Advice needed on sowing seeds

[tarantula_123]

Hi all im Dale and new to the forum,

I need some advice on sowing some seeds ive bought off the internet. These include atlantic giant pumpkin, goji berry and brandywine tomato.

The advice i need is:

what compost do i need to sow these, what equipment do i need to sow them in,

I am fairly new to gardening, but am very experienced in growing runner beans. I usually sow those every year in 3.5cm pots.

However, i haven't got much idea on how to sow these seeds i have. The brandywine tomato is said to be one of the best there is, so i want to get them perfect. Do i use a propagator? If not, what size pots, i.e. the plastic bag over the top to act as a propagotr. When people say use a propagator, they never state how. There is various types of bottoms to the propagator itself, or you can put small pots in etc that are seperate from other seeds. I know some use no pots and just the bottom of the propagator itself, and remove the resulting germination by hand, which i dont like doing.

So, along with this, this brings me to my pumpkin seeds, which i have never ever grown. Do i sow these in a propagator, if so, again, do i use seperate seedling trays, if so what size, if not, what do i use.

Goji berries. Im not expecting much of a reply for this, because they are quite rare i suppose. Nevertheless, these actually came to me in pods, which you have to cut open and remove the seeds. The pod seems very dry, which i presume is the dried fruit itself, as it is quite sticky when cut open, and the seeds resemble chilli seeds by appearence. Have i bought the correct thing? Again, what equipment do i need to germinate these.

Finally, i know a lot of people just use ordinary compost out of grow bags, but i want the best. What sowing/potting compost should i use? I was thinking of using the John Innes basic sowing compost, but will use anything recommended. I have endless amounts of well prepared horse manure from a relative who keeps horses, so that shouldnt be a problem.

The facilities i intend to use for the pumpkins and goji berries are basically a long strip of well kept soil. I intend to keep the tomatoes in a plasticky type cheaper version of a greenhouse, which actually is very good.

I know this sounds full on, but time is running out for sowing.

Many Thanks, Dale.

[David Hare-Scott]

Nice rich soil would be good. One does not need to grow in pure compost.

Why do you need any?

Why do you need a propagator? What is your climate?

Generally they don't like to have their roots disturbed. Either sow them directly or use tapered seedling tubes, one each tube.

David

[David Hare-Scott]

That tells me where you are, not if it is warm enough for seeds to germinate. What will be the daily temperature range in the place where you want to start your seeds?

Why surely? You seem focussed on this. You need a propagator only if you are trying to germinate seeds when it is too cold for normal development. If it will be warm enough without it you are wasting time and money.

Pumpkins i

No I mean tubes. They are about 15cm high and wider at the top than the bottom, the cross section is square, made of plastic, sit in racks of about

1. They are used to start tube stock: ie trees, shrubs and the likes. They have the advantage that the roots don't go round and round and the whole root ball comes out easily in one chunk allowing it to be planted without disturbing the roots. Ask at your nursery.

Your climate (amongst other things) will also determine how well these giant pumpkins do. You will need a lot of space in full sun, with a long warm/hot growing season for them to become impressive.

David

[David Hare-Scott]

That seems to be the outside temperature. Is that where you are going to start your seeds? Is there no sun-facing window in the house where it would be warmer?

D

[Billy]

If you want to sow your pumpkin seeds in your garden, you should wait until the soil is 70F (21C). Otherwise sow indoors at least 3 - 4 weeks before the last frost. I use germination trays as found on

I'm not endorsing Park Seed, it's just the style of tray that I use, and should be found at most nurseries. You will also need good sunlight (at least 6 hr.), or a good grow light, and a heating pad with a low setting is strongly recommended.

Growing in pure compost is a bad idea.

Pumpkin, and tomatoes are heavy feeders. Goji berries? I have no idea.

I use:

N: 18.37 lb. chicken manure/ 100 sq.ft. (2.88 oz/sq.ft.)

P: 3 lb. rock phosphate/ 100/sq.ft. (.48 oz/sq.ft.)

K: How much wood ash should you use in your garden? The late Bernard G. Wesenberg, a former Washington State University Extension horticulturist, recommended using one gallon of ashes per square yard on loam to clay-loam soil, and half as much on sandier soils.

or

At least 12 lbs chicken manure, up to 5 pounds of ground rock phosphate (slow release) or 1 quart of raw bone meal (quick release) per 100 square feet, and 1 pound of ground limestone/100 sq. ft. (9.3 sq.M).

The more sun, and heat the better, although temps over 95F (35C) aren't good either. Panic at extended temps of 104F (40C). Don't water the leaves except as a last resort during hot weather. Watering the leaves will encourage powdery mildew, and cut your season short.

Good luck!

[David Hare-Scott]

You could take the temperature of this indoor spot for a few days (and nights) and if it is warm enough just plant away, if not you may need a heated propagator to get that head start on the season. There are tables on the WWW that list the preferred germination temp for many cultivated plants that will help you decide, sorry I seem to have lost the link that I was thinking of.

D