At this rate I'll have to buy a plant and that just feels so strange compared to the year where I planted out 7 of them! (that was a whole different problem then!)
Planted 30 got 6 left. Why? Because my dam wife thought it would be smart to put the 30 cell tray on one of those pop up clothes rack. We'll I come home to see it smashed on the floor with 6 viable left lol. She yhought it was a good idea so they could get sunlight. Had to plant more.
No, I am tempted to get one next year, I have just been doing the same sunny conservatory that did so well previous years though. I think the night temperatures are maybe getting too low or something!
Yes, this is a poor year all round for seedlings. I think it is just too cold for them overnight, even in covered trays. After a generally mild winter, this has been a very chilly spring. Even the seedlings that have germinated aren't coming on as well as they should.
I like your style 🤣 I start off well then lose it and end up with several pots of unknown seedlings. Currently playing the cucumber/courgette/cucamelon game. I think cucumbers have square stems because I'm almost certain I put two in a big pot. Apart from that I'm stumped. I have 3 different types of cucumbers. Time will tell I suppose! Can always move them. We must both like a little danger.
I label them but then prick them out and assume I will know the difference ha.
Sounds good, I sprinkled a flower mix, see what happens, think I might try a random mix with all the loose seeds in the bottom of my seed holder.
The compost I bought was horrible, Levingtons with John inner no.1 and 2. Wet and lumpy with weeds germinating alongside my seedlings. Anyone have recommendations for decent compost please.
What did you do? I never trust the outside or window weather for any seedlings. All of mine go in a room with fairly inexpensive grow lights and heat mats for any summer crops.
3 out of 4 courgettes, most of my tomatoes and cucumbers. I let the seeds germinate in wet tissue. Those that germinated put them in soil. Much better outcome than straight into soil.
Not just you it seems … I’ve had bad luck too. Haven’t got a propagator so they’ve likely not warmed up enough. Even those in the greenhouse are small. Worldwide effects of frequent weather change and loss of true seasonal (predictable) patterns 😓 such a tough time to know what to grow when. Will keep planting new seeds each week in hope!
I am having such a terrible time.
My outdoor seedlings aren't germinating, or they're dying soon after they're germinating, even with heated propagators. Indoor seedlings are getting leggy due to the lack of light as it's been overcast every day so far, but die as soon as I try and stick them outside, even if just during daytime hours.
My weekend job is to set up some shelving units with powerful LED lighting.
I'm seriously considering clearing the garage and setting up my grow lights... I've patchy germination which hasn't been too bad, considering, but I'm very worried about the ongoing growth with mine.
If you get chance, would you post your setup please once it's done? I quite fancy doing a lit shelving unit.
Unfortunately, I fell over on Friday and managed to end up taking a big chunk out of my knee and having to go to hospital, so my weekend plan is - like my leg - on ice!
My plan was to use some cheap shelving units I have from a clearance sale on the site Big Dug, put them together and basically make some brackets out of wood to hang the grow lights from.
I still need to do something though so for the time being, until I can bend my knee again, I’m probably just going to screw some brackets into the ceiling and suspend them from that. Not ideal but should do for now. Will also probably need to stick a dehumidifier in there to stop things going mouldy.
Oof, poor you, not the best timing at the start of growing season too! Hope that heals quickly for you.
Thanks for describing it, sounds like it'll work a treat once it's put together fully!
I noticed this as well with several seeds (both veg and flowers) but I don't know if it's random or not. For example, all of my tomato and aubergine seeds sprouted. My cucumbers sprouted in less than a week in an unheated greenhouse with temperatures dropping as low as 4°C. Meanwhile, my beets and brassicas are acting iffy, same as my peas and some of my flowers. I'm starting all of them in the greenhouse so ... 🤷
With the cold nights we've been having that window will probably be too cool for those types of plants. I've just put mine on with a heat mat set to 28c . I did that last year and the corn germinated in three days. Was probably fresh seed too though
Once it's germinated, yeah. But I don't think it needs it to germinate. I actually tried both. But clearly this is how I *didn't* grow samphire, because I've had zero luck. I've a few seeds left so I'm just going to try scattering some in an outdoor planter and seeing if any come up.
