Terri, my foxglove seeds also germinated in just about 4 - 5 days, a lot sooner than I would have liked. I have moved them to the windowsill in the apartment, hoping the cooler temperature there will prevent them from getting too leggy.
Seed starting spring 2013
My tomatoes look good, my tiny seeds (sweet william, alyssum, celosia) don't seem to have germinated very well and I am probably drowning the germinated ones, trying to keep the soil moist for those not yet showing. argh!
My Alyssum seeds (from Jill) I WS a few weeks ago have germinated. They are in a 2lb grape container.
I wish I could find a bit brighter spot for the container now--but I know the curious squirrels will
have to immediately investigate it and trash it. Should have sowed them right in the beds...
Right now all 6 of my little WS containers are sitting against the siding on my patio table under the roof.
I don't think they get any sun at all there......;o(
The 4 sparkling water bottles (1qt. size) with Columbines and Blanket Flowers are not showing anything.
It is also time I took out the seeded 6-cell-pack of Marlene's Blue Poppies from my fridge.
I am sort of lost what to do with them next. They are already in soil--so do I just put the cell pack
outside and wait for them to germinate? She said they were annuals. What exposure? Never grew Poppies this way.....
Marlene!!!!! YOOOOO--HOOOOO!!!!
Inside--the only seeds that are not up are the black and purple Ornamental Peppers. Wassup?
Everything else is growing well. Daturas are about 3" tall already. The yellow ones came up slower
than the purple ones, but they are now "popping"...
1&2---Here's all my seeds.....Left side and right side. Daturas are the big ones in the back.
3--My Moon Vine is growing like crazy! Hardly know what to do with it till it can go out.
The smaller vine is the ONLY surviving cutting I took of the Blushing Suzy vine last fall.
Many of them were growing--but slowly died out. I think I did not water them enough-too hot...maybe...
--Two of my Tomatoes are so-so--barely up. Don't know why so slow. I only planted 4 cells.
Don't want to plant more--I will, maybe, buy one or two Hybrids from Bonnies--or not..
Don't want to deal with the Blight again....may have it anyway--at least I know to spray them w/DACONIL
and not to use the overhead sprinkler to water them. ...
Still waiting to plant all the Romaine Lettuce starts. Too cold to be out--or too wet..
G.
Gita, nice looking seedlings... I'm finding it so satisfying to start the growing process from seeds. There is just something about the whole life cycle and nurturing process that goes into it.... I can't claim success yet, but maybe this is the year! I find that I am spending time every day piddling around with them, so I'm already beyond the efforts expended before.
Previous years success has been minimal - just like houseplants, the failures are mostly due to neglect. One year I had success with Jill's heirloom tomato seeds, and another year I had success with Helen Von Stein lamb's ears - which are still going strong in the gardens. Other than that, nahda... Poor little seedlings pooped out from lack of water, too much time on heat mats, left in ws containers well into summer, etc....
Teri----
Can you define "Piddling Around"??? What is it you "piddle" with?
I "piddle" too--mostly looking around and making sure nothing is going dry.
Today, I better "piddle" with all the plants in the little shelves in my LR and DR.
They can go dry--and i don't know it.....Lots of AV's and CC's there....also some Epi cuttings.
They never complain if they go dry. Neither do Begonias or Spider Plants...
Overall--and take this with a grain of salt--I find that some level of neglect is good for plants.
Mostly--it avoids over watering. "Piddling" may lead to too much fussing and worrying.
Know your plants! Not all of them need watering so often. Out of sight--out of mind.....
G.
Well I must say I Checked on all of my WS seeds nothing yet. Perhaps my use of potting soil was a misstep. Only time will tell.
"Piddling Around" - ha ha ha.. It just means that I look at them every day.
First I check to see if anything has germinated - if so, I move the seedlings to individual pots and put them on the plant stand under the lights that are on a timer, then put the container with seeds still ungerminated back on the heat mat.
Next I check the seedlings, streps, avs, ccs, etc... to see if the soil is dry enough to need water.
