My experimental seed sowing strategy

I believe your Homebase gardening dept manager should be transferred to their Glenrothes Fife branch. ongoing training for a higher position

Jack McH

 

50p ! I don't know how you do it
I was in B n Q yesterday , reduced planters were on a pallet . Saw a nice one , it had a little crack and was dirty but would clean up great. List price £19.99 , reduction was £0.99 We also have a miserable tight git as a manager !

 

UPDATE:

My experiment was a failure. I should have known. The idea was close enough to other popular ideas that others will have thought of it and tried it before me.

All the seeds germinated, but at different rates. Whereas I was hoping they'd initially root into the kitchen towel, they didn't. Their tiny roots simply pushed the seeds up off the paper, and then they fell over. This happened almost immediately after germination.

Still, we live and learn.

 

Paper towel sandwich? Sheet on top as well, so seeds can't push-up?

I did this with my Parsnip seeds this year, after a few days I lifted the top paper off (so the seeds got air, I put if there to make sure the seeds had moisture from both sides).

Once the seeds have chitted you could then just put the whole thing onto the top os a seed tray and lightly cover with compost. It won't matter than some are "slower", all will have "started"

However, I think they will be harder to prick out because the paper won't have disintegrated by that stage, so you'll be having to "break" that as well as dig the seedling out of the compost.

I think I would be inclidened to sow onto the paper "dry" - easier to move the seeds around perhaps? then second sheet on top, then moisten. But if no easier to move the seeds around then moisten first better I think.

I hand-position my seeds when I sow them in mini seed trays (well, not for very fine seeds ...)



(these are tomato seeds) so that each seed has room to develop, and less chance of damping off etc. I use a pencil to nudge them into place when necessary (as you described, wet the point and a seed sticks to it)

This year I have been using the rubber-end to make a shallow depression for each seed first, then dropping a seed into the hole (gravity helps ) and then just loosely moving the crater-surrounds back over the seeds.

 

A lot of my non gardening friends (ie. the majority of normal poulation) would say you either really need to get out more or book an appointment with a headman or something....
namaste Jenny

 

Thanks for those kind and helpful words.

 

and many of those will stand on the side of a river, with a rod, and catch no fish all day ... or have a little tent to overnight in with the line tied to their little toe, and catch no fish all night ...

Or try to hit a tiny ball into a hole 400 yards away ...

 

OK. I will cancel my appointment with the Headman in the morning and go upstairs and spray/talk gently to my Begonia Sutherlandii pips tha Iv'e pressed down on to a 3" x 2" clear plastic box of MPC and covered with their own clear little lid with a little label that says "spray everyday ". I'd rather be in the GC funny farm too....
Jenny

 

I'm putting a lock on the Grandson's Sandpit!

 

Both beaches in my village are silver sand. It is very fine and covers the seafront when the wind is blowing. However - I do not know whether I could use this sand for seeds or would the salt content be too high. How could I test it

islayhawk

 

hallo IH. I would think you could half fill a bucket and top up with water - swirl it around and then drain it off. Maybe do it a couple of times and then do a finger end taste? Finally, spread it out to dry. It would help if we had some rain first of course . Oh for some rain....