Starting / Germinating Old Seeds In Damp Paper Towels

[seedcorn]

Hi Gang,

I mentioned in another thread that I have some old.... really really really old seeds I thought I'd try to germinate before tossing them out. I've had them "set" for about 6 days and have some questions:

1) Let's say 1 of 10 seeds sprouts. Can I plant that seed and expect it to turn into a plant that would be as good as the ones I planted years ago? YES

2) I've got them in very lightly dampened paper towels that are then sealed in Ziploc baggies. Should they be closed or left open?

3) Should these be placed in the sun / where it is warm to aid in germination? Depends on how hot they get. normally I'd say no

3) Related to the above items: I think I'm growing mold on my paper towels. Is this normal during the process and if not, what should I be doing differently? Yes, as molds are everywhere in air.

4) Most of the seed packets say (germination in 7 - 12 days). If I don't see any change at all by day 12 then I guess I know all of them are bad? give them time as seeds age the vigor not necessarily the germ lessens.

Thanks much!

After starting some, plant the seeds with paper & all.

 

[obsessed]

so how do you plant those new germinated seeds?


Just pop them in the ground? or do you put them in the seed starting soil for them to grow a bit and then transplant?

 

[seedcorn]

so how do you plant those new germinated seeds?


Just pop them in the ground? or do you put them in the seed starting soil for them to grow a bit and then transplant?

If ground is warm and danger of frost is past, yes.

 

[Nifty]

Last year we put the robust beans right into the ground, but I was a little more concerned about the hardiness of the smaller seeds (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) so we put those into small pots first.

For the expert gardeners out there, are there any pros / cons to doing it one way or the other?

 

[bid]

Not an expert gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but I too start peppers and tomatos in small containers. The pro to me is you can give them more attention as well as start them earlier this way. By the time they go out to the garden they are large enough to avoid damage from cut worms, slugs, snails, birds, squirrels,late frosts...everything that wants to eat it or kill it while its small and tender. Also I am usually growing an early crop of something where the peppers will go so I am trying to get that to harvest stage. Usually by the time it warms up enough for the peppers and tomatos, the cool weather crops are about played out and I don't feel so bad about pulling them and replacing them with something else.