[Growster...]

Courgettes poor for the first time ever! Pumpkins a bit seedy-looking at the moment too!

Anyone tried 'Gourmet' tomatoes this year? Pathetic germination, and very thin stems, while the others like Sungold all romped away!

As usual beetroot is causing me to sow in succession, as the gaps in the row are huge, same with carrots in the row, while those in builder's buckets are well away!

[BabbyAnn]

As I'm so far behind with sowing stuff, my experience is a bit limited this year   

I did find the earlier chilli sowing a bit hit and miss - with older seed I just accepted the losses but even some of the fresh seed did not come up (but then some sown at the same time did exceptionally well - no one supplier seemed to be worse than any other, and as they were all grown in the same compost and growing conditions, can't blame that either)

100% sweetcorn chitted and germinating 

I think we're all struggling with this spring weather

more like flipping autumn than spring at the mo

It's been one of the reasons why I've delayed sowing a lot of my tender summer crops but then it dawned on me that we are already well into May now so time I got a move on!!  Peas and beans next on my to do list.

[jaydig]

I had a disastrous time germinating peppers this year! It's left me short especially of certain varieties, really disappointed!  I blamed the compost!

Hannah 

I gave up with commercial seed for peppers this year. Despite three sowings with seed from different suppliers, and different varieties of peppers, the result was 'NIL POINTS'. I was preparing a salad one day, and decided to just throw the seeds from one of the peppers into some compost and see what happened. A few days later I had a pot absolutely bursting with pepper seedlings. Obviously, the fresher the seed the better the result, and I won't be buying pepper seed ever again.

[mumofstig]

As a seed-saver, I've often noticed that I have much better germination from home-saved seeds - presumably because the seed is fresher.

[Lardman]

But I just can't fathom the effort in starting bean seeds in modules when they manage perfectly well being sown direct

Along with slugs, mice, birds and the cold it also requires me to have prepared the ground for them to go it    If I was sowing masses Id have to agree but I rarely need more than ½ a dozen of anything so a few specimen plants in modules / pots is the easiest way.

[GrannieAnnie]

I had a disastrous time germinating peppers this year! It's left me short especially of certain varieties, really disappointed!  I blamed the compost!

Hannah 

I only had 2 pepers/chillies germinate this year, and as the writing disappeared, don't know what they are, so I bought 3 plants 2 days ago.  Scotch bonnet, a habenero type and a red bell pepper.  Fingers crossed they will do okay now!

[NewSteve]

But I just can't fathom the effort in starting bean seeds in modules when they manage perfectly well being sown direct

Along with slugs, mice, birds and the cold it also requires me to have prepared the ground for them to go it    If I was sowing masses Id have to agree but I rarely need more than ½ a dozen of anything so a few specimen plants in modules / pots is the easiest way.

The ground mine are going in is currently growing some oriental greens! Unfortunately I've also had really poor germination - 3 out of 18 including none at all of the Greek Gigantes, which are the ones that could really use an early start.

Hey ho, the brassicas are doing great.

[Sparkyrog]

first lot of french beans 3 out of 32  now resown 32 borlotti,32 cobra and 32 white runners in the propagator !

[Willow_Warren]

Peas I got about 90-100% germination which was surprising as the seed was quite old (I didn't grow peas last year).

Dwarf French beans I got 5 our of 5 germination.  Which is again surprising on two counts a - the seed was old and past it's sow by date, b - when I grew them two years ago, same seed (again I did not grow last year) I only got about 40% germination.

Runnerbeans - got about 7 out of 9 germination.  Fresh seed.

Tomatoes - mediocor - about 80% but some of the seed was really quite old.

Parsley - sowed 3 seeds per pot, 3 germinated in one pot, 6 in another and 0 if the third!  Hum... maybe some human error there!   

Hannah

[AnneB]

Parsley - sowed 3 seeds per pot, 3 germinated in one pot, 6 in another and 0 if the third!  Hum... maybe some human error there!   

Hannah

Parsley! Don't talk to me about parsley!   No germination at all from 2 year old seed.  I tried again with seed I saved myself from last year's crop.  Still nothing.  Hmmph.

[BARNACLE BILL]

I have a good germination rate with BLUE LAKE. Sown in an unheated greenhouse up North ! There is still plenty of time to re sow as night time temperatures should start to climb now...fingers crossed !

[mumofstig]

Parsley! Don't talk to me about parsley!   No germination at all from 2 year old seed.  I tried again with seed I saved myself from last year's crop.  Still nothing.  Hmmph.

Before I cover the seeds I water them with boiling water, It seems to soften the seed coat

[AnneB]

Parsley! Don't talk to me about parsley!   No germination at all from 2 year old seed.  I tried again with seed I saved myself from last year's crop.  Still nothing.  Hmmph.

Before I cover the seeds I water them with boiling water, It seems to soften the seed coat

I will give that a go.  Thanks for the tip Mum.

[chillimummy]

I have sown peppers twice and no show so given up now.  French beans and sweetcorn rotted in the pots but reading these threads then had overwatered so sown beans again. No more sweetcorn seed so need to get some. Peas sown in guttering in garden also no show but was old seed.
Everything else has germinated and grown really well.   

[Flowertot]

Flowertot I have loads of Q Blue seeds if you want any. Though if you got them from the seed parcel they were probably either mine or pigguns'...

Thanks for the offer Surbie. I may need to take you up on it if this batch don't appear    The seeds are 2 years old (although the packet says sow by end 2015) so I wonder if that is part of the problem.