How long to leave ungerminated seeds?

You may have planted some seeds deeper than others so they take longer to surface.
Try chitting your seeds first so that you know they are viable before you plant them.

Can you move the ungerminated ones somewhere warmer for a few days, before then giving up on them? If they are already in a propagator then they probably are duff, or have rotted.

I do it VC's way and chit mine first, so I know which ones are "growers" and then only plant those.

Just don't do what I did and think they must be duff, leave them where they are and plant something over them! I now have unlabelled tomatoes popping up next to peas because I couldn't be bothered digging them out!


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I wouldn't give up on them yet, but then I'm told that I have the patience of Job. I'd sow some more "just in case" and then whatever happens, you have enough

I planted some into the soil a few week ago with the nice weather and they took a few week to come up and unfortunately the frost got em, was worth a try though, can always use the ones set off in the greenhouse instead

Esbo start a journal nothing fancy just jot down when and were you sow, the date the seeds are showing that way you'll get an idea of how long from year to year it takes on average.

That's a good question and I've often wondered the same thing myself. With seeds sown outdoors I always wonder if the slugs got them or whether the seeds were duff. It's pretty hard to know.

it depends on temperature (esp with runners/French), sunlight and age.

I'm having a few duds this year, but with old seed. I never go by the "sow by" date, but seed can get too old to grow.

I've also had germination problems in the last fortnight which has been cold & dark. Previously we had warm sun and things shot up, but cold dark clouds have slowed everything considerably, and lots of the more tender seeds (again, French beans) have simply rotted in cold compost

I had enough of waiting and yesterday tipped out everything that had refused to grow. I had given them roughly 8 - 10 weeks. Only one thing came out of all the pots - a cucumber which I hastily re-potted. No idea what was taking him so long as the rest have shot up and sprouted away - a late riser perhaps? But I've had no luck with cucamelons, lemon balm or creeping thyme, oh, and lavender (which can take up to 5 months to germinate) and it's had at least that. How do you chit seeds by the way?

Some seeds do take longer than others to germinate - the carrot family (including parsnips and parsley) are notorious for long germination times. I find that courgettes and peppers can be very variable with some from the same sowing germinating upto a couple of weeks apart.

I agree about planting outside - I currently have that problem with a row of beetroot although I think the likely culprit is snails.

I tried chitting some peas and beans in a plastic tub a couple of weeks ago, but I think I did it wrong because apart from a few peas growing a bit of root (which I potted up), most of them simply went slimy and smelled disgusting, then started to fall apart.

If they haven't germinated I would put them I the fridge (to simulate Winter) for a month, and then return them to 20C for germination. Helps to have fresh seed for Lavender as its germination rate is pretty poor to start with, and I have read that light is needed (so don't bury them deep)

On a damp sheet of kitchen paper towel, in a Tupperware box. Small seeds are a bit fiddly when pricking them out once they sprout. With larger seeds, like Beans, I usually soak them for 24 hours first - that gets them to absorb plenty of water to start the process off.

Personally I think this has more to do with temperature. I chit Parsnip seed and it only takes 7-10 days (in the warmth of my kitchen), which makes me wonder why the conventional advice is to sow it so early (and let it take weeks to germinate)

Most annual seeds will never germinate if they have failed after the first three weeks or so. Very often this is as much due to high temperatures as low as it is easy for seeds in a greenhouse to get overheated quickly if the vents are not open or they are in full sun. Seeds always do best in a closed environment like a propagator which is in shade.

The medium in which you sow is also very important. Lots of composts easily get waterlogged or dry out very quickly, so seed will rot or die after it has begun to germinate. Most seed can be checked by placing it on moist tissue and placing it inside a plastic bag in moderate temperatures. If it does nothing, then it is probably dead.

In recent years I have sown more and more seed directly into containers of vermiculite. This drains well and stops seed becoming waterlogged as well as being a sterile environment free from soil fungi and diseases. Once the seed begins to sprout, it is fairly easy to prick on into good seed compost, as the roots in the vermiculite come away without being damaged. This works with most seed though not with very tiny dust like seed or seed which takes a very long time to germinate.

The real exception is for perennial seed and things like trees and shrubs. Most of these need periods of cold, then warm, then cold to germinate, and some can take several years to germinate. I never really believed this and thought it was an excuse for certain seed companies to pass off poor seed, but I have increasingly noticed that pots I have left for two years have still produced seedlings two years after sowing when left outside under cover.

I must admit I have received seed from large companies, even something as easy to germinate as turnips, which has been completely DEAD, while seed I have kept for years in a cardboard box still germinates after four or five years. (particularly brassicas and tomatoes.)

you have to rinse them in clean water every day

There are peas no spuds

Or am I showing my ignorance?