My record germination in three days!!

gssgarden · February 11, 2014

Started them Saturday morning around 10 a.m., sitting on a heating mat, sunny window, but it's been cloudy since then but I have 11 - ELEVEN sprouts!!!!

when I say sprouts, I mean the little white 'humpbacks' coming up. lol

So far we have coming up...

Shannon's
Gary O' Sena
Fish Lake Oxheart
Berkeley Tie Dye
Anna Russian
Stupice
Sun Sugar
KBX
My Mystery Green
Cherokee Purple
and Sioux

Pretty Happy this morn!! lol

I've had a couple come up in 3 days before but not 11 out of 24!!

Hope I see more before the end of the day!!

Greg

BucksCountyGirl · February 11, 2014

Nice work, Greg! I am still a few weeks away from starting my tomato seeds, but I will be starting a few peppers this weekend. I am certainly getting some itchy garden fingers!

kath · February 11, 2014

That's some great germination, Greg! Wishing you a lack of helmet heads and hoping the rest pop up soon so that you can unplug the heat mat asap.

I'm itching to get started, at least with peppers, but it's too soon for me and I have to wait until we return from a trip to visit family at the end of the month anyway.

Have a great season!

kath

Labradors2 · February 11, 2014

I'm living vicariously with others' successes too!

Well done Greg! Sounds as if that heat mat really helped!

Linda

ScottinAtlanta · February 11, 2014

When do you plant out, Greg? I am about 300 miles south of you, but mine are already potted up and with true leaves. Perhaps I jumped the gun a little!

Tormato · February 11, 2014

Over the years, I've had about 45% of seeds to germinate in 3 days, and another 45% to germinate in 4 days.

So, 11 out of 24 in 3 days is almost exactly what I would expect in my seed starts. Then another 11 on the 4th day. The last 2 , anywhere from 5 to 7 days, or 14 to 30 days, or no germinate at all.

There's also maybe the 1 in 1,000+ that germinate in 2 days.

Dr. L

ve Apple

Worth1 · February 11, 2014

The germination times will continue to get shorter with all of the smart phones we have now.
Look forward to even more weird things happening.

Worth

gssgarden · February 11, 2014

Scott, Our last frost date here is April 15th BUT the last three years it has been much earlier so I was planning on April 6th as my date. I always watch the weather before hand and keep them inside or out the week before so there are no issues.

Tormato, good to know I'm finally doing it right!! I now know....after a couple years of doing it wrong, what I did.....

I used to put the heat mat on the carpet!!! A big no-no! I used to 'cook' all the seeds in the middle of the flat. All the ones on the edges, stayed cooler, and germinated. This year, I put them on a small, thin, wooden table, next to the window.

I have to say that it did it that way because of lack of room in my old house. I moved last April so now they have a nice south facing window to grow from!

Live and learn I guess! lol

Going to see if i have anymore up!

Greg

gssgarden · February 11, 2014

Now, as my disclaimer, I'm squinting to see them BUT I see then breaking ground so that counts for me, so I can add...

Tom's Yellow Wonder
Sweet Ozark Orange
Goliath
Carbon
and Fireworks!!

Happy Happy!!

Greg

b54red · February 12, 2014

I started my seed a full month ago and most of them came up this past week. My wife puts up with a lot from my gardening but seed starting in the house is a step too far. My unheated greenhouse didn't help much this year with the extreme cold and cloudy wet weather but finally most of my early plantings are up. I'm really surprised at how many of them came up after sitting for weeks in the cold. My next batch will probably pop up in a few days which is normal for tomatoes when the weather is reasonably warm. If memory serves me I was just starting to graft plants about this time last year so I am going to really be behind this year; but if cold snaps keep coming in it may be a blessing in disguise.

Bill

madddawg · February 15, 2014

I don't have a heating pad. All i got is a wood burning stove in my garage. I can get it up around 70 easy enough. A couple of nights I didn't get the door closed all the way and the dog pushed it open and it got down into the 40s. Not good..It took my seeds 8 days.

I have them all covered with one sheet of clear plastic and the sticks hold it up, and I use them for labels.
About 80% are up. I will wait 1 more day to uncover them and put them under my lights.

February 11, 2014	#1
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	My record germination in three days!! Started them Saturday morning around 10 a.m., sitting on a heating mat, sunny window, but it's been cloudy since then but I have 11 - ELEVEN sprouts!!!! when I say sprouts, I mean the little white 'humpbacks' coming up. lol So far we have coming up... Shannon's Gary O' Sena Fish Lake Oxheart Berkeley Tie Dye Anna Russian Stupice Sun Sugar KBX My Mystery Green Cherokee Purple and Sioux Pretty Happy this morn!! lol I've had a couple come up in 3 days before but not 11 out of 24!! Hope I see more before the end of the day!! Greg

February 11, 2014	#2
BucksCountyGirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Holland, PA/Zone 7A Posts: 692	Nice work, Greg! I am still a few weeks away from starting my tomato seeds, but I will be starting a few peppers this weekend. I am certainly getting some itchy garden fingers! __________________ - Kelli Life's a climb...but the view is fantastic

February 11, 2014	#6
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	Over the years, I've had about 45% of seeds to germinate in 3 days, and another 45% to germinate in 4 days. So, 11 out of 24 in 3 days is almost exactly what I would expect in my seed starts. Then another 11 on the 4th day. The last 2 , anywhere from 5 to 7 days, or 14 to 30 days, or no germinate at all. There's also maybe the 1 in 1,000+ that germinate in 2 days. Dr. Lve Apple

February 15, 2014	#11
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	I don't have a heating pad. All i got is a wood burning stove in my garage. I can get it up around 70 easy enough. A couple of nights I didn't get the door closed all the way and the dog pushed it open and it got down into the 40s. Not good..It took my seeds 8 days. I have them all covered with one sheet of clear plastic and the sticks hold it up, and I use them for labels. About 80% are up. I will wait 1 more day to uncover them and put them under my lights. __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

February 11, 2014	#3
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	That's some great germination, Greg! Wishing you a lack of helmet heads and hoping the rest pop up soon so that you can unplug the heat mat asap. I'm itching to get started, at least with peppers, but it's too soon for me and I have to wait until we return from a trip to visit family at the end of the month anyway. Have a great season! kath

February 11, 2014	#4
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I'm living vicariously with others' successes too! Well done Greg! Sounds as if that heat mat really helped! Linda

February 11, 2014	#5
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	When do you plant out, Greg? I am about 300 miles south of you, but mine are already potted up and with true leaves. Perhaps I jumped the gun a little!

February 11, 2014	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	The germination times will continue to get shorter with all of the smart phones we have now. Look forward to even more weird things happening. Worth

February 12, 2014	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I started my seed a full month ago and most of them came up this past week. My wife puts up with a lot from my gardening but seed starting in the house is a step too far. My unheated greenhouse didn't help much this year with the extreme cold and cloudy wet weather but finally most of my early plantings are up. I'm really surprised at how many of them came up after sitting for weeks in the cold. My next batch will probably pop up in a few days which is normal for tomatoes when the weather is reasonably warm. If memory serves me I was just starting to graft plants about this time last year so I am going to really be behind this year; but if cold snaps keep coming in it may be a blessing in disguise. Bill