Yes I think you are impatient. The concern with all peat mix is if it should get dry it would crust and resist rewetting. I would not put the containers in the sun. Al

I sowed several types of tomatoes in baggies filled with peat last year. The average germination time was 10 days. I kept my baggies in the dark.
Not all seeds like the lower pH of straight peat. Some seeds germinate better in it; others do not seem to do well at all. I have not tried the others you mention, but you might compare your germination time to soil germination time & see if there is a difference.

Some people are using milled coir (Fiber from coconut husks) instead of peat. This might be more available in your area.

George

one more info that i missed is that the cells are about 3cm deep and i sowed the seeds at a depth of ~1cm from the surface. is that a cause for problem??

I think Gomphrena globosa needs a chilling period to break dormancy. My packet says "Chill seed at 40º 4-6 weeks before sowing. Germination eratic, 7-30 days." I sowed on March 5th, have 90% germination so far, but some have only come up in the last few days.

Was your Gomphrena seed pre-chilled? If not, can you put the cells they're in in the refrigerator for a month?

1 cm (~¼ ") might be a little deep for Coreopsis and Cosmos, should be fine for tomatoes, but peat is so light I wouldn't worry. You're unlikely to have damping-off in peat. I haven't grown the others. Tomatoes will quickly need something deeper than 3 cm, I'd tranplant when the first true leaves appear.

You seem to be doing everything right. Keep them on your shady terrace -- sunlight under plastic might cook them -- and you should be seeing germination in a few days.

i wrote a response to solana's post 2 days ago but accidentally e-mailed it to "gardenweb_user" instead of posting here. so here i am doing it again:

thanx for educating me about gomphrenas. i never knew about them as this is the 1st time i'm sowing those.
i doubt that my seeds were pre chilled. nothing is mentioned on the packets. also the cells can't be kept in the refrigerator as the tray is basically a community. i'll hav to cut the cells containg gomphrenas if i have to chill them the way u meant in ur posting. can i chill a separate batch of seeds directly in the chiller tray of the refrigerator. or should the chilling b done with seeds in some medium? pls suggest the right way of chilling seeds. would it not be too late to plant those chilled seeds if i chill a fresh batch now?
thanks again.
raghuvansh

When I received my Gomphrena seeds in January, I just put the packet in the refrigerator. Nothing special, just someplace it would stay dry and I could find it. In my case, the butter shelf. In March, I sowed them in Pro-Mix, a blend of peat, perlite and vermiculite in a warm place.

If you have additional seed, you can chill it now. I only suggested putting the entire cells in the fridge because you'd already sown them. You could leave those you've sown in the community flat - who knows, maybe your supplier pre-chilled them.

Someone in a warmer zone than me could better advise you about whether it's too late. I haven't seen any info indicating that Gomphrena is day-length sensitive and you don't have to worry about frost, so I'd say go for it.

I didn't receive an email from you or I'd have replied sooner. Guess your response is wandering around cyberland looking for someone named gardenweb_user.

You should be seeing cosmos and tomatoes any day if they haven't already begun to germinate. Good Luck.

Raghuvansh,

Is it humid where you live? Our temps are similar except we have a few nights a year when it gets closer to 32 degrees. I live in south florida and I usually start my seeds in vermiculite, maybe with a little peat mixed in but usually not, I wet it thoroughly, then sprinkle the seeds over the top. Cover with more vermiculite that is about the same depth as the seed is wide. I usually water it once a day with the a gentle mist from a garden hose. The few times I found out that something needed to be cold-stratified after I had already planted them, I just popped them into the refrigerator for a night or two (just make sure they haven't germinated anyway!) and take them out during the day. I also do not use saran wrap or glass or any other covering on my seedlings pots and have had very high germination. The only things I really have a problem with are tropicals which can take upto a year and I get impatient! I also use a community pot and gently transplant when my seedlings have more than 2 sets of true leaves (and not just the first pair!) I leave the pots (including the newly transplanted) in a protected area out of direct sun and move only after about 2 week in an indiviudal pot. Don't know about all the seeds you are growing but tomatoes definitely come up within 1 to 3 days for me down here. You can search the Thompson & Morgan site for their germination table which is pretty comprehensive! Good Luck and let us know how it goes!