6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

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.

Should I fertilize my seedlings when they get their first true leaves? I have some fish fertilizer and miracle grow.

I thin mine as soon as I can handle them by the leaf. I break up the seedling mix and separate them. This works best if the mix is on the dry side. Mine I put in salvaged sixpac containers, with bottom holes large enough to get my smallest finger in to push out when time to pot up to larger pot, usually four inch. This avoids another root disturbance and check in growth. Al

I have creeping thyme growing around flagstone and it's working out pretty good. Once you get at least one plant going then you can start taking cuttings. Most thyme cuttings do pretty good even without a humidity dome. Within two seasons you'll probably have all the creeping thyme you need.

I winter-sowed it last year with good success. But the seed pack recommended that it be babied through the first year, and then planted in the permanent position in the fall. So I agree - direct sowing in full sun and traffic will be problematic.

Heat mats are certainly useful for every propagator. Because I have my HID lamp over my heat mat(3x6 ft)when my seeds have germinated I raise them up on top of 4 inch nursery pots to get them off the heat, but still have the light. I always have an assortment of containers of cuttings which need the heat to form roots, on the same heat mat. My chainsaw is hard to start in the winter, so when I am going to need it the next day I put it on the heat mat the night before and it starts a lot easier. Al

Thank you everyone for the information. I'll have to start checking Home Depot and Lowes for some shop lights.

I have a couple dozen potted plants that are outside in the summer, in the same room. I have to assume that that is where they came from. Squishing them isnt an option since most of my seedlings are only at the 1st true leaf stage.

Taking them outside may induce the adults to leave the plants, but I dont see how it could help with any that are in the earlier stages of development.
I'll get some sticky tapes and if they get worse, I'll try some Neem oil.

Thanks

I think the point Dave is making is that white flies are a warm climate pest. In a greenhouse they are far more of a problem as it is always warm. There really is not a good pesticide for white flies. Every time one is developed that IS effective, in a few generations, which happens very fast with white flies, they have developed a resistance to it. If you can avoid them by causing the temperature to fluctuate, as has been suggested, it should be tried. If not in the greenhouse, for the home gardener, the sticky tape is the best solution. Al

In my zone 8 area the Frost Free date is around March 15th.

In my 8B, frost on 5-1 is not at all unusual....we're looking at at least a 6 week window for dates of last frost in Z8s :)

2 years ago we started inside and found we didn't have enough to fill the bed we wanted to fill. I planted seeds in every other spot when we transplanted. In 3 or 4 weeks you couldn't tell them apart. I won't bother starting inside again- really.

I'm a cut flower grower. I start them in 4-packs in a green house 3-4 weeks before planting outside. Easy to grow . Just lay seed down flat on medium surface and sprinkle a very little medium on top of them. I let the seeds peek through since light aids germination. Plant out before they get rootbound or they will be singles instead of doubles. They also don't like their roots disturbed.

check your email noinwi for pics of the coldframe.

Dave

I'm not a cold frame expert but I think it is a very nice set-up. Since your toms are indeed separate from your peppers, I'd move the heating pad from under them(toms)as more of them sprout. Since the temp in the frame is consistent, they will continue to pop up without the bottom heat. With peppers, it could take longer than 10 days even at 85 degrees, so you may have to be a little more patient as Susan suggested.
Depending on how much light gets in there during the day, you could raise the trays up a bit closer to the windows(set them on a box?)and lower them as the plants get taller.
Posting the photos in the forum here if you can would get you many more responses.

The purple is phosphorus related, not a deficiency but an uptake issue and is actually quite common for young seedlings. Their circulatory system is still developing.

While it is more pronounced in some varieties than in others it poses no threat to the tomato plant and quickly disappears as the plant develops and goes away completely once they are transplanted to the garden.

Some say that using warm water to water the plants will help but I've never found it to make much difference.

Dave

No Jon they are not leggy because they are outside in a cold frame since 10 days ago where they receive sun all day. I just placed a light in there today because it is raining and they will not get any sun.