They normally grow and germinate fine Jenny. I end up giving loads away but not this year.
Just one of those things. I've asked Grock to do the Marigolds for me. Normally I grow them for her but this year the ones that I sowed for her germinated and not mine. They were sown the same time, in the same compost, on the same day. The only difference is I put hers in her greenhouse.
My parsnips are just starting to come through but look thin on the ground so I'm germinating some seed to fill in the gaps.
My only real problem has been chillies and peppers. Ten different sorts and not a single one germinated. Three sowings, total failure. Last year I had thousands! Seedling has kindly given me some cayennes and I do have half a dozen plants which have over wintered and are doing well so all is not lost.
Strangely at least three people I've spoken to at the plot have had total failure with their indoor bean sowings. My are coming up like weeds, in fact most things are apart from the chillies.
Chantal
I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
lots of my flowers didnt even germinate,but luckie 4 u tart we got lots of toms,take 6 out of joes greenhouse,there on the floor in little pots,hes also takin a load into work 4 other people.
It's only my second year at this,so thought it was my lack of expertise! Reassured to hear others have struggled to get things to germinate. My carrots, several types, are on their third attempt and have only got about 30% germination. After thinning, won't be enough for a meal! I had to sow brassicas several times, then ordered a shipping order of plants, only to succeed with my final "right, this is your last chance!" sowing, and now have 120 plants arriving any day, plus about 60 of my home grown! Sadly, not enough space to put them all in now. I've never done well with bedding plants, but tried loads this year, with terrible results. Plenty of not at all interesting marigolds, and not much else. Hanging baskets are going to be a bit dull..... My first lot of peas and some beans rotted, but all my tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and corgettes have been fine. The free Tigerella in KG are doing the best so far.
I'm sure it's not just you, tea-shot; it's definitely me too. But it's what happens after sowing that gets me. I sowed carrots in toilet-roll inners in Jones' horse-manure compost and they came up well. The I put them in the ground, well prepared with leafmould etc, and they all died. The next lot I sowed got wind of this and didn't bother to surface at all.
The same thing has happened to a whole lot of swedes which germainated well and then just stopped growing. I did the same to kohl rabi and one out of 20 has appeared.
I have had a very poor germination ratio from pumpkins [Tom Fox] and my Parthenon courgettes from T&M in the house. I mean to sow a lot more now directly into the ground and see what happens to them.
Personally, I think it's igglies in the ground that get them. Doesn't explain the results indoors, though.
I think they're what we up here call pryfetach - or are they just headless wigglies
Alan
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg) Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
