6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
auntyara - Beautiful picture! I started mine from seed in early March and I have a couple about 3" or so tall with maybe 3 true leaves. They grow really slowly - I assume that is par for the course?
What kind of temperatures/conditions can they take? I live near Seattle - we have cool and rainy (but not frosty) weather through June. Will they be happy with daytime temperatures in the 50s and nighttime temps in the 30s/40s?
Cardboard works pretty well, if you are looking for a less back breaking method of weed control.
Cut the weeds off at ground level, and lay cardboard down over the area, then mulch over the top to make it all look nice. By the time the cardboard has broken down, the weeds will be history (except with the most stubborn weeds).
I would add to what eaglesgarden said and mention thicknesses of newspapers as an alternative to cardboard if that's not readily available. One of the tips in Sharon Lovejoy's book 'Trowel 'n Error' suggests 30 thicknesses of newspaper under mulch to achieve a similar smothering effect on weeds. Before my neighbor went dumpster diving and brought me several truckloads of cardboard, I used newspaper on a large section of my garden and it's done a great job of smothering grass & weeds.
I think the old T&M list is more complete and can still be found free on the net. I downloaded and printed it out years ago and keep it in a binder. It is a lot more convenient to have it so you can take it where ever you do your seeding. Al
gardenlover 7,
this might help you a bit:
Here is a link that might be useful: Wayne Schmidt's Canterbury Bell Page
Hi...I have read through the different ways to grow a RP from a seed. I got 2 seed pods that have about 8-10 seed in each so I have alot of seeds to play with. I have been on the internet trying to find the best method to grow them. I have read that if you cut a "small" piece from the bottom it make the seed able to grow easier. Also, a method of boiling 1- boil water
2- take the boiling water off the stove
3- put the seeds in the boiling water
4- after a couple of minutes add cold water until the temperature drops to 110 degres F (45 C): the water should feel very hot but not burning
5- leave the seeds in the water overnight
6- after 24 hours the membrane covering the seeds peels by itself
7- put in moist motting soil
8- the seedlings show up in around a week or less
I have enough seeds to try all these ways but I was wondering how "karyn1" seeds are doing and any other help or comments! thanks, M
for those grrown in a pot 1 plant is advisable. for outside growth the 3-4 plant ina "hole" isfine.
I would seporate the plant & pote 1 per pot the others should be potted up for groowth in the ground. in each case there will be a delay befor new growth starts.
Thanks yiorges... I have transplanted them one seedling per pot, they just look so tiny and lonely in their new homes. Almost all of them are still standing up, a few had already fell over in the peat pot with the top leaves still up toward the light...
I am curious on these... should I remove the seed leaves, and plant it down to there? The stem is darker purple on the ones that fell until the bend and green leaves turning back up to the light, just wondering if that could be under the soil?
These guys look so itty bitty all alone in their new pots, but - apparently they are gonna spread and grow to fill it up eventually.. Thanks!
Growing plants with different temp requirements isn't really that hard. You just need to understand microclimates, and what different temperatures are going to do to your plants.
Yes, peppers and tomatoes are "warm-loving" plants. BUT, that is what they need to set fruit or to germinate. Once they are germinated, growing them in cooler conditions 55-65 degrees will not do them any harm, in fact, it is probably a benefit. They will grow slowly, so they will be stout and strong. The distance between each set of leaves will be very small. That is actually very beneficial. Also, by growing them in a cooler environment, they will have a much easier time adapting to outside conditions (specifically, night time) when you harden them off and plant them outside. The ground will be significantly cooler than the air when you plant them out, and if the difference in temperature for the roots is that great there will be a greater amount of transplant shock. Keeping it all cooler while growing under lights is a good idea. Just be sure that the temp doesn't drop below 45 degrees.
Another good plan, even in a cool environment, is to blow a fan on them for several hours per day to give them a "wind" condition. This will also help the plants to grow stronger stems and prevent "legginess". Leggy plants are ones with thin, weak stems that easily fall over and large distances between branches.
