Onion Ailsa Craig
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FredFromOssett
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Who knows? But its worth a bit of potting compost to find out. Sow them in cell trays early August and see what happens. If they germinate plant out to the plot when they are a couple of inches tall, (about 8 weeks or so after sowing),and leave them to overwinter. That way you've lost nothing, and may gain some onions.
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Primrose
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The one thing that may stop them germinating may have been the heat in your mother's loft. I know a lot of seeds don't mind (or even thrive) being stored at low temperatures, but some lofts do get very sun baked and hotunder their slates during the summer so if exposed to such high temperatures they may have been baked to death. Perhaps worth putting a few on some moist tissue paper (in the same parsnips seed germination method some of us have been trying lately) to see if that produces any signs of life?
Does anyone recommend a good pace to store seed .I keep mine in a biscuit tin in the greenhouse but I suspect it is not a good place as it gets too hot in the summer as does the shed, I like to keep them in the greenhouse as they are to hand when the mood to sow takes over so if they could be left there it would be a bonus.
advice please
Regards Brenjon
advice please
Regards Brenjon
Hi Brenjon,
Seeds should be stored in a moisture proof container as close to 5C as is possible. Greenhouses and Garden sheds are really the worst of places as they far exceed the optimum temperature during the year and mainly are far too hot in summer and far too cold in winter.
My seeds are stored in individual containers with a Silica Gel capsule in each and are stored in our old dairy which is situated on the north corner of my house with 24" stone walls and is the place to go on a hot day to cool down. Now I appreciate that probably most contributors are not as lucky to have a facility like this but you should try and find somewhere in your property where it is always cool and store them on the floor on the basis that heat rises. Even the draught under a door can have a very cooling effect. If you put a thermometer on the floor you will find that it is several degrees lower than the general temperature in the room.
I think that on the floor in the cupboard under the stairs seems to be quite a favourite place. For those who live in Bungalows I will pass!
JB.
Seeds should be stored in a moisture proof container as close to 5C as is possible. Greenhouses and Garden sheds are really the worst of places as they far exceed the optimum temperature during the year and mainly are far too hot in summer and far too cold in winter.
My seeds are stored in individual containers with a Silica Gel capsule in each and are stored in our old dairy which is situated on the north corner of my house with 24" stone walls and is the place to go on a hot day to cool down. Now I appreciate that probably most contributors are not as lucky to have a facility like this but you should try and find somewhere in your property where it is always cool and store them on the floor on the basis that heat rises. Even the draught under a door can have a very cooling effect. If you put a thermometer on the floor you will find that it is several degrees lower than the general temperature in the room.
I think that on the floor in the cupboard under the stairs seems to be quite a favourite place. For those who live in Bungalows I will pass!
JB.
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Primrose
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I'm afraid I kept mine for three months in lidded polythene boxes in the lounge over the winter while I gradually sorted them out following a knee op. (They're normally stored in our cool garage). This was obviously too warm for them and I'm wondering if it's why none of my courgette & mini cucumber seeds (2007 packets) have germinated.