Sown seeds: productive plants what is your ratio?

[Bluemchen]

I have found, in my first year, that I need to sow more seeds, as plants fail. For instance, of 12 Calendula plants planted out, only 7 are in good flower now: some were lost to slugs, some too small, and some just not flowering well. Likewise my french beans - 4 plants ok, many failed germinations...

What numbers do you work on to get it right, do you successional sow everything, and how many plants do you hold back and for how long???

Questions, questions! I do love this forum!

[Demeter]

Varies a lot!

For example, at home I sowed 6 courgette seeds and got 6 plants which are all producing - I only wanted 4 plants really but hadn't the heart to chuck them out. On the plot we have at the city farm, we planted out 9 plants, only 3 survived, the rest got slugged. yet of the pumpkins, only planted 2 out at the plot and neither has been seriously slugged (although they were a bit bigger when planted out I suppose).

Runner beans on the other hand - planted millions, thinking they would get slugged, and they all thrived, with the result that the bean frame has now sadly collapsed under the weight.

And nasturtiums - the first lot I sowed, only one or two came up, the second lot I sowed they almost all came up! Similar story with marigolds, now I think of it.

My first 2 sowings of mangetout / peas, I only got about 60-70% germination, yet the final sowing I got 100% germination!

Asparagus - first lot I sowed didn't come up, so I tried again, and then the first and second lot both came up so now I have like 60 plants...

About broccoli - I put 4 plants in my front garden, and had 4 spares in pots - 2 of the plants got deaded (one by slugs and the other by wind) so I used up 2 spares and held back the others, stuck them in some space when it came available at the allotment...

In short, I think my lesson learned has been - sow far more than you think you will need, plant only a *few* more than you think you need, keep a few spares to replace any that get eaten or doesn't take to being transplanted, but otherwise be ruthless about disposing of unwanted seedlings / young plants (on the compost heap or by giving them to friends).

PS my calendula is at various stages too - some flowering nicely, others not yet there.

[lynda66]

well i've had little success with parsnips, though all the mini ones have come up, and i sowed the rest of the packet a few weeks ago, and i'd say about 20% have come up

my leeks and spring onions have been very dissapointing, probably about 20% germination.

beans, i think i planted 20 seeds, and currently have 2 sickly looking bean plants.


turnips (3 types),swede, carrot(3 types), peas, beetroot (3 types) potatoes, (2 types) pumpkin, melon,(2 types) tomatoes, (2 types) kohl rabi, cauli and broccoli all mine seem to have had a 100% or thereabouts germination rates, so with these i sow the amount i want, with the others, i ended up just emptying the rest of the packets into a 1m x 1m bed and covering with compost seems to be much the same with germination rates, but i don't have to move any.

I'm not very good at being ruthless, i don't want any to die, so i've just been finding space if i need to (still have a bit left, currently have caulies in my tropical area, where the tropical looking fruit will go next year) i figure if theres too many i can freeze them, i can't have too many carrots broccoli or cauli, in fact any veg i do lots of batch cooking, so there won't be any waste, i want to never have to buy another vegetable eventually, so if i have a glut it's not a problem.

[SlugLobber]

Indoor sowings were close to 100% germination. Outdoors not so good, unless you count potatoes and latest carrot crop. I'm not sure how much was due to slugs and how much due to the nasty weather, but next year I'm getting a mahoosive greenhouse and polytunnel or similar!! I might set up something at the field with the horses in (cordoned off to protect from big munching gobs).

[Alison]

I sow very little insitu as I end up getting too many problems with slugs and squirrels. This year got particularly good germination, 100% on most crops and like some of the people above, had problems throwing any away so now have far too many plants shoe horned into the garden! I find that the extra help they get with indoor (or greenhouse)sowing really helps and provide heat when necessary to the likes of chillies etc to get them started.

[Kristen]

For me its the same as Alison said.

[SarzWix]

I sow most stuff indoors, and even things like cabbages get sown into modules and put on outdoor staging to germinate. My soil is clay, so I get much better results than sowing direct. I've had near 100% germination on virtually everything this year, the only problems I had were with onion seed, and it's the first time I've tried it (instead of sets).
I ended up with far, far too many tomato plants - I've given away about 20 plants and still have about 30 scattered between 3 greenhouses & 2 gardens!