Lately, I've also been checking for signs of spider mites, and treating if needed. I just treated the night blooming jasmine that Jill gave me by putting it in the shower - I ended up getting in with it, much easier than leaning over the edge to make sure all leaves were sprayed top and bottom LOL. Now I'm seeing signs of what looks like little fleas. On our road trip, Jill told me that they weren't something to really worry about, and that watering from the bottom helps. I finding out that bottom watering is much better that top watering for pretty much everything.
Terri, someone told me to use cinnamon and to spritz with a little peroxide mixed into a quart of water. It's working. NO bugs at all!!
What do you do with the cinnamon? My imagination is imagining all sorts of things - cinnamon sticks stuck into the soil, ground cinnamon sprinkled on the dirt, ground cinnamon mixed in with the peroxide and water... if nothing else, the plants will smell good :)
Just one site explanining the use of cinnamon.
http://therustedgarden.blogspot.com/2013/02/using-cinnamon-on-seedlings-stop.html
Teri, thanks for the link. So, ground cinnamon sprinkled on the dirt - easy, peasy and smells good too!
Paul--
You are too impatient with your WS seeds.....
Just think--when we WS, we are trying to "ompress" the natural time frame of months it would take,
for a naturally dropped seed in the previous fall to germinate-- into just a few weeks.
Some seeds DO germinate rather quickly--and some take their sweet time.
At least that is how I think about it.
BUT--I am NO expert at Winter Sowing.....trying it for just the 2nd time ever this year.
So far--of the 4 seeds I WS-ed--the Alyssum has germinated.
Besides, I do everything on a much smaller scale. Four of this...6 of that...two of something else...
However--looks like I will have about 50 Alyssum! Should have sowed the seeds right in the spots
I want them to grow! Lesson learned........Gita
Jill is the WS'ing Pro here--as her what she has to say about it.
I have a flat of wintersown, and as of today ONE success- LOTS of Scabiosa babies, just found them today, they weren't there couple days ago.- Gita, remember Brent's Scabiosa seeds?
No, I don't Sally ..All I got from Brent was two 4" pots of the perennial, blue Salvia.
I still have some seeds from it....
Wish I had some more of hart's clustered VA Bluebells. Mine have all died out...
They were so pretty!!! Anyone still have any to share?????
Going out with a bunch of friends tonight---beer and more beer and whatever else....
it is in a private club. NO! I have absolutely NOTHING green to wear!
Green does not look good on me.....clashes with my baby blue eyes.....;o)
This pic is from 2009....Awwwww......
I have Scabiosa seedlings, but maybe I mis-remembered - could have mixed that in my mind with a packet and your label Brents Perennial Salvia. Sorry.
Have fun!
So far I have about 40 milk jugs of winter sown seeds outside and 4 large shelves of little pots under lights. Getting ready for the swap that will be at Jan's in May. Hopefully, the Winter Sowing will be successful by then so that I'll have enough plants to take. These are some that I have out so far.
MONARDA - DWARF---PETITE WONDER
WHITE SWAN ECHIE
DELPHINIUM DARK BLUE
TURTLEHEAD CHELONE
MIXED LUNA HIBISCUS
LAVENDER MUNSTEAD
CAMPANULA GLOMERATA
AGASTACHE APACHE SUN
CENTAUREA DEALBATA
DELPHINIUM MAGIC FOUNTAIN CHERRY BLOSSOM
JOHNNY JUMP UPS
LAVENDER, ELLAGANCE SKY
ECHINACEA TOMATO SOUP
HOLLYHOCK
ORIENTAL POPPPY VICTORIA LOUISE
ORIENTAL POPPY BEAUTY OF LIVERMORE
AGASTACHE CANA
FRAGRANT SWEET PEAS ZINFANDEL
FRAGRANT SWEET PEAS PERFUME DELIGHT
SWEET PEA HIGHT SCENT
THUMBERGIA....AFRICAN SUNSET
SALVIA PATENS BLUE ANGEL
ORANGE PORTULACA
RED AND WHITE CYPRESS VINE
There's still plenty of time to put out 20 more jugs, since the weather is still rather cold. I'm not expecting anything more than 50% success.
