http://www.theeasygarden.com/tips-on-how-to-make-your-gardening-seeds-really-fruitful.php Easy - Fun - Fulfilling... how gardening should be. Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:21:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.theeasygarden.com/tips-on-how-to-make-your-gardening-seeds-really-fruitful.php/comment-page-1#comment-27 DaniGirl Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:22:29 +0000 http://www.theeasygarden.com/?p=7#comment-27 I did a little experiment this year with my seeds. I had about 10 bags of seeds that were unopened and had moved with me each time I moved. Now that I'm in my own house I decided I'd try to finally plant them. The seeds were from 2005! I bought a peat pot starter, a plastic starter that you add soil to, and a regular old trough like container. Also, I used a fish tank method in which you take a piece of plexiglass cut small enough to stand inside the fish tank, drill pinholes in rows and columns, take poster board and make corresponding holes, place seeds on holes in poster board, cover with 2-ply toilet paper and wet. Then you put the poster board backed with the plexiglass for support (no glue, just stand back to back) on a holder in a fish tank. Put about an inch of water into the tank and turn the light (100 watt bulb) on 24/7 and wait. The results? In the two seed starters with lids that are supposed to act like mini green houses, nothing grew! In the plain old trough container (that I kinda forgot about and just assumed it was weeds growing...) I have dill and radishes but no flowers. In the fish tank, I planted over 300 seeds on Wednesday and by Saturday I had sprouts! I planted many varieties of seeds ranging from pumpkin, squash, and zucchini, to cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. I also put in some herbs and things, but the point is, I have sprouts on everything! I guess this worked because the amount of water, temperature, and light remained constant, plus there was no soil to push through, but it worked great. I couldn't believe that such old seeds could sprout at all let alone all of them would. Now the only question is: How am I going to eat 60 romaine lettuce and 20 cabbage among everything else?! I did a little experiment this year with my seeds. I had about 10 bags of seeds that were unopened and had moved with me each time I moved. Now that I’m in my own house I decided I’d try to finally plant them. The seeds were from 2005! I bought a peat pot starter, a plastic starter that you add soil to, and a regular old trough like container. Also, I used a fish tank method in which you take a piece of plexiglass cut small enough to stand inside the fish tank, drill pinholes in rows and columns, take poster board and make corresponding holes, place seeds on holes in poster board, cover with 2-ply toilet paper and wet. Then you put the poster board backed with the plexiglass for support (no glue, just stand back to back) on a holder in a fish tank. Put about an inch of water into the tank and turn the light (100 watt bulb) on 24/7 and wait.
The results? In the two seed starters with lids that are supposed to act like mini green houses, nothing grew! In the plain old trough container (that I kinda forgot about and just assumed it was weeds growing…) I have dill and radishes but no flowers. In the fish tank, I planted over 300 seeds on Wednesday and by Saturday I had sprouts! I planted many varieties of seeds ranging from pumpkin, squash, and zucchini, to cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. I also put in some herbs and things, but the point is, I have sprouts on everything! I guess this worked because the amount of water, temperature, and light remained constant, plus there was no soil to push through, but it worked great. I couldn’t believe that such old seeds could sprout at all let alone all of them would. Now the only question is: How am I going to eat 60 romaine lettuce and 20 cabbage among everything else?!

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