6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

No pretreatment is required. lightly cover the seed soil temp 60F & takes 32-42 days to germinate.

Hi computergardener - deep stem transplanting works for just about everything except bulbs and rhizomes. That said, not everything in the flower/herb family requires it unless they have gotten quite leggy on you. Many herbs and smaller, slower growing flowers are planted in clusters anyway and often don't have the long lanky stems to hassle with. ;)

Dave

Yes, in fact if stored in a cool DRY place, they will last for several years. Some seed savers store them in Mason jars in the freezer and seeds have been germinated from this type of storage after 20 years. The fridge also works - anyplace that stays dry and relatively cool. It is heat and humidity that do them in.

Basements however are often too damp. Just put you packets in a sealed jar (plastic bags retain too much moisture at times) and store it on a high shelf in a closet or kitchen cabinet.

Enjoy your seeds for years to come. ;)

Dave

Perennial tropical vegetable. White Eggplant, it is edible.

No experience personally, but I think your problem in part was the saran wrap. You should have removed it when your seeds germinated.

No need for humidity after that, aloe dichotoma originates in "dry semi-desert southern part of Namibia". Needs a well draining sowing/growing mix, very little water.

Great plant, s-l-o-w germinator. What's your patience quota?

I'd soak overnight, it's too late to place outdoors Fall, so depending on where you live, you could sow and either place the pot in your refrigerator for a month or two, or outdoors if you will still have 4-6 weeks of chilly weather ahead of you. Top the pot with grit or fine aquarium gravel to discourage moss/algae - a good idea for anything that's going to be around a while before germination. You could get some germination in as little as 30 days after the chill, but it could be as long as 545 days. You'll want to keep the pot intact for two years, water it occasionally so it doesn't dry out.

Patience. ;) Basil is slow to kick into gear. It's fine hairy roots need time to develop first. If you haven't fed it yet try a one time watering with a diluted to 1/4 strength liquid fertilizer.

I prefer to start it in a small seed tray and then transplant it to small cups (it will never fill a 16 oz. cups) or 6 cell cellpacks. That encourages better root development.

It seems easier (and more logical) to just sow the seeds into larger containers from the beggining to ensure adaguete space for the plant to grow.

It is easier for the gardener but not for the plant. ;) It's the staged transplanting process that stimulates root development.

Dave

Lettuce, broccoli, cabbage - no problem if you harden them off first. They can even be direct seeded and will tolerate light frosts.

Tomatoes and peppers - at 3-4 weeks they would be awfully small transplants - easy to damage. But check your soil temps first. Tomatoes need a minimum of 50 degree soil at the root level and peppers are the most tropical - they prefer 60 degree soil.

Good luck.

Dave

you could warm up your soil first for the tomatoes and peppers (plastic mulch or row covers) and/or use the plant protectors (like cloches or the Wall-o-Water), but if the soil is too cool it's really not worth it to transplant the warm season crops: you'll stress the plants and they won't produce as well during the season, even if they don't die. one month transplants could be ok, but not if you're talking about doing it right now (march 10th!) in zone 7 - too early both air and soil temperature wise.