[startiger]

Thought I would try organic seeds this year, don't know if its's them or just a bad year.    Cabbage, cauliflower, calabrese brusselsprouts - no sign. Squash 3 out of 10 has grown. My other veggies [none organic] seem fine. Any idea's

[Heather_S]

Never seen a difference between organic and non-organic seed. Although my cauliflower seeds came coated in some sort of chemical that helps germination. Packet advised not touching the seed and shaking from the packet to sow. My calabrese and cabbage seemed fine.

[John]

Some seed companies are better than others - where did you get your organic seeds from?

[startiger]

I bought them online from the Organic Gardening Catalogue, part of the Henry Doubleday Research Organisation, a reliable source I thought? I sowed them in modules in the greenhouse, mabe it was too hot!!  :oops:

[John]

I've bought from the HDRA and the quality has always been fine - I suspect you may have the answer - too hot in the greenhouse.

They are very reputable. If you still feel the seed was at fault you could email them - I'm sure they would check it out for you. Are you a member of the HDRA? They offer direct advice to members and may be able to shed some light on things.

[startiger]

Hi John, thanks for your advice, I sent them an email & got a quick response. They have offered me some replacements.  I am too late to try again with Brussel Sprouts & Cauliflower?

PS Think your forums are great, I have picked up lots of tips.

[supersprout]

Did you start them outdoors or in modules tiger?

[startiger]

hi supersprout

I started them off in modules, in a peat free compost.

[supersprout]

Hmm, no excuses then :?  Must have been the seed and not the sower , imho OGC are usually reliable - glad you got a good response from them

Don't know about sowing times, but if you only want a small number of organic plants, there's always http://www.organicplants.co.uk by post? If you're close enough to visit their nursery shop in March, you can buy organic veggie plug plants including brassica for 5p each :shock:

[Oliver]

They have just come back from a weekend in Wales visiting his cousin and her husband.He is a great veg grower and she has long chats with him.
He starts all his seeds off in modules - carrots, parsnips, beans of all sorts, toms, lettuces, - everything! He gets all his seed from Marshalls, apart from seed he has been saving for years.
 Parsnips. - he has 52 plants and they look lovely.
 Carrots. - he sprinkles seed on the module trays, some have 3 seeds per module, some have none. he thins them out to one per module (takes out the weakest looking) and lets them grow on a bit.
 Planting:. makes a deep tapering hole with a bit of pipe, fills it with compost, squeezes the seedling out of its module, compost and all, and plants it in the hold. Bob's your uncle.
He protects his roots with an 18" frame covered with chicken wire because the badgers like digging them up!
He does not grow corn ever since the badgers paid a visit to his corn patch. (There is a sett nearby so the problem won't go away! protection is the only answer.) so, he has given her three module trays. she is going  to have a go planting some carrots and parsnips now (Mid June)  and see what happens.

[Ian_P]

Germination has been bad this year for me also. In many cases I have sowed a second lot late and have much better results. All the second sowing have been in coffee cups from work, and they have acted like a root trainer, because I just plant out the whole cone shaped compost and the plant doesn't know any different.

So far

Parsnip 2, second sowing 48
Squash 1, second sowing 8
French beans 0, second sowing 24
Courgettes 0, second sowing who knows.
Broad beans about 20, second sowing 40

In all cases I planted the same amount of seed first and second sowing.

It might be a bit late to think of second sowing much this year, but its worth thinking about for next year.

In all cases the second sowing has now caught up with the first except parsnips, but they have ages to grow yet.