Welcome to our seed sowing guide.
Factors to consider when sowing.
- Frost tolerance - All our seed packets will stipulate if the plants are frost tolerant or not.
- Heat tolerance - Example, lettuce seeds don't geminate in hot soil conditions.
- Soil moisture - Keep soil moist, not wet. Seeds will rot if too wet for too long, especially when they are not within their ideal soil temperature. Resist the urge to water for the sake of it, investigate first. We use our finger to disrupt the soil around 1cm deep, if there is moisture its fine. Pot weight is a very effective quick measurement of moisture content we use by picking it up and feeling the weight. Potting mediums, when dry, are very light, and water is heavy in comparison, you will get a feel for it. Drenching them is okay, especially the seeds first water or if they got very dry, but you will want a free draining, well aerated potting medium. Using garden soil is not recommended.
- Soil Temperature - All seeds have an in-built thermometer-cool right! Understanding this will greatly increase your strike rate. This is particularly important if you live in a region where the night time temperatures get below the seeds ideal germination temperature. The further the soil gets below that ideal range, strike rates deplete to a point of zero. Investigate soil temperatures, in the garden and pots, at the coolest and warmest times of the day. You may need, like us, a heat mat to get an early start on your local growing season.
- Our seed packets stipulate an ideal soil temperature range for each variety.