Wow Roses......that is one heck of a lot of seeds......I guess by the time I get mine planted, I will have a list that long too though.
I still haven't gone all the way back to the beginning of these almost three hundred posts, but at some point will try to. I have come across a new garden term from today's reading though and am sure that it has been discussed already. If someone wouldn't mind please defining fermenting I would love to hear it. Please do so in a nut shull though.....very basics. Thanks.
Jill, the only place I could find selling Fire Cracker Begonia seeds was Park Seeds whom I have never bought from before. The box is still sitting unopened on the end of my kitchen counter. Had a much busier weekend than I planned to, so lots didn't get done. I seem to always go in to the weekends believing I will catch up on everything and usually have a long written list of things to do. What happens in reality is after babysitting my grandson three afternoons prior, I am usually so whipped that I am not good for much of anything for a few days and end up either on computer or in front of TV.
I have at least gathered my sowing containers for the seeds. Now need to get some potting soil brought inside and get those babies in it. Before they can be sowed, I need to move the houseplants which are now sitting in front of the plant room window in order for the seedlings to have plenty of light. Can't wait.
I have noticed in the past three or so weeks that the Coleus I kept over winter are all going to town in terms of growth and beauty. So much fun seeing them do that. Will re-post Coleus progress on House Plants thread when I have a chance to get there. I ordered several Coleus varieties of seeds and am anxious to see what they become. Most years I sow at least one packet of Coleus and am much like Terri and love piddling around with them.......love to just look upon them and be in awe of what nature does.
Thanks for the thread Sally.
Ruby
Wish I had room to get involved with all the coleus growing. Hardly any shade here.
Ruby--
Fermenting Tomato seeds is, basically, the process of removing all the Gel from them
and ending up with clean seeds.
Here is an article by "SHOE" from who knows when. Just read it through.
Dave also had an article on it--with pictures. Anyone know how to dig it up?
***********************************************
Horseshoe's Garden Diary: Fermenting Tomato Seeds
Tomato Seed Fermentation
Here we go….!
(1) Pick the tomatoes you want to save seed from. (Note: only save seeds from open-pollinated/non-hybrid plants.) I prefer to use a jar that has a wide mouth, wide enough to get my whole hand inside because it’s easier to mush up the fruit and leaves less mess.
(2) Break the tomatoes in half (or quarters) in order to get your hand and fruit in the jar. Commence to squishin’! Squish all of it… skin, pulp, juice, seeds, etc.
(3) See how the final squished tomatoes look in the jar? Some folks don’t bother adding any extra water to it. I prefer to add water mainly ‘cus I can judge the process more easily (‘tis just a personal preference). I add as much water as there is tomato mush. In other words, if the tomato mush fills the lower two inches of the jar, add enough water to bring it up to four inches.
4) After adding water (if you choose) cover. Here I used a piece of a plastic bag but you can use cheesecloth or other fabric. It is really not necessary to cover at all. However, by covering you keep the knats and flies from hovering around. (It also hides the bouquet of the fermentation process!)
(5) Set your jar aside in a room temperature area (preferably outside). In a day or so (depending on the temperature) you’ll see mold growing on top. Leave it alone. Some folks will stir it up but I don’t see the need. This is an anerobic process and the mold growth on top allows the anerobic bacteria to enjoy their natural habitat.
(6) After a few days (usually 3-5 days after you see the mold growth, again depending on the temperature), you can begin the final process. At this point add water, as much as you like without overflowing, and stir it up. Allow the jar to sit and all the good stuff will settle to the bottom (viable seeds) and the rest will float on top. (I don’t call the floaters “bad stuff”…it’s great to add to your compost or directly to your garden).
(7) At this point you can pour off the floaters, carefully keeping the viable seeds in the bottom of the jar. When the floaters are poured off, add more water, swish it around and again let the jar sit so the seeds sink to the bottom. (This part goes fast, a couple minutes if that long.)