Thanks for the info, too late on watering them though, I did it this morning before work after seeing the first reply. How do you tell when the top 2/3 is dry? THe containers are a little small to stick a finger down in there, I'm afraid I'll disturb roots or something. The top layer did feel dry, some of them soaked it up faster than others but it probably wasn't dry that far down. I think some of the peat on the sides is from when I first planted them, I filled the trays and then once I watered, it mostly sank down but some was still around the edges.
I have been blowing a fan on them each evening for a couple hours but when I saw them curled up like that I turned it off thinking it was too strong even on low. I've also been turning on the heat when it drops down to 50 to bring it up to 55-60. Should I stop doing that?
I will use your suggestion for the rack. I didn't think the lights would make a difference. They aren't hot to the touch and I put the thermometer in the basement right next to a tray under the lights and it didn't seem any different than 6 ft away.
I know the Bibb in the pellets doesn't quite have any true leaves yet, they are just starting to come up, but, should I thin those out now? They seem a little crowded to me. What about if 2 seedlings came up right next to each other? Do you snip one off or wait until they are bigger? My peppers just germinated 4 days ago but in 2 of the cells, seeds sprouted right next to another one.
Thanks for all the help.
Plants will flower 1st year IF the seed gets 5 weeks at 40F other wise will flower the 2nd year.
lightly cover the seed with soil. Soil temp for germination at night 50F & during the day 65F taking 14 to 21 days for germination. growing on temperature 55-65F.
foolishpleasure,
A word of caution... if those seeds were saved from a hybrid cantaloupe, it may grow a completely different cantaloupe than the one that you ate. I wish you luck with it, but unless the cantaloupe was an heirloom, I'm not sure that you will enjoy what you grow as much as the one you bought.
Middle of January is really early! You have been taking good care of them. I am in zone 4 so maybe my sowing in mid March is almost as early. Last year I started in February but that was definitely to early with the light set up I had at the time. Everything survived, but some plants were getting kind of straggly.
Reading your blog was fun. I have been keeping a gardening diary but its just for me, and I haven't been taking pictures which maybe I should do.
Nice Orchid pots ! I make pots too. Have some in a show in Chicago right now. Check the link if you are interested in seeing them.
Here is a link that might be useful: my pots
Nice pots mandolls! So, you like to play with mud? I just started to take pictures and upload them to my blog. To view them, go to blog and click on "The Clay Work" button and then "Stoneware Pottery". For now that�s the only page with some pieces. Check the pottery page from time to time as I add more every day. However, once the outdoor gardening and golf season starts, my computer time will be limited.
I like your bowls with spoons, very whimsical.
You can write mi directly to "jkubera-at-rogers-dot-com". Of course you will have to replace that at and dot with proper character.
As a side note, my snapdragon Rocket is in bloom! Yup, I started a bit too early this year. Lesson learned. Good thing that everything I have done is posted on my blog so next year I can go back and see the time line.
Here is a link that might be useful: Main blog
Some of the first trays with the early germinators (hot peppers, some tomatoes).
I'll be using hydroponic nutrients at diluted strength for the 8 weeks.
Here is a link that might be useful: My Adventure in Indoor Growing
Well, Kerrian and misss I Just looked at my fert specs and WOW! I did not relize what I was using was 30-9-16 (lawn food?), would excessive nitrogen cause leaf curl? I am planning on not adding any fertilizer until they are in ground/pots do you think I will be okay?
Here are a couple pics from today. 
3-27-11
Too early and cold. Mine although all sprouted will keep them in until First week of May,
Hosta is easy to grow from seed but they're slow growing. I winter sowed hosta seeds last year and got great germination. They got almost 2" tall before going dormant for the winter. That's too small (in my mind anyway) to plant out since they'll be too easy to forget about and (for me) to step on. I potted them up to gallon size nursery pots and kept them on my shaded breezeway for the summer. I'll decide whether or not to plant them out this year depending on how large they grow. Aren't they the cutest little sprouts?