Seed Starting Updates
So I’ve had some really mixed successes so far this winter with seed starting. And I don’t think it’s at all related to the soil experiments, which are separate from what I’m going to discuss today.
My earliest tray is always peppers and eggplants. Because they can take forever to germinate, and by forever I mean 2-3 weeks, I usually add some celery into the same tray too, which is equally slow to germinate and establish. All these veggies need a solid 8-10 week head start indoors.
But of my 5 eggplant varieties, I’ve only got 2, maybe a third, that have germinated. Yes, two of the seed sources are old, 4+ years old, but others are new and both from High Mowing Seeds. So I’m truly flummoxed by the paltry germination rates. Short of sowing again, I will have to accept that I’ll have fewer eggplants this summer. The goal that I set was suppose to be MORE eggplants this summer, so already I’m feeling like this year is quickly unraveling beyond my control.
A very sad seed tray sowed February 15. There’s still hope more things will germinate, but I’m also moving on to what else needs to happen. There’s always direct-seeding beans and corn. I know that won’t fail me.
The peppers in the tray are also equally challenging. Most of them are notoriously slow to germinate, including the poblano, aji amarillo, and mareko fana. Just today I spotted a second (of four, so 50% success) mareko fana. But of my aji amarillos (I sowed Grande and Baby Aji), I only have 1 of 4 soil blocks with a seedling (a Grande). I suspect this is in part due to the seed quality and storage. (They are from Artisan Seeds, the breeder).
The celery in this tray has also not done well, except for the Kelvin which is brand new seed. The older seed hasn’t sprouted at all!
Here’s what I think is going on. Now that the light is on, which it has to be, the soil is drying out in mere hours, despite my vigilant checking. And it has gotten kind of hard and rather crusty, an unwelcoming bed for a tender root. I didn’t use vermiculite in these soil blocks, which may have helped keep the soil surface more supple and soft (and moist).
You don’t want your soil soaking wet and supersaturated (that’s the technical term for when no air space because it’s all filled with water, and roots can’t breathe). But you do need even moisture. And with things like peat, when it dries out, it’s pretty hard to re-hydrate.
So I think it’s a combination of having a lot of seeds with different germination rates plus some old and unviable seed causing all these really humbling and disappointing results so far.
Thankfully, I have my brassicas sprouting, and they are tried and true and quick to germinate for me, so I think my ego will recover this weekend. I have sowed more eggplants in one of my more recent trays and am hoping to have better germination with the Listada di Gandia, which is one of the new seeds that is just not germinating for me. I tried adding vermiculite to the pepper and eggplant soil blocks this time around. I hate to keep changing my variables but this is the humility of gardening: doing the same thing and knowing better than to expect the same results.
Every season is different — even with the same seeds and same goals.