(7a) Repeat the above. Your seeds will now be in clear water, all the “trash” removed, and you only have one step left to perform!
8) I use a strainer for this part. Holding it over a sink (or outdoors) quickly flip the jar of water and seeds over the strainer…the seeds will be washed into the strainer
(9) I gently wipe the strainer, or tap it, to get any excess water off it, then flip it over a paper plate (or waxed paper) and the seeds will fall out. The seeds, being wet, will clump together so use your finger to help separate them. I do this from time to time as they dry otherwise the seeds, when fully dried, will clump together. NOTE: Never let them dry on paper towels, napkins or the like. The seeds will stick to it and you’ll spend the rest of your life pulling a gazillion seeds off the paper
(10) Allow the seeds to dry in an airy place (protected from winds, birds, mice, etc). When fully dry store in paper envelopes (labeled) or in a glass jar. I prefer to do both…put them in coin envelopes and put those in a canning jar and store in the fridge. This will ensure a long storage life.
Hope this has been helpful! If any questions please feel free to holler!
Shoe.
**************************************
Here is the link to Tomato Seed fermentation by Dave (of DG), WITH pictures...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/23/
This message was edited Mar 19, 2013 12:45 PM
Roses - great seed choices. All sound apealing to me, and will have to refrain from being greedy come swap request time LOL.
Ruby, I've ordered from Parks before.. they have neat stuff, and a great catalog for browsing!
Some of my pepper seeds started popping over the weekend, and today I saw a few tomato sprouts (and promptly moved the off the heat mat -- heat is good for quicker sprouting, but if they don't grow on cooler after that they'll get unbelievably leggy!). Need to sow basil next -- I've got my packets sorted out, just need to nuke another container of seed starting mix.
Speaking of which... the one change I have made with regard to moisture crystals is that when I sterilize seed starting mix in the microwave, I now add the crystals after that process. The information I've seen seems to indicate that if & when any degree of toxicity is detected, it's after the moisture crystals have been exposed to high temperatures & UV. So, steaming them in a microwave is probably something to avoid, just in case.
Jill, how long do you nuke the mix? I've just been using it straight out of the bag.
I moisten the mix well (having learned the hard way that it will catch fire if microwaved too dry), put it in a loosely covered container, and microwave on high until I see steam, which usually means 12 or so minutes for my 6? quart container. Then I close the lid on the container and let the steam continue to do its thing for another 10 or 15 minutes. Does a great job of fluffing up that compacted Pro Mix, too!
I don't have the patience to do this for all my seedling trays (pots and 6-pack inserts), but I do it for the little seed starting trays (aka deli containers) as well as for african violet leaf cuttings and so forth.
wait till I tell Mark he got a basil seedling before Jill!!! TEE HEE
presto pesto! Go Mark!
Go, Mark!
LOL, my basil better grow fast to catch up! I sowed seeds pretty thickly in the 2 trays I started, so hopefully we'll have plenty for the garden and some to share. I have a couple more varieties I'd like to sow yet (unless somebody else has lemon or lime and wants to trade away a couple little plants?) Oh, and somewhere I have a new packet of 'Cardinal Basil' (one of those ornamentals that's sort of a thai type, the way cinnamon and blue spice are sort of like thai basil)... Unfortunately, it's probably the same "somewhere" as my alpine strawberry seeds, which I suspect were moved around by a certain small child... and if I don't find them soon, they may not germinate well after being stored at house temp. I'll probably find them in the freezer door of the fridge in the garage or something and then feel bad for have suspecting her! (Hey, I wonder if I've actually looked in that fridge? I think I'll go do so now.)
He is definitely in the lead. No signs of life from mine!
Try putting them in a warm spot until they sprout, Terp! They should pop up in just a few days, then. They do need to stay constantly moist until they germinate -- if you just press them down rather than covering with soil, you can look to see if that seed coating still has its grey/silver frog's-egg appearance.
