Soil temperature has a big effect on germination. Even cold weather varieities will take some time to germinate in cold soil. The table linked below will give you an idea about how long to wait. Get an inexpensive little cooking thermometer to measure soil temperature.

Pumpkins and squash are not cold weather crops. You probably need to replant those when things really warm up.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Germination Times and Temperatures

Agree with Jim.

Buy one of those $15 pocket or meat probe thermometers. They work fine for reading soil temperatures 2-4 inches down. Below is another site that will give you necessary soil temp ranges for germination of common garden vegetables, presented slightly differently.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Temperatures Needed for Germination

Agree with jim and anney:) And one thing you can try is germinating your seeds in damp paper towels, placed in semi-closed plastic baggies, put on top a warm fridge. I had some tomato seeds last year that wouldn't germinate in my starting mix, even though everything else did. They were my last ones of that variety, so I dug 'em out, and tried the paper towel method. And just about every one germinated. So I did everything else that way too: pumpkins, beans, squash, corn, peas, melons, and cucumbers. And they all worked, probably quicker than germinating in dirt. Definitely better germination rates. If you do it that way, I read you should keep them spread out on the paper towel, so they aren't touching. And mold could start growing, but if you dampen the towel with chamomile tea, it helps. I think some people use coffee filters, instead of paper towels. I might try that this year, and use the non-bleached kind, to be on the safe side.

The paper towel/coffee filter method is very effective. I don't find it necessary for everything, just for the more critical items. I haven't used it to hasten the start of the season with cool weather crops but it seems a good idea.

I bought a package of filters by accident which don't fit my coffee maker. So there is my supply for several more years. I write I.D. and date info on either the towels or filters with ball point pen and stack them up in a sealed bag or covered container.

Jim

I have the same thing going on with my hot pepper seeds. I put them in a cup of soil and set them on my free standing gas fireplace. only about 1/3 of the varieties sprouted. I probed it at 83 degrees and still waiting 14 days later.

jimster - I bought a package of filters that don't fit my coffee maker too. But I did it on purpose, 'cause they were a lot cheaper:) After experimenting with different ways of folding, I finally got them to work without getting grounds in my coffee.

obrionusa - It could be a moisture issue. I think that's one reason the paper towels work so well. It's easy to make sure the seeds stay moist.

When do you think I should replant? I moved them to a 5 gallon bucket sitting on a heating pad and a light bulb hanging down in the bucket. I seen the bucket idea from digdirt (Dave) I'm now wondering if I got too much water and they rotted. Maybe when I turn the fireplane on they get too hot. 5 seeds in a 3" cup. 12 cups planted, 5 sprouted, 7 nothing. Toady it has been 15 days.

obrionusa -

Pepper seeds are a bit slow to sprout anyway - give them a few more days. If planting in damp paper towel, the seeds will turn black and mold - usually means they are too old.

If you save seeds from one year to the next, it is best to wrap carefully and store in the freezer. Although I had a lot of tomato seeds saved that I just wrapped in a dry paper towel and placed inside a plastic bag, then dropped into an old ice cream container. I do put those dessicant (silica?) packets in with my saved seeds - to absorb moisture.

Bejay

The reason for putting towel/filter seeds on top of the fridge may not be obvious. It doesn't feel especially warm there. However, all refrigerators expel heat. They must do that to work and they do it at a fairly constant rate, night and day. That, plus the fact that the top of the fridge is fairly high up where the room air is warmest, ensures that the seeds stay at a temperature favorable to germination. Towel/Filter method on top of the fridge has never let me down.

Jim

I would love to try this method; I've sprouted big seeds (date, tamarind) in a baggy of moist vermiculite, but paper towel sounds great for small seeds.

My question is, how small can you go with this? I have some seeds of questionable freshness that are maybe 1mm by 3mm; could this work, or would I just break their roots trying to move them off the paper?

Thanks!

Lara

Lara

People are advised to prop the filters vertically while waiting for germination so the roots don't get trapped in the filter-fibers, which they WILL do if the filters are laid flat. I had a heck of a time with some vigorous squash seeds whose roots grew into a filter one year. While I managed to get them pulled apart, I think with less sturdy seeds, the roots would just be torn apart.

If you can prevent the roots from enmeshing themselves in the filter, I think you could prick them from the filter with a toothpick and plant them.

Why don't you try it with just a few first?

Being the onions are sprouting in one area only and lettuce pieces are starting to come to light, I'll average my temp is near 50 degrees. It's going to snow a few flakes tonight, so I'm putting a tarp over them, with 50 degree weather through out the following day. My yard stays green all year almost even rye grass never turned brown. I know it's not an evergreen, the clovers are still green, the hill I planted on is very high, maybe it gets more heat?

I may have planted too deep, I'll wait for one more week, but next week I will replant if nothing else. The carrots should have peaked out, so maybe their is something wrong. It was so pretty outside, I thought I could get away with planting early. Root crops can grow all year round, so I'm not afraid for the turnips, carrots, and onions. I'll try to sprout them inside on paper towels or coffee filters next time, maybe do as the packets suggest by soaking them in water for 24 hours would have been better.

I'll be watching for something until Thursday, then I'll start them in an inside garden on paper towels.

Thanks for the input.

I just went to you tube and typed in seed starting paper towel and there are a few to choose from. The videos make more sense of how to do it.

If the seeds are very tiny, they can also be sprinkled on top of some moistened potting soil, top with some dry soil, and cover with a baggy (greenhouse effect). Place the cups/containers in a warm place until the seeds germinate.

Remove the baggy when seeds germinate to prevent damping off.

Because of our unpredictable weather, I prefer to start broccoli, cabbage, onions, peppers, tomatoes - etc. inside under lights.

I do plant peas, beans, beets, carrots, lettuce seeds directly outdoors - when the soil is warm/dry enough for them.

Bejay