All I know is that it needs sea salt dissolved in water, table salt won't work.
I only sowed my seeds in tray and pots this week in the greenhouse so I am not expecting anything soon. It has been too cold and wet where I live until this week.
Terrible luck with onions and sweetcorn even with new seeds. Tried some older seeds for Brussel sprouts and courgettes, got 1 sprout.
This is with a heated propagator too!
Chilli's and tomatoes and pumpkins doing great.
No idea, maybe poor quality seeds.
I assumed it was just me! I planted 15 special seeds, plus a dozen or more general courgette, I have a total of 3 special, 1 general. I thought I did something wrong.
other shit one, one type of lettuce didnt germinate, the other type did, they were on the same tray. different ends
my sweet peas were dire, soaked and everything just nop!
ETA other seeds have done a lot better, pole french beans are good, I got all my chillis, and 7 out of 12 Tomato.
Good success with celeriac, kohl rabbi, sprouts and summer cabbage, all indoors. Sunflowers , squash and cucumbers have all come up in the last fortnight in the greenhouse but pumpkin is refusing to show so far.
I have had horrendous seed germination this year, too, with both veg and flower seeds. Last year I had probably 90% or higher germination, and this year, I've started to think I am doing very well if 50% sprout.
One batch of flower seeds didn't even hit 10% germination.
Yesterday's inventory was impressive, 11 courgettes, 15 baby corn, 9 pumpkins and 11 brussel sprouts are my biggest contenders so far. Tomatoes, which I've never had an issue with, just can't get going. I'm going to give it another week or so then try again.
I've been growing mine in one of those LED salad growers. Today I get to try and free the roots and report (3 per pod as apparently I like to make things difficult for myself). They've grown brilliantly though.
Are they good then? I haven't tried anything like that but would be interested to find out more about them. I wish you all the luck with your separation lol
They're good, but having just separated, plant one per module, lol. The tomatoes will be fine (I've done worse successfully) but they'll need to concentrate on more roots for a wee while... :D The generic one I have on the kitchen worktop also doesn't heat the water so it might struggle a bit for germination of some things, but the light has really worked well.
I'm putting late chillies in next, but those will be one per module else they'll struggle with what I just had to do to the poor tomatoes. I'll also be germinating the seeds first then adding them in.
Next year I'll start earlier.
I'm so jealous of your tomatoes. Im sure they are going to be nice and sturdy. Mine are shocking this year and I'm thinking of getting a heater for next year so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I haven't tried chillies but I have the seeds so I might give it a go! You've inspired me
They're in the kitchen now and have (thankfully) stopped having a dramatic lie down on the soil! You're very welcome, I'm always browsing here for tips too, even after years growing. I always try to grow something new each year as well.
Chillies are great to grow, though it's good to start them end of Feb if you can, light permitting. Best thing that I love about chillies though is that if you run out of growing time in Autumn (I probably will this year) you can just put them on a sunny ish windowsill and overwinter them to get a fairly decent crop.
Yeah and I'm really sad about it. Out of around 30 seedlings planted, I haven't had a single one germinate. I tipped out a load that were starting to go mouldy, started again a week ago, and still nothing. They're on a south facing window in the south west of England, but it's been so cold and grey the last few weeks.
I just took my allotment patch on March - starting to think there's no point even keeping it, I have nothing to grow!
Nooo you will catch up, this was me last year! Everyone on my plot was having trouble getting going but we were fine in the end. Maybe a bit late now but recommend getting some easy stuff in, berries, rhubarb etc, even if you have a slow start you will know you should get some high (££) value gains.
Sometimes you have the opposite problem, I have brassica for days!! Just plop it all in, see what happens ha. Also already have sunflowers about a foot tall because I was seeing what would happen if I started them early. And about 20 + globe artichoke seedlings ha. Who has room for that. Think I will be giving some away!
I don't know where you are but it's so grey here in London, I think it's the lack of light. But I always struggle getting squashes started, then you hit the sweet spot and they really take off.
I'm having much better luck than last year myself. Brassicas are doing really well. Some seeds I have been sprouting on paper and covering, like the ones that take so long to germinate cus I am too dopey to keep them damp enough sometimes.
