There is much to learn about germinating seeds. With this, I think the first-hand experience can work best! I carefully planted the seed by type in rows. I placed the trays on warming pads. Soil temperature was registering in the mid-seventies to low eighties. I watered directly into the tray, underneath the growing medium, not directly on to the seedings fearing they would break. This seemed to work well. A light fog formed on the domes, indicating good humidity.
The seeds sprouted very well, but then they quickly got taller and taller and in just a few days started falling over. Why? The window I had them in, was a North facing window and the light wasn’t intense enough, so they stretched towards the light, making them “leggy”. I transplanted them into separate pots, but only a few survived. Several tomato plants have survived, some zucchini, cucumbers, but none of the peppers.
It was difficult taking the seedlings out of the growing medium without breaking them. Only a very few survived the transfer to small pots. The next time I’ll use the plug type starter system, one seed per plug. I was able to plant the lettuce seedlings in a planter. They struggled for a while, but then rapidly grew.
OLD SEEDS – While most of the seeds I planted did germinate, some did not. The seeds that did not germinate were the older seeds. Packages that were 3 or 4 years old. I thought I would give them a try! In the future, I won’t do this again, as it takes to much effort to prepare the soil in the garden, to have the seeds not germinate. I will now plant some other seeds in the space, but they have to be plants that have a short growing season.
