One thing I've used under end of season pressure is to cover the seeded area with that thin black spun landscape fabric (like http://www.mrdrip.com/images/Fabric3.jpg). I never use the stuff for preventing weeds, but it can accumulate & trap enough heat (if temperatures are borderline) to get you an emergency germination. For what it's worth.

ANY tea is what byron was referring to, but that's just for softening the hull for germination. Something to do with the tannins in the tea. One could use it for germinating, but I opt for(first and foremost) FRESH seed, scarification( piece of sandpaper in a pill bottle and give a good shake for a half minute, and an overnight soak in plain tap water(24 hours seems better though. And last but not least, keeping them at a constant warm temp(mid 80's F) up until they peek their heads up. Seysonn: I suppose you could use it regularly without harm(make it the way byron tells you to so it's a very weak solution). I just prefer the H2O2 solution for damping off prevention(1 part 3% H2O2 to 4 parts water). I have used the chamomile solution when I've run out of peroxide and it seems to suffice. Regarding your trial and error thing... I do the same thing but have it down pretty pat by now. Note though-- better to error on the side of 80-85 than 85-90. Don't want to cook them. Also, make sure your meat therm is calibrated -- mine was off by 25 degrees a couple years ago and I kept cooking them until I figured it out...lol. Kevin This post was edited by woohooman on Tue, Jan 27, 15 at 22:12

No need for either IMO unless you aren't able to keep the ground sufficiently moist until germination. Dave

I haven't, but I would think it's a waste of vermicompost at best. The purpose of soaking is to get water in past the seed coat to wake the seeds from dormancy, not to provide nutrition. Seeds contain their own starter nutrition in the endosperm and don't really benefit from additional nutrition until they at least have cotyledons and start photosynthesizing. Most people try to keep the seed starting environment relatively sterile until then, actually, as any nutrients can provide food for fungi that could cause damping off, attract pests like fungus gnats, etc.