[Sally127]

Apologies, newbie question! I've spent the last 6 months working really hard to get a completely overgrown allotment into some kind of order so I can actually attempt to grow things. However, I'm totally new to this & having a lot of seed trouble! The larger seeds like peas, beans & sweetcorn are germinating fine, but I'm struggling with the 'little' seeds like tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli etc. I can't seem to get them to germinate & must be doing something wrong. I'm using gentle heating but not sure if they are too wet/too dry. Do I water them before germination, do I not? Do any of you experienced gardeners have any tips/foolproof methods for germinating your seeds?  Any help gratefully received before I run out of seeds! Thanks Sally

[casper]

Hi Sally, I am a bit of learner too, but with small seeds i start somewhere like an airing cupboard, soon as i see a shoot I put them somewhere warm and bright, I use a spray bottle to lightly spray the top surface and dont spray if still damp from the day before, only advice i can give ,Good luck 

[MarkC]

I grew tomatoes from seed for the first time this year, having previously bought small plants. I wanted to be able to grow varieties that you don't get as plants.

I was fortunate to get pretty much 100% germination rate and they are now all thriving (I have too many if anything!) . I started them in an unheated propagator  on a relatively shaded windowsill in the house, then moved them to the conservatory when they had germinated. Now out in the greenhouse and about to be potted into large pots/planters. I started them in quite well watered compost but didn't really water much until they germinated.

I had considered buying a heated propagator but spoke to the head guy at local garden centre and he said an unheated one should be fine if it's indoors. Good unbiased advice as he could have sold me a heated one for three times as much! I don't have electricity in the greenhouse either so a heated propagator would have had to be in the conservatory.

For lettuces etc, I just use plastic plug trays in the greenhouse, and have had good germination rate there every year, though sometimes takes a little time to get going.  About to transplant them outside now. Are you giving them enough time to germinate before thinking it's a failure?

Assume you are using decent quality seed compost for the small seeds? I use general purpose/homemade for big things like peas, beans etc, but use the finer stuff for smaller seeds. A small bag goes quite a long way.

Good luck!

[Aidy]

I use a heated propagator for toms, chillies, sweet basil and thai basil.

For brassica I normally presoak the compost, sprinkle on top and cover either with vermiculit or microwaved soil, our soil is very light and sandy so I give it 3 mins in the micro to kill everything off, leave to cool then lightly cover the seed.
Peas I will soak them over night and sow direct in the prepared ground.
Beans I place in pots and cover with compost and let them sit in the greenhouse.
Cucumber, squash seeds I pre chit, put some kitchen paper in a tub, soak it and place seed, put another piece on top then put the lid on and leave somewhere warm, check after about 3 days everyday until you see the sprut then I pop it in a pot sideways and wait for it to pop up.
Hope that helps.

[JayG]

Not quite sure why you are struggling with smaller seeds but not the larger ones - they could be too dry in which case they might not germinate at all; too wet and they could rot before germination

I give all seed pots a good watering after sowing, then just leave them on an indoor windowsill - when the compost starts to look a bit dry I give a gentle watering just to keep it moist.
After germination, I water from below via the drip trays (aka supermarket food trays!) the pots are standing in to reduce the chances of damping off of the seedlings.

[Goosegirl]

For small seeds like toms and broccoli, I put my compost (Jack's Magic) into a pot and gently firm it down to just below the top, pick each one up with my nail and pop it on the top, use the recommended planting depth as a guide to how much more compost they need and it's normally the same depth as the actual seed itself. Depending on your compost you may have to sieve it so there aren't any lumps to stop growth coming through. I like to water from the bottom so I put the pot into a tray and wait until I can see the compost just starting to get moist then take it out, let it drain if needed, then put it in a dry tray. I don't know if you are growing indoors or have a cold greenhouse like me, but I have one of those mini-ones inside with a zipped plastic cover and a max-min thermometer which has been a great help with the ever-changing temps. If it's of any help, I prefer multi-purpose compost rather than a soil-based type because it's far better at draining and seems to retain more warmth, and I also know when they need a bit more water because the pots feel lighter in weight. Have a little dibble in your small seed pots and see if they look the same or have rotted away; if so have another go and let us know what happens. BTW Sally, we don't apologize for any lack of knowledge on here and that includes us oldies because we're all learners at heart! 

[Sally127]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've tried both in the greenhouse (but it was a cold spell) & in the house with some heat. I've been using general purpose John Innes rather than potting compost & have noticed its a bit lumpy! I'll try the watering from beneath too. I'll keep trying, you only fail if you give up! 

[Goosegirl]

Ah, sounds like the lumpy compost was the problem and not you. If you can get hold of a bag of Jack's Magic that was recommended on here a couple of years ago you'll find it looks like compost used to do, lovely stuff to handle, and personally I wouldn't get anything else now. There will be several garden centres near you who stock it and may even have an offer for so many bags but mine were in 40 L bags and I think the price was around £5.50. The lowest price I've just found on-line for you is £5 per 60L bag or 4 bags for £16 from this site but am not sure of the total weight so I don't know what the delivery price is. https://www.wynnstayonline.co.uk/jack-s-magic-compost-60l.html. 

[MarkC]

Jack's Magic is good. However, you can get a small bag of fine seed compost for about £2-3 which will do a fair number of pots if you aren't growing a lot. I use it for all my smaller seeds, sometimes use general purpose compost for the bottom inch or so of the pot then top up with the fine stuff.

Some of the stuff sold as compost is a joke. Also be wary of some of the free stuff from local authorities. Our local waste centre has a free compost facility. Sometimes it's not bad, but I once got a bagful that killed most of my tomato plants....goodness knows what was in it.

[Auntiemogs]

I fill my tray with about 2 inches of compost and firm down, put the seeds on and then rub more compost between my fingers to give it a light covering.  Then I use a  spray bottle to give to give the top a good damping and pop into my propagator (somewhere warm will do, but it may be useful to put a bag over to stop all of the moisture from evaporating).  I then spray once or twice a day to stop it from drying out.  Once the seedlings sprout, I move to somewhere light and continue to spray until the leaves/roots develop, at which point I start to water from underneath.

Some of the stuff sold as compost is a joke. Also be wary of some of the free stuff from local authorities. Our local waste centre has a free compost facility. Sometimes it's not bad, but I once got a bagful that killed most of my tomato plants....goodness knows what was in it.

I had the same issue a couple of years back Mark.  I remember thinking it smelled a bit 'off', and everything I planted in it either died or was deformed in some way, so I trust my nose now!