How to Germinate Seeds
Whether you’re a beginner or a farmer for many years, germinating seeds successfully will always remain a challenge. Some seeds germinate easily while others do not. Generally, though, germinating seeds successfully requires the following steps.
Choose good, healthy seeds that have a bigger chance of surviving. Choose fresher seeds over seeds stored over the previous winter or longer as they are more likely to have dried up. Remove seeds that look deflated, discolored or rotting. Choose seeds that are robust, in the proper shape and in a good healthy color.
If you do need to store seeds, put them in a dry sealed jar and store them in the refrigerator.
Prepare a place where you would plant your seeds. Carefully label them so as not to mix the plants up. The most ideal place to plant seeds to germinate is soilless potting mix, to prevent diseases and weeds getting in the way of their growth. If that’s not available, opt for loose, damp soil.
Put the potting material in that has room for the seeds to germinate and a proper drain. Don’t overpack the potting material too much.
Read the seed’s packaging labels, if there are any. They provide valuable information on how to germinate those seeds, and if there are any specific steps that you need to do to encourage them to grow.
Plant the seeds, in the depth as recommended by their labels. If no recommendations are available, a depth of half an inch should do. You can also base the depth of twice the length of the seed itself. Use your finger to push them gently in the soil. Do not crowd the seeds together.
Put a plastic cover over the soil, but take it off once the seeds begin to sprout.
Keep the soil well-watered, but make sure that the soil is damp, not wet.
Provide heat and light to your seeds. Place them in a warm (not hot) area. Mornings and late afternoons are great times to expose your seeds to light. Otherwise, you can simply have an incandescent light trained on your seeds all throughout the day. Keep the soil temperature at least above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Have a little patience. With tender loving care, the seeds should germinate.