Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I really should have waited until early to mid May to plant my seeds but the first weekend of April I planted several flower seeds into the ground and a few herbs in containers.
Lavender, dill and chives went into containers the rest into the ground. We've been averaging 39-42' at night and cloudy/rainy conditions around 50' during the day. So far I've only seen a few seeds germinate (only in the ground) and was hoping my seeds aren't ruined due to the cold conditions.
Also, for the first time I picked up bulb root of lily of the valley and bleeding heart and I really don't have experience growing from bulb root. To me they looked like dry cinnamon sticks and can't really see how this will produce a flower but maybe? Can anyone talk about growing flowers from these bulb roots?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,186,228 times
Reputation: 57821
When too cold to germinate, some seeds will rot. You may get some to sprout but probably not many. Those shriveled looking tubers and rhizomes are close to the color of cinnamon, but should be round like roots. Soak in water for an hour before planting. When you buy them mail order or in a sealed package, thy could be dead, if dried out. They won't last over winter dry as long as amaryllis or tulip bulbs.
It took approx. 3 weeks to sprout instead of the average of 7- 10 days it calls for on the back of the seed packet. So I am thinking maybe that is under ideal conditions. Anyway, very thankful to see them sprout. I've decided to plant many flowers this year to help the bees and butterflies and just for the sake of their beauty.
Ha! I ALWAYS start a few things too early, even though I take judicious notes and actually REVIEW them annually. Excitement gets the best of me and I promise I know better, but I do it anyway. I started my peppers on January 01 and, of course, they're now trying to flower profusely. So much so that I must remove buds daily from the 34 starts I currently have. I moved them up from their starting cells into 3x3" seedling pots a while back, but unfortunately, transplant time isn't until Memorial Day weekend, so I will likely need to up-pot them again into 6" pots before then. I still have almost 6 weeks to go. I knew better, too - I started them in February last season and it was just right for keeping them in 3" pots until transplant time.
I hope I got the tomatoes right this season. I usually start them in March and they get WAY too tall. I started them on April 07 this season. I still sort of think another week would've been good since they aren't going into the garden until late May, but we'll see. My goal is to have transplants that are not older than 6 weeks; the growth at 5 weeks seems to be perfect for a short, stocky, healthy transplant. I get nervous at the thought of starting them too late in the event I have issues with germination or damping off (thankfully I've never experienced damping off) and I think that's what keeps me from pushing it too late.
Oh well, I don't know that I'll ever learn. I do what I do and it always seems to work out in the end, even if I lose a plant or two.
Ha! I ALWAYS start a few things too early, even though I take judicious notes and actually REVIEW them annually. Excitement gets the best of me and I promise I know better, but I do it anyway. I started my peppers on January 01 and, of course, they're now trying to flower profusely. So much so that I must remove buds daily from the 34 starts I currently have. I moved them up from their starting cells into 3x3" seedling pots a while back, but unfortunately, transplant time isn't until Memorial Day weekend, so I will likely need to up-pot them again into 6" pots before then. I still have almost 6 weeks to go. I knew better, too - I started them in February last season and it was just right for keeping them in 3" pots until transplant time.
I hope I got the tomatoes right this season. I usually start them in March and they get WAY too tall. I started them on April 07 this season. I still sort of think another week would've been good since they aren't going into the garden until late May, but we'll see. My goal is to have transplants that are not older than 6 weeks; the growth at 5 weeks seems to be perfect for a short, stocky, healthy transplant. I get nervous at the thought of starting them too late in the event I have issues with germination or damping off (thankfully I've never experienced damping off) and I think that's what keeps me from pushing it too late.
Oh well, I don't know that I'll ever learn. I do what I do and it always seems to work out in the end, even if I lose a plant or two.
Yeah same here, once I start seeing starts for sale and take a walk around the nursery I want to plant several things. Goodluck with your peppers and tomatoes.
Many seedlings are up and hopefully will thrive. ( we are about to get another week of rain) Those bulb roots, yeah nothing is happening so I called the number that came with the packet the lady said they have to be sent dry or it would have gotten mold so who knows according to her even though it seems dried out that's how they are out of the package, she also said it will take 4-6 weeks to wake up......not sure I will ever plant with these again.
My lavender and chives are really the only seedlings that didn't come up besides ( morning glories) supposedly they too take a long time???? I have always planted with starter plants before.....from seed is a whole another thing. I was reading that chives can take up to a month? and 1-3 months even for lavender to germinate??? that's like mid summer possibly.
Last year the first plants/seeds I put in the ground was April 15th, and continued with the week there of. I didn't get everything planted that week as I do go to plant sales a few weeks later, but the majority of my vegetable plants/seeds went in this same week past week, last year.
Then we got a freeze the end of the month and I was outside trying to throw row covers on the transplants that were too big to cover up with the largest bottles, and other large plastic covers made to cover plants. Everything survived, but it was worry some. Some of the transplants never grew after that, it was like they were stunted.
I planted this past week. It's been in the high 70's to mid 80's. Today we are having some flooding here and it's cold, not freezing, but was surprised I had to get out my coat. Not worried about the cold, it's the rains now. Rain all day tomorrow too. I'm hoping the Gatorade bottles I have over my transplants that I use as mini-greenhouses will help protect the seedlings have emerged - a lot of them have been planted and emerged already.
I like to try and get my plantings in as early as possible. Mother Nature likes to play some head games with gardeners, it seems. I think she likes to see us to see us gardeners shaking in our (garden) boots!
Hoping for everyone we end up having a good planting season this year! Best of luck to all, no matter what you try growing!
I would have bet on the chives. Lavender doesn't like chilly weather or too much water, so that doesn't surprise me.
I planted radish nearly a month ago, and I'm not even close to getting a veg. It's been chilly, cool, cloudy, and rainy. They've just started to look better this last week. I'm really surprised because I planted in a pot. They sprouted inside and I put them on the enclosed porch at night.
I would have bet on the chives. Lavender doesn't like chilly weather or too much water, so that doesn't surprise me.
.
Chives are listed as okay to plant here as seed in April, according to the local nursery. Hopefully they will still sprout. So do you think the lavender seeds are ruined? or just take longer than usual to germinate?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
besides ( morning glories) supposedly they too take a long time???? I have always planted with starter plants before.....from seed is a whole another thing. I was reading that chives can take up to a month? and 1-3 months even for lavender to germinate??? that's like mid summer possibly.