Hmm well perhaps they haven't had enough moisture. Yeah, I'm almost sure of it! I'll see if I can rectify the situation.
If you sowed them a week or more ago, you might want to start again, or at least get a seed-starting tray (deli container) going as a backup... Sometimes, if seeds start germinating (even just inside the seed coat) and then dry out, that's it. If you sowed all of them (it happens), LMK what they were and I'll send you some that are either the same kind or similar to replace them... I still need to get those white balloon flower seeds to you, too! Mia culpa.
Darn it! Hmmm, well I did not sow all of them. I believe most of them came from you, lol. I will start over, or start a back-up.
Re: White balloon flower seeds, not to worry. I do recall you wanting a few for yourself, If you want to sow all of them and take what you want that would be fine by me. Otherwise I figured i would just grab them when I picked up the AR lilies and settled up.
Paul
I wanted to ask you to look at my 2 last Posts on the CC discussion thread.
I went down "Memory Lane" and posted pictures of plants many of you have,
but from the first years I had them. Mostly 2005 and 2006.
I did not have a digital camera before that--I don't think...so if I had any older pictures,
they would be prints.
Think you may enjoy this "trip" . Gita
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1284057/
OK--Now I have a seed starting question. I wrote to Marlene--but she hasn't answered.
Any of you that got the seeds for her Blue poppy at the swap--WHAT did you do with them?
She told me to seed them in peat pots and put them in the fridge for 2 weeks,
and then plant therm outside.
Mine have now been in the fridge (in soil in a 6-pack--in plastic) for over a month.
I don't know what to do with them next???????
I cannot plant them out yet--as these are annuals, I think.
I suppose I could WS them--but they have already had the wet and cold in the fridge.
Any advice? Thanks, Gita
You can plant them out. Poppies can be direct sown in fall or winter. :-)
OK, Jill ! Will do--
AFTER there is a warm enough day that I can clean up the bed they will go into.
However--I do not have high hopes for this Poppy to survive our summer heat.
It is a cool weather Poppy. Marlene called it a Hungarian Poppy. Wish I had a picture.
This weather is killing a lot of early spring to-do chores.
Possible snow today---tonight lows about 28*.
Highs in the 40's tomorrow. Lousy weekend coming up--and it is Palm Sunday!
I am SOOOO ready for the "lamb".......:o)
Observation from basil seeds. Mark put his in a 3 inch pot, I put mine in a 2 inch that was also shorter. I set both on a shelf where I thought they would be slightly warmed by the lights mounted underneath the shelf. Fluorescent, but you can feel slight warmth, at least sometimes. Well, mine has several sprouts, his has one. so i think the taller pot could not warm to the top the way the smaller one did. I have a nightlight under the tray now so its getting toasty, hope i can push a couple more from his pot..
Datura and 'pumpkin pepper' eggplants are picking up steam and need to up-pot soon. I foresee seedlings in the living room before warm weather gets here!
Moon flower vine Ipomoeae sp? seeds in water today
I knew he was cheating!!! Sounds like Sally's seeds to me. Haha.
Thank you for the help. I have them in a plastic 6/36 tray.
As with our other offspring, I kinda have to do most of the boring prep myself!!. He is there briefly at the beginning and then comes back later when they 'sprouts' are more active and fun...
My starter pots are in large aluminum disposable pans, and I can prop them up with a 4 watt bulb under the tray...have to check again later , make sure they aren't cookin'. I haven't done this enough to know.
Gita, I've not been successful with the Blue Poppies. This site has some info.
http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-grow-himalayan-blue-poppy-from.html
I don't think a 4 watt bulb will cook them, but a thermometer to check is always a good thing. I've read varying advice about exactly what temp = seed death, but it's 90-something for most seeds, and there's no going back from there.
I've used a 60 watt bulb in an "uplight" placed directly under the metal shelf supporting the seed starting tray, and that was definitely helpful. I just like the no-fuss aspect of an "official" heat mat with thermostat, but there are a lot of ways to get a similar effect.