[Anton]

Advice please. I sowed 10 pots of crimson crush seeds about a month ago (one seed in each pot) and only three came up. The temperature in our attic was not very high at the time, the potting soil had been outside and was a bit damp, so perhaps not surprising.
Anyhow, eight days ago I sowed another five pots (two seeds in each) and still no sign of the seedlings emerging.
 I have one last packet (10 seeds in each packet), should I sow these seeds as well as a precaution? Has anybody else had problems with these seeds. The seed packet was valid until 2023. And the final packet is good until 2024. I have never had this problem before (four or five years sowing them).

[mumofstig]

Funnily enough none of mine have germinated either 
I don't know why not either,  germination has been good for my other varieties..

I wonder if others are having the same problem   

[Subversive_plot]

Try chitting (green sprouting) the seeds first. Soak the seeds for a few hours, at least 2 or 3, but 8 hours won't  hurt. Fold a damp paper towel in the bottom of a plastic container, place the seed on top of that, another folded damp paper towel on top of the seeds, close the lid.  Check them daily, your seeds should sprout in 2 or 3 days. 

Placing the container in a slightly warm location may help. I place my containers on top of a cable TV box that gives off just a bit of heat.

[Anton]

Thanks  a lot for your replies. The chitting idea sounds good (I have done that with parsnips in the past). I think I will try that with half the seeds (five) and sow the rest in pots) if my other seeds don't emerge within the next few days. Seven days is supposed to be the average amount of time it takes  for them to appear but as my first batch all failed except three I am a getting bit nervous.   If all else fails I suppose I could use the suckers and cultivate them (I have never tried that before).

As a matter of fact what other types of seeds would be worthwhile chitting?

[Potterer]

I’ve had a good amount of crimson crush and crimson blush germination- both bought from Garden Organic in a sale last year.  I had them in a heated incubator thing and they came up really quickly. I’m glad they did as they are expensive for the amount of seeds in each pack!

[Subversive_plot]

Thanks  a lot for your replies. The chitting idea sounds good (I have done that with parsnips in the past). I think I will try that with half the seeds (five) and sow the rest in pots) if my other seeds don't emerge within the next few days. Seven days is supposed to be the average amount of time it takes  for them to appear but as my first batch all failed except three I am a getting bit nervous.   If all else fails I suppose I could use the suckers and cultivate them (I have never tried that before).

As a matter of fact what other types of seeds would be worthwhile chitting?

Seeds I have chitted productively:

Anything solanaceous (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines)

Any squash melon or cucumber relative

Peas

Spinach

Swiss chard, beets

I have chitted various herbs (parsley, basil etc) but many of these probably didn't need it.

[New shoot]

I’ve had a good amount of crimson crush and crimson blush germination- both bought from Garden Organic in a sale last year.  I had them in a heated incubator thing and they came up really quickly. I’m glad they did as they are expensive for the amount of seeds in each pack!

I have both as well but just a couple of each.  I was being mean as the seeds are expensive and started just a few off from packs that are a year or two old, but got full germination.

If you have some that have germinated Anton, you could wait for the side shoots that you usually remove from cordon tomatoes and then root these as cuttings.  Is that what you mean by the suckers 

This is an old thread but covers the process well 

https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=123008.msg1448188#msg1448188

[JayG]

Like SP, I usually pre-germinate seeds of the squash and cucumber family, especially if they are more than a year old.

I also pre-germinate sweetcorn seeds, not because they're particularly unreliable, but because I sow them in paper pots, so I'm trying to save myself having to make any more of the damned things than I have to! 

[steven c]

like some others i chit cucumber sweetcorn butternut squash courgette peas beans aubergine seems far less waste this way. [chitted 55 sweetcorn and got 54 plants]. good luck.

[Hampshire Hog]

My crimson crush have had a 10 ex 10 germination in a heated propagator.
Interesting though these were brand new seeds and some of my older seeds of various veg seem to be reluctant to perform as well. Makes me wonder whether my storage conditions are substandard! Perhaps using old seeds isn’t such a bright idea. 

[Growster...]

We're trying 'Unwins Cocktail Crush' this year, and germination was about 80%, so they may do the job if the dreaded b*****t gets a hold...

[Rob the rake]

We're trying 'Unwins Cocktail Crush' this year, and germination was about 80%, so they may do the job if the dreaded b*****t gets a hold...

Do you have blight issues with toms? It only happened to me the once and since then they've been sprayed with Bordeaux mixture once they've got to a good size and there have been no further issues. I know we can no longer buy the stuff, but it's easy enough to make it up from lime and copper sulphate, both being readily available.

[New shoot]

I know we can no longer buy the stuff, but it's easy enough to make it up from lime and copper sulphate, both being readily available.

Perhaps so, but the use of Bordeaux mixture has been banned in the UK for some years now, whether you make it yourself or not. 

[Anton]

Thanks for all these tips about chitting and suckers.

It's a strange year in that I have never had these crimson crush  seeds fail before (five or six years growing them).
I have also changed allotments this year and my beetroots and Swiss chards have failed to come up as well.
So I think I will try the chitting technique with these seeds. I used to chit my parsnips (a long, long time ago, as I went off the taste of parsnips).

So refresh my memory please. As soon as the seeds begin to sprout do I then sow them in the garden and cover them with soil (not the tomato seeds of course, which I suppose go into pots and are then covered with soil).

As a matter of interest, what vegetables have you other members planted over the years and then gone off?
I used to love parsnips but find them pretty bland now and not worth the trouble growing.

I used to grow lots and lots of "marrows" and could store them as late as Februrary in the cellar, I seem to remember. I now grow far fewer plants and eat them courgettish size.

I used to grow lots of frizzey-type red salads, as they had the advantage of deterring slugs. I have gone off them and generally grow four-season lettuces (the slugs are not as keen on them and the lettuces have much the same texture and taste as the common green ones you buy),...

[Subversive_plot]

Small seeds that take awhile to make a plant (tomatoes, peppers ... etc.) I do tend to grow in pots first, then plant.  Also anything I want to start earlier than usual (I did so this year with courgettes).

Larger seeds (peas for example) I sprout then put into the ground.