Kosovo

[tjg911]

earl is right wes is one of the best there is imo! prue and wes are the 2 best i've ever eaten. kosovo is very good, in my top favorites, but wes is better and as productive tho kosovo tend to be a little larger.

carolyn you are correct, i had offered prue seed at gw and people had germination problems, the seed was several years old. so i was worried and seeded either 21 of which 19 came up or 24 of which 21 came up. i wrote it off to they did something wrong. i think i offered prue to you and craig before anyone else at gw iirc and it was either for the 2003 or 2004 season.

tom

[montanamato]

Carolyn....I think when I received Sulia's Heart, I was excited because it was a red heart, but can't be 100% certain. Anyway I grew it in a container and got fruit considerably smaller than 1 #, but they were wonderful....I will regrow it next year and check color again....

Jeanne

[barefootgardener]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Ginny, how many of the seeds that I sent did you sow and what were the conditions? I'm really surprised that you got no germination at all b'c I offered the same seeds last year and folks did get some as I recall.

I wouldn't' have thought that a one year difference would make a difference in germination, but I've said before that hearts don't have the same seed viability that non hearts do, so who knows.

What about the other seeds you got from me or did you post that in that thread and I just missed it. The kind of data you're giving me is what I need to know if I'm going to offer Kosovo or any other varieties that don't germinate well for folks in a possible future seed offer, so thanks. And I'll look in that other thread where folks are reporting germination data.

Hi Caroline,
Yes I did post in your other thread about my germination results w/varieties you sent me etc..

All seeds were sowed on Feb-17th..You sent 12 Kosovo seeds, and I made sure to sow all of them at the same time...In sterile organic soiless seed starter...They were all placed in a warm location at least 76-82 degrees..I planted the seeds at 1/4 inch depth..As of today, no signs of germination..I did not pre-soak the seeds, and now I am wishing I did. Maybe it would have helped w/germination..I have sowed older seeds before, around 6-8 years, and never pre-soaked, and always had at least 50% germination...So I am scratching my head over this one..

I did get one Indian Stripe 2003 seed to germinate out of 10 seeds you sent..but it took a while to germinate...

I recently sowed some 2004 Black From Tula and KB seed, that I saved from a growout..and they are all germinating really well...(no pre-soak).

Thank You for your response Carolyn, and I will post more results on other thread as things change..

Ginny

[carolyn137]

Ginny, I went back and looked at that thread and saw that you were having a problem even with the 2008 and 2009 seeds where others were getting good germination.

I also saw that your seeds ended up 1/4 inch deep which is a real problem.

Any update on those other varieties?

I don't think pre-soaking is the issue. I don't soak seeds until they're maybe over about 10 years old and get good germination, over 50% and oft times much more, with 5 yo seed. Five to 10 yo old seed I jsut double sow.

I don't have any more Indian Stripe seeds, but I think there may be a few Kosovos left, but I do have some fresh Wes seeds that were sent to me, 2009 seeds, as well as Danko ( 2007), another great red heart. As well as Anna Maria's Heart ( pink and 2007), as well as Bawole Cerce ( pink heart, 2009 seeds).

And if you didn't get good germination with those 2008 and 2009 seeds that you had, I can send a few more.

All I want is for folks to get plants to grow for themselves.

So your choice on what I might send, PM me with what you might want and your home address, but sow the seeds to just the depth of the seeds, which is a smidgeon, and no deeper, b/c that really is important.

[Marko]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I also saw that your seeds ended up 1/4 inch deep which is a real problem.

Carolyn, can you please explain why it's important to put seed shallow. I know that some seeds need light to germinate, but I'm sure tomato can germinate without light
I allways put tomato and pepper seeds little deeper because in that case cotyledons don't get stucked in seed shells. I've never had problems with germination.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Marko

Carolyn, can you please explain why it's important to put seed shallow. I know that some seeds need light to germinate, but I'm sure tomato can germinate without light
I allways put tomato and pepper seeds little deeper because in that case cotyledons don't get stucked in seed shells. I've never had problems with germination.

Yes, tomato seed can germinate with or without light, but most seeds should be sowed inside only to the depth of the seed b'c deeper they may have pushing up problems thru the mix after germinating , not enough energy, so they die.

It's especially important, I think, with older seeds b'c their energy reserves in the endosperm I wouldn't expect to be as functional as with newer seeds.

I think stuck seed coats are more related to seed age and/or lack of adequate moisture, b'c when I do get some stuck seed coats it's almost always with older seeds.

[Marko]

Thank you for your answer, especially for explanaton of germination energy. I really don't have any experience with old seed, but will sure follow your advice if I get older seed.
To stay on topic: I will grow Kosovo for the first time this year, seeds germinated well and I can't wait to taste it .

[barefootgardener]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Ginny, I went back and looked at that thread and saw that you were having a problem even with the 2008 and 2009 seeds where others were getting good germination.

I also saw that your seeds ended up 1/4 inch deep which is a real problem.

Any update on those other varieties?

I don't think pre-soaking is the issue. I don't soak seeds until they're maybe over about 10 years old and get good germination, over 50% and oft times much more, with 5 yo seed. Five to 10 yo old seed I jsut double sow.

I don't have any more Indian Stripe seeds, but I think there may be a few Kosovos left, but I do have some fresh Wes seeds that were sent to me, 2009 seeds, as well as Danko ( 2007), another great red heart. As well as Anna Maria's Heart ( pink and 2007), as well as Bawole Cerce ( pink heart, 2009 seeds).

And if you didn't get good germination with those 2008 and 2009 seeds that you had, I can send a few more.

All I want is for folks to get plants to grow for themselves.

So your choice on what I might send, PM me with what you might want and your home address, but sow the seeds to just the depth of the seeds, which is a smidgeon, and no deeper, b/c that really is important.

Carolyn, no further updates on the other varieties..
I believe you were right about the seeds I sowed, being planted to deeply at 1/4 inch. I should have had better germination with the seeds.

They were the first seeds I sowed, and when they did not germinate as well as they should have, I had a feeling I planted to deep!

I have since planted a lot more diff. varieties and made sure to sow seed shallow..and they have done well so far..

Thank You for the offer of new seed. I appreciate it!! I will send PM

Ginny