule of thumb for covering seeds is to cover them as deep as their own thickness. Thus, I barely cover zinnias, but I poke a knuckle-deep hole for moon vine seeds.

they like to germinate in cool temps, I think August would be too hot for them. I would start them now or in the fall.

This is directly from the T and M website:

Sow late winter/spring or late summer. Sow 1.5mm (1/16in) deep in good seed compost excluding light as darkness is beneficial. Germination usually takes 14-21 days at 19-24C (65-75F). Keep the soil just moist and avoid high temperatures which will prevent germination.

When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant and grow cool. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10-15 days before planting out after all risk of frost, 23-30cm (9-12in) apart in most soils, sun or part shade.

Keriann~

I wanting them for the late summer planting. I plan to germinate the seeds in the basement for the fall planting. I can put them on a lower shelf of my plant stand.

I make an anti-mold tea by steeping a chamomile teabag and a couple of cloves of garlic that have been sliced in 2-3 cups of very hot water. Once the solution cools down I put it in a spray bottle and use it to soak the top of the soil after each watering. These two things both have natural fungicidal properties and I find that it gets rid of damp-off and white fuzzies very effectively. I keep the solution for up to 10 days in the refrigerator before brewing new.
I also coat the top of my seed-starting compost with a layer of sand because the sand is inert and doesn't support the fungus as well as the organic matter does. It also dries out completely between waterings and the dryness deters the fungus too.
These two methods combined keep my babies free of fungi.
Note: This is just my way of doing things, but you may find that it works for you too.

BTW: All of the other advice on letting your soil get dry is REALLY good advice. This not only deters the fungus but makes your plants' root systems reach and grow. Just don't let the dirt dry out completely. It's easy enough to tell by color and appearance. I like to look at the soil color through the holes in the bottom of the pot rather than the top because the top has evaporation working with it too and the bottom is a better watering gauge because it doesn't have this issue. Watering from the bottom up by setting your babies in a shallow basin of water or filling the tray or saucer is a good way to water too. Use less water than you think you should and apply more often. Soil that isn't completely drenched is healthier and still has air pockets that the plants need to ensure rapid growth.

I don't know if I've created a problem for myself or not: I soaked the peas in a container for a little more than the recommended 24 hours to encourage germination. Well, almost all of them started to sprout -- especially when I drained the water and let them dry off a bit. I didn't want them getting water-logged or rotten. Now I've got more than I can plant in one or two planting sessions. Will the sprouted peas stay like that for up to a week or so until I can plant them, will the little sprouts coming out of them die and make planting futile, or is there someway I can put them in "suspended animation" until I can plant them (by putting them in the fridge, maybe?)

No sorry but they will die when exposed to the air for any length of time. You can plant them in pots of potting mix and then transplant them later if you wish.

Normally, if you are going to pre-soak them then once soaked (and 24 hours is the maximum) you then take the container to the garden with you, drain them there and plant them immediately, not air dried.

Dave

I recently built a cold frame using a 4' x 4' Andersen window that I found on craigslist. It is tinted with the low-e glass. I have been tracking inside and outside temperatures to find the optimal performace range.

So far, the cool weather plants are germinating and doing well. I'm not sure how the tinting will affect them, but the low-e glass is performing better than I had hoped for. In addition, I've placed 7 one-gallon water containers inside to minimize temperature fluctuations. My data shows that the water does a better job preventing heat loss than preventing overheating. I have to vent the unit if day time temperatures hit the mid 60's.

I have non-tinted glass on my 2 coldframes. On a sunny day I need to vent when the outside temperature is 35F. Otherwise inside temps easily go up to 90F and probably beyond.

Or as an alternative, start the tomatoes but buy the peppers since they take so much longer. A nice compromise.

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Excellent middle ground. Peppers are slower than molasses in January.

I usually have them started indoors by now but have opted not to do so this year. I will be planting mine in little pots outdoors. This at least gives them a good start away from all of the competition that Mother Nature likes to throw their way. Tomatoes, I am sure, will grow like crazy and I am not worried about them. It will be interesting to see what the peppers do. In my experience they are slower growers. It really depends though. Peppers aren't always slow. I don't know what the contributing factor is, but sometimes they decide to get into a higher gear and it is always a lovely sight when they do this. Yes. A weak liquid fertilizer at a very young age helps.

No, hybrid seeds will generally not breed true, but....

If you have a particular hybrid that you are absolutely are in love with, and assuming the seeds aren't sterile, it is possible to breed out the hybrid for several generations to create a new, stabilized open-pollinated variety (Which you can name after your favorite South Park character!) Select for similarity to the original F1 hybrid.

Larger plantings will ensure more genetic diversity in the new breed.

The link has a little more info, mostly towards the bottom of the page.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://howtosaveseeds.com/breeding.php

(Which you can name after your favorite South Park character!)

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Just don't call it Kenny because he dies all the time.