Allotments 4 All

Hi all.
I have got a few old ish packets of seeds in the shed, if i place one seed on kitchen roll for a few days would this give me an indication as to wether or not the seed is good?

Thanks

Go by the sow by date, theres no point in putting in OOD seed only for 4/5 months down the line to have a crappy crop on your hands. P.S. parsnips are a def no no.

With the exception of Parsnips I think a pre germination trial is a good idea Paddy.
;D

Life Expectancy of Vegetable Seeds

              Many times there are seeds left over after planting your vegetable garden.  You can store this seed in airtight containers in a cool area.  Long term storage in a freezer will help seeds remain viable.  But different seeds will be viable for different periods of time.  Here is a short list of some of the longer and shorter lived seed. Seeds stored improperly may not be viable the next year.

Vegetable Years Viable

Beets 4

Beans 3

Cabbage 4

Carrots 3

Lettuce 6

Onions 1

Pepper 2

Pumpkins 4

Sweet Corn 2

Tomato 4

Just a thought, how come when a woodland is clear felled the following year it is full of flowers that have not shown for many many years?
Then of course the seedbamk at Wakehurst Place is storing them for future generations !!!!!

Hi Paddy-that is a very good idea,but sow two or three just to be sure.

Yes parsnips are a no no

Quote from: ipt8 on February 09, 2007, 15:24:42
Just a thought, how come when a woodland is clear felled the following year it is full of flowers that have not shown for many many years?
Then of course the seedbamk at Wakehurst Place is storing them for future generations !!!!!

Either the plants have been surviving unnoticed without being able to flower under the shade, or seeds have gernimated and thrived in the changed conditions.

I've tried a germination test on old seeds that were 4 or 5 years past their sow by date as they were varieties that were difficult to replace so I thought I'd give it a go. I put them on damp kitchen paper and then folded it over to cover them and keep the seed damp.  Then put the damp paper and seeds in a plastic box to stop them drying out.  Done it with peas, beans and tomatoes.  I've used 10 of each (easier to work out what percentage might grow).  The peas and tomatoes I tried were 100%, the beans were 50% and 0%.

If they're seed you've already got, and if you have time to buy and sow another lot should you get 0% germination, then the only thing you have to loose is your time...  I'd give it a go!

I have become a firm believer in chitting almost all seeds in a warm airing cupboard (damp cloths, plastic boxes, plastic bag) especially early in the season like now. Parsnips as well. I have got annoyed by the number of times I have sown a beautiful row of something to find it gappy or empty a week or three later. I also freely admit to getting my seed packets muddled up, leaving some in a hot shed in the summer that might have cooked them and not being able to remember, or get interested in which species last for years and which don't.

It takes a few days in the airing cupboard to find out if they are germinating or not, and if they are, they go into a gutter (if tender) or straight into the ground as seeds with little roots. The only disadvantage as far as I can see is that when they are ready to put in the open ground, the weather might be horrible, but you still have to do it before they go too far. If they don't germinate in the airing cupboard, you've only lost those few days, rather than the weeks it might take to realise they are not performing in the allotment.

Rather to my surprise, they don't seem to suffer from the sudden change in climate, as a friend suggested. The peas went from warm cupboard to cold November soil, and were right up, green and healthy soon afterwards.

Have just put about 40 chitted broad beans into the ground in a fine drizzle, next to the last lot which were chitted, and which are now well up looking good! 

Pre-chitting, to my mind, is a very helpful way to deal with slow germinating seeds like parsley and parsnips and lemon grass. And it eliminates thinning, as you put them in the ground the right distance apart. I hate thinning even more than gappy rows.

Quote from: cleo on February 09, 2007, 16:06:06
Hi Paddy-that is a very good idea,but sow two or three just to be sure.....

Unless the seed is very expensive I use 10 seeds on damp kitcen towel in a cerial bowl covered with cling film, all kept in the kitchen. As the legal requirement is for around 70 - 80% germination for fresh seed, so 1, 2 or even 3 could give the wrong impression

Here are 2 batches of saved tomato seeds (100% germination)
http://www.thewhitchurchweb.org/toms.jpg

Phil

It pays to pre grow or chit larger seeds as if you put them in the ground the chance of mice finding them, mice dont touch growing seedlings.
Sowed a row of parsnips last year and got 5 growing so will try to chit them this year. It does save losing valueable growing weeks.

Quote from: teresa on February 10, 2007, 22:49:17
...... mice dont touch growing seedlings.
........

So that only leaves the slugs and birds!!!  ;)

Phil

So that only leaves the slugs and birds!!!  ;)

Yep a moat around lottie and a big cage oh nearly for got  man traps to stop the light finger element hee hee

I'm interested in chitting my parsnip seeds this year would someone be so kind as to tell me what to do.

Thanks RR

RR,

There are several ways but all involve surrounding the seed with moisture until the root just emerges = any more than that and the final root may well be distorted.

The simplest is to line a cereal bowl or plate with kitchen towel, just damp the towel (no standing water) then cover with cling film and keep in at room temp until the first sign of a root is seen, then harden off by placing in an increasing cold location so that in approx 4 days the plate/bowl is at outside temp.

Alternatives are to mix the seed with a small quantity of sand instead of using the towel.

"Sowing" then consists of very carefully depositing 3 - 4 seeds (or seed/sand mix, in the case of version 2) at each station, 4" apart, slightly hollowed out and then carefully cover with soil as you would with ordinary seed.

The third version involves the use of wallpaper paste, not the ones with fungicide which will kill the seed. Make up the paste so that it is thick enough for sowing (see below) and stir in the seeds. Germinate as above and then sow after gemination and hardening off by using an icing bag to deposit the seed (like icing a cake) in the hollow described above. The paste has the advantage of keeping the area around the seed moist whereas soil can dry if there is not sufficient moisture in the soil and no rain and hence kill the seed.

Phil