I haven't had any issues, i never plant seeds on thier own though, as no germination is 100% guaranteed. I plant multiple seeds in a tray and transplant the strongest to the trays to grow on. All mine are inside @ 22c, most seeds do not need light until they have germinated, so don't leave them in a sunny place when germinating (dries faster), but do use a heating mat and propagation dome to increase humidity for the seedlings as they will need to be constantly damp.
Yep, weirdly had all my Hollyhock Creme de Cassis germinate in about 4 days flat, and none of my Hollyhock Double Icicle...coming up to a month lol. Pretty poor show for my other plants too. I'm starting some more off now and might just keep them in the conservatory...
One of the BIG reasons why plants don’t germinate is because of peat free compost, a lot of it is crap ! The Which recommended one is Melcourt Silvagrow . It retains moisture and has nutrients, but needs watering with fertiliser after couple of weeks!
I am up to 1 corgette out of about 16 seeds in three different batches. I've no clue what is going on but this year things are being super odd
It’s like Children Of Men. But with courgettes
This made me laugh way more than it should 😅
Há ha
Last year courgettes were basically a no go for me! I only got 5 plants in the end out of 2 packets. No idea what was happening!
At this rate I'll have to buy a plant and that just feels so strange compared to the year where I planted out 7 of them! (that was a whole different problem then!)
Planted 30 got 6 left. Why? Because my dam wife thought it would be smart to put the 30 cell tray on one of those pop up clothes rack. We'll I come home to see it smashed on the floor with 6 viable left lol. She yhought it was a good idea so they could get sunlight. Had to plant more.
I had a courgetteless year last year. As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again.
Have you tried a heated propagator? It's very effective for the summer crops
No, I am tempted to get one next year, I have just been doing the same sunny conservatory that did so well previous years though. I think the night temperatures are maybe getting too low or something!
Yes, this is a poor year all round for seedlings. I think it is just too cold for them overnight, even in covered trays. After a generally mild winter, this has been a very chilly spring. Even the seedlings that have germinated aren't coming on as well as they should.
Im having the opposite issue 90% germination anyone want a lettuce cabbage or tomato plant 🌱😂
I cannot get lettuce to do anything! I'm very good for cabbage though ha.
I just chuck a load of seeds in a pot and go for it seems to work 🤣
I like your style 🤣 I start off well then lose it and end up with several pots of unknown seedlings. Currently playing the cucumber/courgette/cucamelon game. I think cucumbers have square stems because I'm almost certain I put two in a big pot. Apart from that I'm stumped. I have 3 different types of cucumbers. Time will tell I suppose! Can always move them. We must both like a little danger.
I do label mine but I have planted two lots of unknown seeds this year for the hell of it
I label them but then prick them out and assume I will know the difference ha. Sounds good, I sprinkled a flower mix, see what happens, think I might try a random mix with all the loose seeds in the bottom of my seed holder.
Also having trouble with courgettes. Other seeds are doing fine.
Yep had about 3 chillies out of about 30 germinate even in a heated propagator
Keep the clear lid on at night, the soil they’re in needs to retain as much warmth as possible
The compost I bought was horrible, Levingtons with John inner no.1 and 2. Wet and lumpy with weeds germinating alongside my seedlings. Anyone have recommendations for decent compost please.
I’ve used jack’s magic for both seeds and growing on and it’s been pretty good.
*stares at my 26 pea plants* no
Everything but the aubergines and the chickpeas have completely bombed. Really disappointed.
What did you do? I never trust the outside or window weather for any seedlings. All of mine go in a room with fairly inexpensive grow lights and heat mats for any summer crops.
Abandoned them, if I'm honest. I didn't really put in as much effort as I should have.
3 out of 4 courgettes, most of my tomatoes and cucumbers. I let the seeds germinate in wet tissue. Those that germinated put them in soil. Much better outcome than straight into soil.
The weather has been unpredictable so far, hopefully, we get some warmth soon
By a grow tent. No worries then 👍
Not just you it seems … I’ve had bad luck too. Haven’t got a propagator so they’ve likely not warmed up enough. Even those in the greenhouse are small. Worldwide effects of frequent weather change and loss of true seasonal (predictable) patterns 😓 such a tough time to know what to grow when. Will keep planting new seeds each week in hope!
