6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Dave makes the point that most seeds do not benefit from the light until after germination. All seedings need as much light as they can get. Before germination only consider the temperature, after germination a cooler temperature is good but more light is a must. Al
Good idea. I have hundreds of jars I've acquired over the years so I'm okay there, but I buy lids any time I see them at a very good price. I still have some Pomona's Pectin left over, but this coming week I'm going to the only store that I know that carries it (about 35 miles away) and buy up a good supply that will take me through the rest of this year. My husband says I'm a hoarder, but I'm just someone who does think ahead.
I am not sure about the difference between annual and perennial poppies and winter sowing... but I know that no matter what kind of poppies I have, I have had the best like spreading them over the snow, like was suggested to you, in the areas where you would like them to appear. I missed the snow one year, and made ice cubes with the seeds in them and it worked fine too.
The one thing I really recommend though, is don't be afraid of weeds. One thing that is very commmon for people that are new to sowing plants, particularly ones that the yare not sure exactly "where" they are going to come up (because the seed was scattered) is they pluck out the seedlings thinking they are weeds! lol. Well, really not funny!
What I do is if I am not sure that a plant is a weed, I let it grow a little. Once you get a pair of true leaves, you may be able to tell if it is a weed, or your plant (poppy in this case). If you are thinking "gee, I have never seen that type of weed before" then I suggest letting it grow a little more until you are more sure, or someone can help you identify it.
You don't want weeds to get really established, but letting a suspected weed grow on for a few weeks is not usually a huge problem, afterall, you should have many more opportunities to pull it later!
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Thank you HOmemommy, Sewobssessed, and Mor28 for taking your time to reply.
Each of you gave me good suggestions!
I would separate out the sprouts from the seeds that have not sprouted. put the ones that have sprouted into an open tray, buy another black tray, or even just get a roasting pan / baking dish *something* to put them in temporarily. Put the sprouts back under the lights.
Take the tray that you likely have a humidity dome (clear plastic top) for, and put the unsprouted back in it. If you don't have a lid, then get one. Again, just a couple $$. I like to provide stubborn seeds with some bottom heat. My favourite source, is a home heating vent. Put a grate on a heating vent, then the tray on top.
the marigolds should not be giving you problems. They are pretty easy to germinate. Where did the seed come from? As for the brussel sprouts and spinich, I am really not sure exactly what they need... May wish to google it.
Any variety that say on the packet "direct sow after all danger of frost has passed - can be direct sowed in containers just as in the ground with no problem.
But for those that need an indoor headstart (indicated on the packet normally by saying start indoors 6-8 weeks prior to last frost) the results are pretty dismal if you try direct seeding them.
Marigolds, zinnas, poppies, etc. do well if direct seeded. If you will post over on the Annuals Forum here they can tell you exactly which flowers need indoor starts and which can be direct seeded.
Dave
Yes the weather has been very odd lately. February is usually mild here and it's been up and down all month. My cannas were coming up in January and then a cold front came in and made them die back again. I didn't know they were up until after the damage was done.
Now I have been covering and uncovering my plants at night. I have done it five times already.
hi
you will want to turn it on and see how hot it gets if it is too hot you'll burn the seedlings and dry out the soil to fast.
I use 100 watt equivalent compact florecents(draws like 23 wats) for my over flow from the shop lights and they seem to work fine.
michelle
Freezing only works if the seeds are well dried first and most home seed savers just don't dry their seeds that well. Any moisture left in the seeds will freeze and rupture the cell walls - end result, if not mush, in non-viable seeds.
Professional seed suppliers have access to much better drying equipment and flash freezing equipment not available to the home seed saver.
And freezing isn't necessary anyway. With the exception of a few flower varieties and members of the allium family, most all seeds will store fine for many years if just kept cool, dry, and out of direct sun or high humidity.
You will find many discussions about how to properly save and store seeds over on the Seed Saving forum here (linked at the top of the page on this, the Growing from Seed Forum).
Dave
I have never started any lettuce or spinach indoors--always direct seeded in the garden and they germinated just fine. This year I am toying with doing lettuce in a big pot just so I can start it sooner, get lettuce sooner, and the pot can be moved indoors if we get really low temps late in the season.
One year I grew leeks from seed and I did start those inside and then transplanted them later into the garden.
Does anyone have this information (http://www.backyardgardener.com/tm.html) on a spreadsheet file that would share it? I would rather not duplicate someone else's effort.
Thanks,
Martha
Weeper, neither Druse nor Clothiers databases (both reliable) indicate these must be surface sown or mention needing light to germinate at any stage of seed freshness - The Thompson/Morgan database suggests sowing 1/16 deep.
(FYI - When in doubt unless sowing dustlike tiny seed, it's usually safe to lightly cover, or sow on the surface of sowing medium and cover with grit. The grit will help to keep contact against the moist medium while still letting in some degree of light.)
I would suggest taking the seed, press it into the soil, then just very carefully, with sort of a finger sweeping or pinching motion just barely cover the seed.