Help with seeds

I've noticed over the years that certain veggies - cucumbers, squash, melons to name a few are easy to grow from seeds...while others - onions, radishes, tomatoes and certain herbs are extremely tough to grow from seeds. (for me anyway!)

Can anyone recommend a good source of info about growing from seeds (instead of plants from the big box stores) that will help me?

I like the idea of using heirloom seeds, but if I can't grow everything productively from seeds I'm no where!

Thanks.

The seeds I bought this year are from Walmart. I just finished planting today--later than I had planned--but the Sweet 100 grape tomato seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago are doing great. I planted them directly in the garden.

What kind of soil do you have?

somewhat sandy soil...but i've added some black topsoil (cheap Lowe's top soil) and a bit of compost.

i'm thinking i may need to mix in some higher quality soil for next season.

cheap top soil and sandy soil may be the issue?

also, some of the stuff came up...but would only get so big...then die. (with appropriate watering)

indoman - A few years ago a neighbor gave me some black top soil - when it dried out, it got as hard as a rock! I'm not saying yours is like this, just my experience.

You didn't mention adding fertilizer to your soil mix - if you didn't, that's probably your problem. Seeds have enough "food" to get the plants off to a good start, but when that's been exhausted, the plants nead nutrients from the soil to keep them growing.

Lowe's sells organic fertilizer containing mycorrhizae, you might want to add that to your soil.

Here in Central Texas we start tomatoes, peppers, and most herbs indoors in January. With a sterile potting mix and clean seed trays with good drainage, it is relatively easy to get plants started. Radishes, lettuce, spinach are direct sown in February, and onion from seed in October. Your problem may be one of timing. Your county agricultural extension agent should have a list of preferred varieties of vegetables for your area, and a calendar of planting "windows of opportunity." If not, try the Master Gardeners group closest to you (again, the ag agent should know of them).

Tomato seeds should be started indoors in completely sterile soil-less peat-based seed starting mix. Moisten the soil mix, drop the seeds on top, barely cover them, and then put the dome on until they start to germinate. There should be no need to water them until a few days after they germinate. The dome keeps the soil moist.

Then they are grown under fluorescent lights (16 hours a day) until they are about 6-8 weeks old. At about 3 weeks, I fertilize with 1/2 strength fish/kelp emulsion or you can use the blue stuff. At 5 weeks, I transplant into larger pots.

Then through a process called 'hardening off' they are slowly introduced first to full shade, then partial shade, then a few minutes of morning or afternoon sun, culminating on the 7th or 8th day with getting full sun.


Don't feel bad about having trouble starting seeds for herbs. Honestly, I just buy plants most years. I suggest dropping a LOT of seeds into a pot of moist seed starting mix and then covering the top with plastic wrap and put it in on a windowsill.

Radishes are usually pretty easy. Might pre-soak the seeds for 20-30 minutes before planting.

I can't start seeds indoors...my cats would eat the plants and/or dig in the dirt.

I always use the cheapest topsoil, but I also buy the cheap brand of compost, too. This year, for every 7 bags of topsoil, I bought 3 bags of compost. One year I bought a couple of bags of brand name topsoil (Scotts, maybe), and liked it less than the cheap stuff I normally buy. It was the lowest in the line of their soils (no fertilizer or compost added), so it was the closest to the generic I usually buy. On the other hand, this year, on one of my trips to Home Depot for soil, instead of the generic brand I got on my last trip (same day), they gave me a different generic brand, and it seemed to be kind of clay-ey. But they ran out of the generic brand of compost, so they gave me a name brand compost.

I also add grass clippings and leaves in the fall. Last fall I also added shredded paper (but it didn't compost well) and chipped wood. So all of that really lightens up the cheap topsoil I buy.

The seed you mentioned that you had no trouble with are all "larger seed". Is it possible that the seed you seem to be having a tough time with are being buried too deep as they are smaller and less likely to germinate and push through if buried too deep. I ask this because radish seed will germinate on a rock, only kidding. Radish seed is extremely easy to grow and will germinate in about 4-5 days. Other seed can take much longer like parsley for instance. As mentioned by other contributors try planting in a loose sterile potting mix covering your seed only to a depth as the seed is thick ie. tomato about 1/8" water the seed in and cover with a plastic bag. Watch for germination in about 7 days sometimes less. As soon as they germinate take the plastic off and grow on as you normally would. Don't put plastic covered seeding trays or containers in direct sun or you will cook the seed.