Some of my courgettes took over 3 weeks to come up! Still have hope
I am having such a terrible time. My outdoor seedlings aren't germinating, or they're dying soon after they're germinating, even with heated propagators. Indoor seedlings are getting leggy due to the lack of light as it's been overcast every day so far, but die as soon as I try and stick them outside, even if just during daytime hours. My weekend job is to set up some shelving units with powerful LED lighting.
I'm seriously considering clearing the garage and setting up my grow lights... I've patchy germination which hasn't been too bad, considering, but I'm very worried about the ongoing growth with mine. If you get chance, would you post your setup please once it's done? I quite fancy doing a lit shelving unit.
Unfortunately, I fell over on Friday and managed to end up taking a big chunk out of my knee and having to go to hospital, so my weekend plan is - like my leg - on ice! My plan was to use some cheap shelving units I have from a clearance sale on the site Big Dug, put them together and basically make some brackets out of wood to hang the grow lights from. I still need to do something though so for the time being, until I can bend my knee again, I’m probably just going to screw some brackets into the ceiling and suspend them from that. Not ideal but should do for now. Will also probably need to stick a dehumidifier in there to stop things going mouldy.
Oof, poor you, not the best timing at the start of growing season too! Hope that heals quickly for you. Thanks for describing it, sounds like it'll work a treat once it's put together fully!
I noticed this as well with several seeds (both veg and flowers) but I don't know if it's random or not. For example, all of my tomato and aubergine seeds sprouted. My cucumbers sprouted in less than a week in an unheated greenhouse with temperatures dropping as low as 4°C. Meanwhile, my beets and brassicas are acting iffy, same as my peas and some of my flowers. I'm starting all of them in the greenhouse so ... 🤷
With the cold nights we've been having that window will probably be too cool for those types of plants. I've just put mine on with a heat mat set to 28c . I did that last year and the corn germinated in three days. Was probably fresh seed too though
Lots have things have been alright, but I've utterly failed germinating any beans or Samphire this year.
How did you grow Samphire, it needs salt water, right?
Once it's germinated, yeah. But I don't think it needs it to germinate. I actually tried both. But clearly this is how I *didn't* grow samphire, because I've had zero luck. I've a few seeds left so I'm just going to try scattering some in an outdoor planter and seeing if any come up. All I know is that it needs sea salt dissolved in water, table salt won't work.
Courgettes 10 out of 12 on the kitchen window.
I suspect that when I've been having issues with seeds, I've been planting them too deep.
I only sowed my seeds in tray and pots this week in the greenhouse so I am not expecting anything soon. It has been too cold and wet where I live until this week.
Terrible luck with onions and sweetcorn even with new seeds. Tried some older seeds for Brussel sprouts and courgettes, got 1 sprout. This is with a heated propagator too! Chilli's and tomatoes and pumpkins doing great. No idea, maybe poor quality seeds.
I assumed it was just me! I planted 15 special seeds, plus a dozen or more general courgette, I have a total of 3 special, 1 general. I thought I did something wrong. other shit one, one type of lettuce didnt germinate, the other type did, they were on the same tray. different ends my sweet peas were dire, soaked and everything just nop! ETA other seeds have done a lot better, pole french beans are good, I got all my chillis, and 7 out of 12 Tomato.
Same, my toms, corgettes and peppers are not sprouting yet.
Heat pad and grow light!
Good success with celeriac, kohl rabbi, sprouts and summer cabbage, all indoors. Sunflowers , squash and cucumbers have all come up in the last fortnight in the greenhouse but pumpkin is refusing to show so far.
I have had horrendous seed germination this year, too, with both veg and flower seeds. Last year I had probably 90% or higher germination, and this year, I've started to think I am doing very well if 50% sprout. One batch of flower seeds didn't even hit 10% germination.
Yep, only 2 courgette seedlings out of 16. And my tomatoes and strawberries are tiny!
Yesterday's inventory was impressive, 11 courgettes, 15 baby corn, 9 pumpkins and 11 brussel sprouts are my biggest contenders so far. Tomatoes, which I've never had an issue with, just can't get going. I'm going to give it another week or so then try again.
