Help With Growing Seeds

Oh sorry I do mean summer bedding?

on a side note, when I hear garden experts say put your seed tray on a light windowsill and now I know it is not just about heat, but the main reason is light, light is everthing and I completely underestimated the need for light. I now see the difference between light in February and May, the light is not obviously longer and the intensity is greater.

 

I sowed some petunias yesterday mixed with fine sand.

Today I sowed Geraniums, Cosmos and more Marigolds.

 

I sowed some petunias yesterday mixed with fine sand.

Today I sowed Geraniums, Cosmos and more Marigolds.

 

So now I have options, I am hardening plants off, noticeably marigolds and a couple of other plants. At the moment I am taking them outside during the day and bringing them indoors during the night in my hallway where light is very poor.

I can either leave them outside overnight, where it is going to drop down to 6 degrees next week.

Put them in a growhouse, where it will be marginally a bit warmer.

Or I could construct this on my front driveway, which is south facing so will warm up well during the day and will be a rad bit warmer than the growhouse and as it is south facing will get full sun.



This was a £30 buy from Lidls

 

So any ideas what will be best?

 

IMHO I'd keep bringing in at night until that temperature dip is over. I know it's a pain, but unheated thin plastic houses won't help much if temp drops a lot overnight.

 

Marigolds should be ok in a grow house overnight now, they are tough, a lot depends on what they are and how cold it gets .

The words "hardening off" mean getting plants used to cooler harder growing conditions in a slow and controlled way, so if you do it gradually they will acclimatise.

 

Sorry @GreenFingeredPete I thought you meant African marigolds! @pete is right, ordinary marigolds are tough - they are growing in my borders at the moment - self sown from last year.

 

I thought he was referring to French marigolds

Strange how those and African ones all come from the Americas.

Calendula is the English or pot marigold I believe.

 

People have mentioned fine/play sand, I just grabbed myself a bag from Lidls for £3.50

 

So mentioned last week I sowed my first Petunias. I mixed the seeds with play sand and just spread it on seed compost. This was 6 days ago, I haven’t had any germination yet, is it still easily days?

 

Should I see any growth with my petunias, these were sown on 30/04?

 

Can anyone help me with my petunias, if they don’t take it will be another failed year unless I sow some more, so planted these 10 days ago, mixed these with fine sand and left these on the surface without covering with soil/vermiculite, I did put a plastic cover over them to retain moisture?

some photos.



Anyone could advise me please?

 

What can anyone say?
You can wait a while longer perhaps.
The temperature could slow them down if its not very high.
I germinate most seed at around 20 to 25c in a propagator.

 

Just want a bit of reassurance that I am not doing anything wrong. I haven’t put these on the heat mat, but the windowsill to get as much light as possible. So when I water the compost gets firmer, would this inhabit the roots going down in the compost.

I am always nervous with surface sown seeds!