Propagation: 2014 Seed Starting, continuing from 2013, 3 by Pfg

Pfg wrote:
WOW Kathy-- Did you get good germination with the Dianthus amurensis? Mine was disappointing, I only have 4 good seedlings. Maybe they do better without all the torture? ;-)

Seriously, StillPlays, tomatoes are very forgiving, you'll see. You have nothing to worry about. And most of us do start clustered in a small-ish container, or, like you, single seed per plug, then move plants up. Some would rather start bigger and move up later. I am always trying to get the most mileage out of limited space so I start small. I use the Deno method (damp paper towel in a baggy until seeds begin to sprout) or cluster in one container instead of using plug trays. We all have our favorite ways of doing things. Some, like me, like to experiment a little with different methods, especially with new types of plants.

I'm not starting my tomatoes for a few weeks yet, just don't have the indoor space for them to get so big. In my zone they can't go outside before some time in May, and that's with frost protection, so if I start now they'd be huuuuuuge busy then. Also, I don't do beefsteaks at all. We don't get enough heat and sun for them, they get gross. And the cherries are sooooo good... There are farmstands all over the place with big open fields, no interference from mature trees like we have, so we can have as many big tomatoes as we want, as long as we remember to stop and pick them up, lol.

Linum and Salvia Transylvanica germinating quickly now after just a few days. All the Lupines and Platycodons are up, all except my double pink sport. Asclepias Tuberosa look fine, moved them into 2.5" pots, not because they needed it, but I had the time and space! after I set up flat #2.

I'm amazed at how sloooooow the Campanulas are! The C pyramidalis, started first, are still really little, and the C carpatica Clips series have been translucent threads for days now, only a couple showing any green. I think they're even slower than petunias. I found a commercial growers website that says C Clips takes 24 weeks to flower, that's 6 months. They also say in order to get 1 plant per cell to sow 8-10 seeds per plug. I got better germination than that, more like 6-8 from about 25 seeds, so maybe the soak-and-freeze helped.

Pic 1: The setup
Pic 2: Under the dome
Pic 3: Asclepias and Lupines