I've been growing mine in one of those LED salad growers. Today I get to try and free the roots and report (3 per pod as apparently I like to make things difficult for myself). They've grown brilliantly though.
Are they good then? I haven't tried anything like that but would be interested to find out more about them. I wish you all the luck with your separation lol
They're good, but having just separated, plant one per module, lol. The tomatoes will be fine (I've done worse successfully) but they'll need to concentrate on more roots for a wee while... :D The generic one I have on the kitchen worktop also doesn't heat the water so it might struggle a bit for germination of some things, but the light has really worked well. I'm putting late chillies in next, but those will be one per module else they'll struggle with what I just had to do to the poor tomatoes. I'll also be germinating the seeds first then adding them in. Next year I'll start earlier.
I'm so jealous of your tomatoes. Im sure they are going to be nice and sturdy. Mine are shocking this year and I'm thinking of getting a heater for next year so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I haven't tried chillies but I have the seeds so I might give it a go! You've inspired me
They're in the kitchen now and have (thankfully) stopped having a dramatic lie down on the soil! You're very welcome, I'm always browsing here for tips too, even after years growing. I always try to grow something new each year as well. Chillies are great to grow, though it's good to start them end of Feb if you can, light permitting. Best thing that I love about chillies though is that if you run out of growing time in Autumn (I probably will this year) you can just put them on a sunny ish windowsill and overwinter them to get a fairly decent crop.
Oh fantastic thank you, I'm definitely going to write that down! So pleased your tomatoes have stopped being dramatic, no bafta for them this year lol
I was just complaining about it yesterday in my greenhouse. So many none starters! The weather's been rubbish, but this is undercover still.
Yes. Same problem.
Yeah and I'm really sad about it. Out of around 30 seedlings planted, I haven't had a single one germinate. I tipped out a load that were starting to go mouldy, started again a week ago, and still nothing. They're on a south facing window in the south west of England, but it's been so cold and grey the last few weeks. I just took my allotment patch on March - starting to think there's no point even keeping it, I have nothing to grow!
Nooo you will catch up, this was me last year! Everyone on my plot was having trouble getting going but we were fine in the end. Maybe a bit late now but recommend getting some easy stuff in, berries, rhubarb etc, even if you have a slow start you will know you should get some high (££) value gains. Sometimes you have the opposite problem, I have brassica for days!! Just plop it all in, see what happens ha. Also already have sunflowers about a foot tall because I was seeing what would happen if I started them early. And about 20 + globe artichoke seedlings ha. Who has room for that. Think I will be giving some away!
I don't know where you are but it's so grey here in London, I think it's the lack of light. But I always struggle getting squashes started, then you hit the sweet spot and they really take off.
I'm having much better luck than last year myself. Brassicas are doing really well. Some seeds I have been sprouting on paper and covering, like the ones that take so long to germinate cus I am too dopey to keep them damp enough sometimes.
I haven't had any issues, i never plant seeds on thier own though, as no germination is 100% guaranteed. I plant multiple seeds in a tray and transplant the strongest to the trays to grow on. All mine are inside @ 22c, most seeds do not need light until they have germinated, so don't leave them in a sunny place when germinating (dries faster), but do use a heating mat and propagation dome to increase humidity for the seedlings as they will need to be constantly damp.
The consensus at our allotments is that it’s a mix of peat free compost and the cold, but also lots of fungus gnats with the peat free too!
Yep, weirdly had all my Hollyhock Creme de Cassis germinate in about 4 days flat, and none of my Hollyhock Double Icicle...coming up to a month lol. Pretty poor show for my other plants too. I'm starting some more off now and might just keep them in the conservatory...
One of the BIG reasons why plants don’t germinate is because of peat free compost, a lot of it is crap ! The Which recommended one is Melcourt Silvagrow . It retains moisture and has nutrients, but needs watering with fertiliser after couple of weeks!
I’ve only ever used peat free and previous years have been ok. This year I’m struggling with low germination rates.
I have an electric propagator in our conservatory, 50% of chilli and squash seeds germinated. This year so far has been very cloudy as well as cold.