Poor seed germination. Arrrrgghhh

[bobbin]

Oh dear I'm having a really crappy time with some seed germination.
Despite sticking to the rules of sowing including temperature seed compost etc and being smugly successful in the past my results are poor this year.
Very sporadic germination with only 9 out of thirty perennial sweet peas, though there's still time for the odd straggler. Common knapweed, not one germinated, other flowers again only a handful of seeds germinating. I used Levingtons seed compost ( contains John Innes)my seeds were stored indoors at room temperature too. The seeds were all in date, many only purchased back end of last year. It's so disheartening.
I did lose some other good seedlings to a lapse in concentration when I didn't open the greenhouse door during a hot day have any of you had disappointing results. We're talking in seed trays here not in the ground?

I've found Sarah Raven Seeds a bit of a failure... Yes yes I know it a poor gardener that blames her own tools blah blah blah

[mrswadders]

my beetroot this year have been a bit hit and miss, I always sow in modules but have had sporadic germination, all new seed this year, haven't done anything different to usual so I'm going to sow some direct to make up for the gaps.

[mothhawk]

Bobbin, I have some knapweed seeds (centaurea nigra) that I gathered last autumn. I sowed a pot with them last month (thickly, as I wasn't sure they'd all grow) and can't put a pin between them, I think they all grew. So if you'd like the rest of the seeds, PM me your address and I'll pop them in the post to you.

[cilla]

Hi
My beetroots are not doing as well as I thought. I did sow 2 at a time and only getting a few coming up. I am assuming it is not really warm enough and will try again in another row. I live in Bucks with chalk/clay soil so maybe the soil is too wet. Don't know. Or maybe patience is the word!

[lottie dolly]

Same here,irespective of freshness of seed,type and price,all looked after with tender loving care,also not moving on much after potting on,yet...........some brasicas sown a lot earlier have gone well,and now planted at the lottie,i have a looksee every few days to see if any shoots under the compost,the squash,melons are the worst,the seed has not rotted,followed by parsnips and beetroot,i am thinking of putting some more seeds to chit first,and see what happens,flower seed is in a mood to,now all 3 varieties off cue's are ok,although slow,i suppose it's like all things in nature,they know best,