How old are the seeds you just bought?

[seedcorn]

Tried that once with carrot seed and I wasn't So Lucky.

Under the boards, I checked . checked . check . . check ... che ........ ch

Forgot to check - Killed more than half the seedlings.

Steve

Know that feeling…..

 

[heirloomgal]

@Branching Out (reply to above post, didn't copy over right)

I feel like I should do this too. I have an upright 'fridge' freezer, a 3/4 size one, that currently sits empty and unused in my basement - which is also where I keep all my seeds. It is older, we bought it years ago 2nd hand but when we used it for food it seemed to work fine. All my tomato seeds would fit in there, along with my peppers but I'm so afraid that it might harm those seeds because it's an older freezer, out of use for some years now. That would be so many hours of work down the drain if something went wrong, and several hundred seed types as well. So far, a very cool dry basement is doing great but I can't help but wonder when I read posts like yours and Zeedman's. It also seems now like a waste to have bought that freezer.

 

[AMKuska]

I save seeds for only 5 major vegetable types, and a smattering of others. But I have been amazed many times how fantastic germination rates can be for all of them, even when not fresh. Especially large seeds like peas, beans, corn. The only species that still can be a bit of a wild card IMO is hot peppers. They have that darn tendency to fall into a deep sleep, and while they are often still viable, the time it takes to wake them up makes them basically non-viable. The flexuosum peppers I'm trying to germinate right now are clearly showing this dormancy quality even though they were apparently grown in 2021. I probably need to flicker the temperature more than I already am to click them on. Currant tomato seeds can be sticklers too, though putting them outside when it still gets quite cold at night but warm in the day always gets them up. My feeling is a seed is life, and life wants to live!

Does temperature changes wake them up? I wonder if that's why they're doing so well this year. It's the same seed as last year but it was stored in my garage room temp--which is wildly varying temperatures.

@Branching Out (reply to above post, didn't copy over right)

I feel like I should do this too. I have an upright 'fridge' freezer, a 3/4 size one, that currently sits empty and unused in my basement - which is also where I keep all my seeds. It is older, we bought it years ago 2nd hand but when we used it for food it seemed to work fine. All my tomato seeds would fit in there, along with my peppers but I'm so afraid that it might harm those seeds because it's an older freezer, out of use for some years now. That would be so many hours of work down the drain if something went wrong, and several hundred seed types as well. So far, a very cool dry basement is doing great but I can't help but wonder when I read posts like yours and Zeedman's. It also seems now like a waste to have bought that freezer.

How many seeds do you have exactly?!

 

[heirloomgal]

Does temperature changes wake them up? I wonder if that's why they're doing so well this year. It's the same seed as last year but it was stored in my garage room temp--which is wildly varying temperatures.

Yes temperature changes wake them up; most domesticated vegetables have been selected to no longer express that quality. They select them for a germination response to water not temps, but hot peppers are different because they still have that capsicum wildness in their genes. In the wild it would be the flickering temperatures of early spring that signal to the peppers (and lots of perennial seeds have this too) to start growing, the time is nigh. Now, can that temperature fluctuation affect pepper seeds which are not in ground, like in your packet? That I'm not sure, but if I were to guess I'd say probably. Mostly because perennials drop their seed right on top of the ground and they have no gardener to bury them, and some seed packets must be kept in the fridge for cold stratification before planting. (I still have a 'Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate' flower seed packet in my fridge from last years cold stratification )

Years ago I tried a new tomato called 'Ted's Pink Currant' and was so excited for it, but despite the seeds being grown by the lady only the year prior they just would not sprout, even with a heat mat, even with a dome. So after a month I just gave up on them & dumped the pot in my greenhouse, where it was still real cold at night and hot in the day. Boom! I found the discarded pot full of seedlings! I've used that trick ever since and also later read that this exact thing has happened to lots of people. lol

How many seeds do you have exactly?!

....latest count was about 1075 varieties....

 

[Zeedman]

(I still have a 'Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate' flower seed packet in my fridge from last years cold stratification )

I tried to grow that years ago, got zero germination, and threw that soil into the garden as I always do. I'm guessing that seed germinated the next year... but if the seedlings looked like knotweed (as the adult plants do) then they were probably pulled. I think it naturalizes once grown for the first time, SSE has a garden where it grows every year.

Martynia performed the same way, all the discarded seeds germinated the next year... but since the seedlings closely resemble sunflowers, I let some of them grow. Surprise! NOT sunflowers! Another plant that will volunteer forever if allowed to seed - and they seed quickly. It really surprises me how well a plant native to hot desert climates, adapted easily to my cold Wisconsin climate.

 

[heirloomgal]

I tried to grow that years ago, got zero germination, and threw that soil into the garden as I always do. I'm guessing that seed germinated the next year... but if the seedlings looked like knotweed (as the adult plants do) then they were probably pulled. I think it naturalizes once grown for the first time, SSE has a garden where it grows every year.

Martynia performed the same way, all the discarded seeds germinated the next year... but since the seedlings closely resemble sunflowers, I let some of them grow. Surprise! NOT sunflowers! Another plant that will volunteer forever if allowed to seed - and they seed quickly. It really surprises me how well a plant native to hot desert climates, adapted easily to my cold Wisconsin climate.

I had no idea it could become invasive! I just checked and, yep, it gets invasive in Can too. Maybe I dodged a problem there, heaven knows between the mint, wild sunflowers and purple goosefoot I've got more than enough invasive plants to contend with!

 

[Zeedman]

I had no idea it could become invasive! I just checked and, yep, it gets invasive in Can too. Maybe I dodged a problem there, heaven knows between the mint, wild sunflowers and purple goosefoot I've got more than enough invasive plants to contend with!

So throw in some Martynia, bleeding hearts, and tiger lilies - then stand back & watch the chaos.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

So throw in some Martynia, bleeding hearts, and tiger lilies - then stand back & watch the chaos.

Or, if that fails, bring in the Morning Glories and Everlasting Peas, and Let THEM smother everything!

At least tiger lilies you can EAT to being under control (well, if you can get them to flower, and are willing to consume endless bowls of hot and sour soup.....)

 

[Phaedra]

It means that is informative or I learned something. I didn't know why seed was pelleted, other than visibility. I had no idea about the alfalfa and lime combo reason.

One of the most common pelleted seed categories here in Germany is basil. They mixed 3-4 different kinds of basil so the consumers would germinate and grow at ease. However, as many crops can be multi-sowed, such a purpose can be fulfilled easily at home. The pelleted seeds are also much more expensive here.

 

[Phaedra]

Tried that once with carrot seed and I wasn't So Lucky.

Under the boards, I checked . checked . check . . check ... che ........ ch

Forgot to check - Killed more than half the seedlings.

Steve

I saw this method, too but hesitated to try, 100% same worry like Steve has.