Problems getting spinach seeds to sprout? Try this...

So far I have six sprouts from some very old (2008) seeds.   Try buying plants later on and see what you have to pay.

Kelejan wrote:So far I have six sprouts from some very old (2008) seeds.   Try buying plants later on and see what you have to pay.

Seriously???  I didn't think that was possible, especially with spinach seeds.

I've counted 9 spinach sprouts coming out..I know spinach sedllings do not want to be disturbed, with the cups I just removed the bottoms and slide the entire plant into it's growing hole..Thank you Kate..maybe this season I'll have some of my most favorite veggie...

CitizenKate wrote:Then you got some sprouts, too!

Put up some not so great pics of my little darlings on Midwest......they will be greening up quickly I would think!

Thanks again, Kate! Pictures are just SO HELPFUL!

jimmy cee wrote:I've counted 9 spinach sprouts coming out..I know spinach sedllings do not want to be disturbed, with the cups I just removed the bottoms and slide the entire plant into it's growing hole..Thank you Kate..maybe this season I'll have some of my most favorite veggie...

Very nice, Jimmy!

jimmy cee wrote:I've counted 9 spinach sprouts coming out..I know spinach sedllings do not want to be disturbed, with the cups I just removed the bottoms and slide the entire plant into it's growing hole..Thank you Kate..maybe this season I'll have some of my most favorite veggie...

Looks like you're going to get some spinach this year.

CitizenKate wrote:

Looks like you're going to get some spinach this year.  

Yes and it is thanks to you for your tip, I have more going wet in envelopes sitting on top of warmth..

Getting bigger

This is not really where this post belongs, but I can not find my first mention of my learning year.  Anyway, I had sorta made a mini cold frame, must be about 6 weeks ago now, just to see if I cold get anything to sprout and grow.  Well, nothing sprouted after 3 weeks so I leaned that what I had done was not right and ignored it.   Who tries to start that in Nova Scotia in February anyway.  Well, while trying to fix a leak today, I took a peak at it whadda know.  8 spinach growing.  I thought the seeds would have gone to waste, but apparently not.    I did only plant 9 spinach and 9 carrots.  No sign of the carrots.  It is not near the proper container for it, so I hope to transplant them to the real garden in another week.  Weather permitting.  It has gotten cold again.

Yes, it is not MM but is all I had at the time

Nice!  Your cold frame actually worked!  Yea you!


CC

Well done p14 ... you are off to a good start in extending the season. That's very encouraging. I'm thinking I need to get some kind of cold frame going.

Way to go, p14! Love it!

I love it, too!

jimmy cee wrote:Getting bigger...

Those look great, Jimmy!

Shooter - https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t20183-i-have-big-plans ??

Anyone have any experience with getting New Zealand Spinach to germinate. I had 100% germination with the Malibar Spinach but 0% with the New Zealand.

I first read about the scarify method for carrots in Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition): Month by Month. I never realized Spinach has the same problem but that explains my low success rate getting spinach going. 

Her method involved scaring them with scalding water to crack them.  Rather problematic.  I'm going to try the clip and soak method.  I really like the wet paper towel transplant.  Lots of work, but worth it if I can actually get 16 appropriately spaced carrots, spinach and other difficult to sprout veggies going.

Thanks.

I can post some additional spinach pics tomorrow, however I did manage one picture just a few minutes ago to test my camera in the dark (no flash but some special candle setting...go figure).  Here's a shot of a 4x4 box seeded with spinach last fall...and a tray of new seedlings (upper left) using Kate's method.  I need to start eating spinach every day to make way for green bean and peppers in a few weeks.

 

No_Such_Reality wrote:I first read about the scarify method for carrots in Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition): Month by Month. I never realized Spinach has the same problem but that explains my low success rate getting spinach going. 

Her method involved scaring them with scalding water to crack them.  Rather problematic.  I'm going to try the clip and soak method.  I really like the wet paper towel transplant.  Lots of work, but worth it if I can actually get 16 appropriately spaced carrots, spinach and other difficult to sprout veggies going.

Thanks.

I've heard of the boil method, but never been inclined to try it.  It just seems like it could very easily do more damage than good, but I do know that some people have used that method successfully.

With carrot seeds, since they're so small, it's hard to nip them without taking off too much, and handling all those tiny seeds individually is incredibly tedious.  So I find it much more effective to take a bunch of them and rub them briskly over some medium-grit sandpaper (I think I use 120 grit) until the hulls get slightly scored or a bit frazzled-looking.  Then soak them in water for 24 hours, but at room temperature, since they get the best germination rates at higher temperatures (compared to spinach seeds).

I've also tested the difference between direct-sowing carrot seeds after soaking, or sprouting them in paper towels and planting them in seed trays to live indoors for a spell before getting planted outside.  Hands down, I get much better and faster results from starting them indoors, then transplanting them.

Thanks Kate.  Maybe  I'll try the alternate boil method.  I was looking at some scarify, stratify, or soak pergermination videos last night and their process for the boil method is just bring the water to a boil, let it cool 30 seconds or so, pour it in a bowl and then dump you seeds in and wait for the water to cool or the seeds to double in size.  

Prior directions I've seen called for pouring boiling water quickly over the seeds which leads to splashing.

I also might just try the soak and towel method for the carrots.

Also saw some interesting hints on those videos about growing the cool season veggies like carrots in the summer heat by planting them deeper.  Interesting, but maybe I'll wait on that until my summer veggies do better.

End of day 2, no tails yet. Maybe the basement was too cold? Four of the five varieties are fresh seed packets.

Give it another day, BPSF.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:End of day 2, no tails yet. Maybe the basement was too cold? Four of the five varieties are fresh seed packets.

What's the temperature in your basement?

I'm giving up on spinach, not because it didn't grow, they did nicely this season due to Kate's  program. I can sit and devour a ton of spinach. I love it, always have and always will...Having 5 beds, with just under 200 squares I want to devote my planting to a more robust crop. A large bowl of spinach cooks up into about 1/2 cup. I'll buy mine at the market...kohlrabi's are crunchier...

CitizenKate wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:End of day 2, no tails yet. Maybe the basement was too cold? Four of the five varieties are fresh seed packets.

What's the temperature in your basement?

It was 59 Fahrenheit this afternoon when I checked, so likely no less than 50 overnight (the heat is off in the basement at this point, but the basement is insulated, so even though we had a 30 degree low last night...) 

It was hard to find the beak on a lot of them, many were rather round. I'm guessing they are just slower growers. I got roughly 50-60% germination (eventually) on two of these varieties earlier, using soaking+direct sowing. Ultimately, I'd rather have better germination than faster, so I don't have as many empty holes in my squares -- or wasted seeds. I'll check them again tomorrow. Varieties are: Dash, Butterflay, Space, Regiment and Renegade.

Can you tell me what the silver stuff on some of my spinach seeds is? Natural something that some companies leave on, or not natural (anti-fungal?) something that some companies add? Does it affect the germination process?