If it says sow into ground...

[SueA]

Re: watering it depends where you are keeping the pots, but just check on them every few days & water if they have dried out, you're right that you have to be careful not to overwater or the seeds or stems when they appear may rot off. You shouldn't need to water until after the seeds have germinated if you have them in a propagator or covered with plastic bags.

[Lesley Jay]

Sue I never sow 2 seeds per pot. I always think it is such a waste to throw away a perfectly good seedling. So with me it is one seed per pot. That is for tomatoes, courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and marrows. Peas, beans and sweetcorn one seed per cell.

[Suspect Sprout]

What do you water with? as I don't want to drown them in the soil!!

Also, the seeds are in spare bedroom at moment, plenty of light, no direct sunlight. I haven't got them covered, am I best doing so?

Sorry for all the questions, you must think i'm right dim!

[andrewo]

I water with a small can and only do so before sowing. I wait until the seeds come through and have an old olive oil pourer and I use it to water them, make sure you water the soil and not the seedling (you can kill them this way). If you are really worried, just fill an old seed tray (fill up the drainage holes or get one without) and fill with water and then place the seed trays or plug trays in this 'bath' and let them soak it up from below. This can give you a better root system.

Once seeds get growing, they should be okay if in a warmish environment, you will know if they need more light as they will be spindly and leaning towards the light (just keep turning them if they do this). If you are worried they are going to be cold in the spare room, cover them at night with fleece but i don't think you will need to do this.

[andrewo]

Sue I never sow 2 seeds per pot. I always think it is such a waste to throw away a perfectly good seedling. So with me it is one seed per pot. That is for tomatoes, courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and marrows. Peas, beans and sweetcorn one seed per cell.

I'm glad someone else does this, especially as courgettes are so expensive for seeds.

[nick the grief]

I'm with you LJ, I hate waste. I sow my toms in a 1/2 pot & then prick them out, they rest are done singly. If you can SS use boiled rainwater to water the plants It's better than tap water but needs to be boiled to get rid of any fungal spores etc that might cause damping off.

[blossom]

I prefer sowing singly too. I know how clumsy my short stubby fingers are when trying to more seedlings. I recon more will survive this way.

[Suspect Sprout]

I'm just wondering, I was going to get my seeds into the ground this weekend, however, this week is forecast rain. Is it better to wait until after the rain, will it rot them? Or just get them in?

[nick the grief]

Difficult that one SS. If it were warmer I'd say go for it, but itf we have a cold snap they may rot or just sulk, Can you put a cloche over them to keep the worst of the weather out?

[andrewo]

I wouldn't personally plant them if the forecast is rain for the next few days unless you are covering with a cloche, or else there is a high probability that they would rot, the seedlings would be fighting the rain and would get plastered to the soil.

[Lesley Jay]

It's not so much the fact that they are forecasting rain. It's with the weather having been so cold and wet the ground is going to be very cold and probably sodden in places. I would hang on and wait till next weekend. A bit of warm weather is what we need to help the ground and it will be much better for seed sowing.

[andrewo]

Warm weather? It's chucking it down here, just got in before is started

[nick the grief]

Sun always shines on th righteous ... raining here as well

[Jaxom]

Sun always shines on th righteous ... raining here as well

And the unrighteous to finish the quote.
Jax

[Suspect Sprout]

Hmm, that's what I thought, i'll leave till next weekend and then look at the forecast