Germination times
It is seed sowing time again and the first seeds will go in this week. I have a heated propagator that is maintained to about 20c. It is always better to delay sowing a bit if you do not have a bright, frost free place to grow on seedlings once they have germinated. There is no point sowing seeds in a warm propagator if you have to move them out into a cold greenhouse in February or have to grow them on in a dark place where the seedlings will get leggy and straggly. Bear in mind how fast seedlings grow too. Tender veg and flowers cannot be planted out till May in most parts of the UK and Ireland. Some seedlings grow very fast and sweetcorn and nasturtiums will be ready to plant out in just six weeks while tomatoes take longer and antirrhinums and petunias will be among the first seeds you sow because the seedlings take a long time to start to bloom.
So here are some results from sowing last year. The list is obviously not comprehensive: these are just a random selection of things I sowed. For details of how I sow see this previous post:
https://thebikinggardener.com/2015/02/27/time-to-get-sowing/
I usually start to sow in early February and continue sowing, in trays in the propagator, until April. Most of the seeds are sown the same way, covered with Perlite in about 20c. I have listed them below according to what month they were sown because I thought it might be more useful. I sow the majority of bedding plant seeds in mid March. This list does not include outdoor sowings.
February sowings
Antirrhinum 10-14 days, according to variety
Armeria ‘Ballerina’ 10 days
Arthropodium cirratum 21 days
Calabrese and cabbage 5 days
Carnation ‘Giant Chabaud’ 3 days
Celeriac 12 days
Chilli 9 days
Delphinium 19 days
Euphorbia ‘Glitz’ 21 days
Haloragis ‘Wellington Bronze’ 25 days
Lavender ‘Blue Wonder’ 7 days
Lettuce 10 days
Mimulus ‘Bounty Yellow’ 11 days
Molucella laevis 8 days – erratic
Nicotiana mutabilis 20 days
Onions 11 days
Parsley 26 days – erratic
Persicaria orientalis 20 days
Rehmannia elata 26 days
Rhodochiton 14 days
Salvia farinacea 10 days
Salsola 17 days
Schizanthus 10 days
Stocks 8 days
Thyme 10 days
March sowings
Acmella oleracea 6 days
Ammi majus 11 days
Antirrhinum 7 – 12 days according to variety
Aster (callistephus) 4 days
Bupleurum rotundifolium 20 days
Celosia 4 days
Coreopsis 5 days
Dahlia 8 days
Helichrysum (bracteantha) 6 days
Lovage 12 days
Mignonette 11 days
Nicotiana ‘Fragrant Cloud’ 7 days
Proboscidea 9 days
Phlox drummondi 6 days
Rudbeckia 9 – 15 days according to variety
Statice ‘Art shades’ 5 days
Tagetes ( French marigolds) 3-4 days
Tomatoes 7-10 days
April sowings
Amaranthus (various) 4-8 days
Basil 5 days
Cabbage and cauliflowers 5 days
Cosmos 4 days
Cucumber 4 days
Lettuce 4 days
Mina lobata (quamoclit) 5 days
Papalo 3 days
Portulaca oleracea 6 days
Squashes including courgettes 5-7 days
Sweetcorn 7 days
Tagetes 3-5 days
Good luck with your sowing this year!
Mina lobata
Thanks for sharing your timings, helpful. The key thing for me is after the thrill of germination they get leggy due to lack of light. Tricky business!
It can be tricky but the key really is not to start too early. But that is easier said than done when those seed packets are siting there and you have itchy fingers!
Just love this time of year
It is exciting 🙂
oh my goodness here we go 2016
Yep – time to go and buy some compost!
Thanks, you inspired me to order some seeds.