Do you neglect or give plenty of TLC

[Mumbles]

I have sown a fair few seeds a fair few different ways. I used to chuck 'em in and see what happened and usually they germinated.

In my more organised and disciplined approach this year I have sown into module trays and treated exactly as advised- warmth light not too much water etc. nothing.

I gave up on my early March sowings of tomatoes mid April and put the tray outside on my decking ready to empty into the compost but promptly forgot about it.

I was sorting the many pots there yesterday and found them- about half germinated despite having frosts and LOTS of rain.

I don't understand the way my crazy seeds work but I won't be giving them lots of love and attention in the future!


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[Two_Sheds]

I gave up on my early March sowings of tomatoes

If temperature is kept consistent ... your tomato seeds will usually germinate within 5 to 10 days.
Ideal temperature range is 21 to 27c
The lower the temperature the slower the germination. Temperatures below 50F (10C) give poor germination

[andy_j]

Had this conversation with a fellow allotment holder who grows every year for the show bench.

His plants usually thrive on neglect and he does very little out of the ordinary, and still wins loads. However, this year, there's a bit more competition for him...a few other plot holders have upped the ante a bit so he's trying a lot harder....with very poor results !!!!! Sporadic germination, poor growth etc etc.

[Knight of Albion]

We gardeners might like to think otherwise but Mother Nature runs the show!

She can manage perfectly well without us, but in my book a bit of tender loving care will help things along.

[Martin H]

I find if I get too involved I fall into traps like sowing too early, over-watering, too frequent shocks to the plants like moving pots around, pinching out sideshoots or whatever. For the most part, plants seem to be happiest if they are left to get on with it. After all, their parents managed for millions of years without us interfering.

So now I look at things in pots twice a day but don't do anything unless leaving them alone is going to cause more stress than acting.

[BertieFox]

Like you I have been surprised how things which you have given up on suddenly germinate and come through in the most unlikely conditions. I am a 'careful' gardener and sow most of my seeds under controlled conditions in a heated, thermostatically controlled propagator but it doesn't always work as planned (though most things do!)

More seeds than we think have hard coatings or germination inhibiters and it takes time to break their dormancy. When you just throw them in soil, there are fluctuating temperatures and various levels of humidity, so the seed either dies or is shocked into responding.

I think the 'careful' approach is worth it with expensive F1 seed where you get twenty or thirty seeds in the packet, while with cheap seed which is plentiful, you can afford to sow directly.

Modules are not always the best approach as it is incredibly easy for them to dry out or get too wet, and the soaring temperatures in greenhouses can knock lots of seed into a dormant phase.

I sow most things now in deepish pots of vermiculite which I stand in a dish of water. This gets me a high success rate for germination, but you DO have to carefully prick the newly germinated seedlings into your modules which is quite a lot of fiddly additional work.

[AllInContainers]

If plants require lots of love and attention, I don't want them. I gave up on tomatoes last year for that reason .... and petunias. Constantly tweaking, tending, pinching out, deadheading, and all the other tedious chores are more hassle than I have time for. Partly the reason for my move more towards fruit trees and bushes this year. I'm also trying out other plants that theoretically thrive on neglect. If they do well they might get a chance next year, otherwise ...bye bye!

[mothhawk]

I'm not one for TLC. If a plant needs special treatment I pass it by. I like plants that can take care of themselves, that's why in the flower border I grow mostly herbaceous perennials or annuals that will self-seed. Once the veg are planted out, I expect them to look after themselves, with maybe a slosh of seaweed to keep off mildew and give a boost, and water if it's very dry. Those that survive usually do very well

[brownfingers]

I've done more pampering and messing with my tommy seedlings this year and they have just gobbed in my face. So poor, I've been out and bought some! Thats sacrelige in my book. All the toms which were hanging on tenuously were taken from their nice warm window sills with their tinfoil backstops and just left in the unheated greenhouse. 2 days later and they are starting to look really happy ( despite losing seed leaves very early). Next door just sowed hers in her unheated greenhouse and basically ignored, and they are beauties. Even the frost the other night did not bother them! Next year, mine will get germinated in the house, then straight to the greenhouse.

[Richard Eldritch]

I tend to put my effort into preparation. So it's all about Compost, soil, canes, and recently shalot supports. Then I just sow modules and plant out. I don't bother with all the hardening off stuff too much, as I'm in the middle of London there's usually loads of ambient heat. Get em out side and let them get on with it.

[Mr Bones]

We tend to nurse and pamper our plants to some extent, in order to protect invested time and effort; much to the disdain of our elderly dyed in the wool lotty neighbour who's seedlings are planted out by date and left to the extremes of a British spring. Usually Derek's plants somehow manage to pull through but this year we flew round rigging up perspex and fleece in lieu of the forecast frost while his young runner bean plants were casually left to fend for themselves. Well, unfortunately Derek was greeted by 120 frost blackened stumps the next day, I guess sometimes you win and sometimes you don't.

[The Nichols']

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to pamper my seeds but finding the time is very difficult with two small children to entertain so I tend to do things as and when I get the time. This usually means moving things before they're ready or when it's far too late (elephant garlic last week of April?! What was I thinking?). I keep promising that I'll give it all more time but more often than not, it's very sporadic care.

That said, we usually do well with most things (even if we do end up with a lot of oversized courgettes and peas that produce a few, big pods). As someone else said earlier, mother nature knows what she's doing.

[snakeshack]

I think a degree of " tough love " is often in order especially with watering, it's better to get your young plants to sink deep roots by not giving little and often watering. I have been known to fleece crops on occasion but am a big fan of getting plants out in the ground as soon as possible to avoid too much root disturbance sulking if they are planted out when larger.


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[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I think a degree of " tough love " is often in order" but am a big fan of getting plants out in the ground as soon as possible to avoid too much root disturbance sulking if they are planted out when larger

In Total "Agreeance" to that one snakeshack!

[mothhawk]

One of the first new ideas I got from this forum when I joined was that a lot of seeds only need heat to crack them open and wake them up, then you can put them outside, perhaps with a bit of fleece, or not, as the case may be. I think it was Two Sheds who posted about it, saying as soon as seeds showed through the compost, she put them outside. (Apologies if I'm not giving the right person credit).