Fast sprouting seeds?

Hi all,

I have a project that I'm suppose to help some school children with either this week or next. Can some readers here suggest some seeds that are quick to germinate? Time is an issue with this project...

TIA, Jenn

Reply to
Jenn Vanderslice
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Many years ago, when I was in grade school, we always used Bean seeds. They seemed to germinate quickly. Mikael

Reply to
Mikael

Radish, mung beans, rye grass. I'll think of some fast-germinating flowers later.

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

Lima beans work well. They're big too so the kids can see all the "parts". They'll even germinate on a moist paper towel. The trick is to have a nice warm constant temperature for speedy germination.

-al sung Hopkinton, MA (Zone 6a)

Reply to
Alan Sung

Jenn,

Great project! There is nothing like teaching young children about growing things.

Beans are usually a good thing to use and they usually sprout within a week. If you soak them in warm water about three hours before you plant them they sprout even quicker. Radishes, Peas, and Onion Sets are fast sprouters too.

One teacher that I know uses sunflowers seeds and she does her project in May so that the kids can start their seeds, watch them grow for a few weeks, and then take them home and plant them in the garden and watch them grow all summer. Each fall her students from the past year bring her pictures of the little sunflower they took home that grew to six foot giants.

Reply to
Bill R

I recommend radishes. You can go from seed to salad in 3 weeks.

Reply to
dps

Marigold seeds germinate within a few days;

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Reply to
VMWOOD

Basil.

-n-

Reply to
Steve

I'm assisting a small local school to help the students have plants to show in this event:

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's about 7-8 weeks away (they're getting a late start...)

I appreciate everyone's help...

/J

Steve wrote:

Reply to
Jenn Vanderslice

I'd go for sunflowers - nice fresh seeds will germinate in less than

week in warmth and light, and kids love the giant types. They're s cheerful and vibrant, and when the're starting out you can practicall see them growing!

Best of luck

-- undergroundbob

Reply to
undergroundbob

I have planted seeds of Hollyhock and Painted Daisy March the 7^th and to day the 11^th , I saw that some have sprouted already. Some of the seeds planted this year that have sprout in just a few days are Seeds Planted sprouted Echinacea 22-02-05 27-02-05 Jacob's Ladder 22-02-05 27-02-05 Begonia 16-02-05 26-02-05 Chrysanthemum 09-02-05 12-02-05 Gerbera 10-02-05 14-02-05 Heliotrope 22-02-05 27-02-05 Snapdragon 22-02-05 27-02-05 Françoise.

Jenn Vanderslice wrote:

Reply to
Françoise

Someone is telling me they're going to start a raised bed veggie garden with a load of compost. Not digging it in, just planting in compost. When I said, get a soil test first, and you need to dig the compost in etc..., he said I was wrong. I don't mind being wrong, but am I missing something here with what he's doing?

Thanks, Jeana

Reply to
Jeana

Reply to
Texas Tomatoes

I can't see where anyone is "wrong." Good compost alone has much what's needed to make plants grow, but some plants will grow better, have minerals available and have better support when the compost is tilled into the ground. There are different kinds of compost--some made entirely from animal manure, some from decayed vegetation matter. Take a look at his garden mid-summer and let us know?

Reply to
Phisherman

I will let you know. I think he's fairly new at this, but he does have a plan. ;) And I'm curious too.

Thanks

Reply to
Jeana

Yeah. Right/wrong doesn't seem to be the best way to frame this question.

What kind of "compost", and whether it's finished composting are important issues. How thickly it's spread, what kind of soil is underneath, what's being grown, what the weather conditions will be, and whether some, and what type of mulch might be used will factor in as well.

We're talking about a raised bed, but how raised are we talking? If we're talking more than six inches over the existing soil, there may not be any reason to till anything into it. If it's hardpan, breaking it up a little would help with drainage, but you wouldn't need to till in the material you're using to fill the bed.

If they're buying bags of "planting compost", it's not really what we might call compost. It would be a mix of compost and soil, which gets us back to the same kind of medium you'd get tilling compost into the existing soil.

And what is their goal in this garden? Do they want to turn it into a project to maximize the yield from some vegetables? Or are they just looking to put something in that spot of the yard, and decided that they'd like to try their hand at vegetables? To some of us, seeing how great of a crop we can get is fun. To others, soil tests, and optimizing the growing medium and such takes all the fun out of it.

For some people, gardening isn't a competitive sport. It's like the difference between someone who buys special running shoes, and keeps a training diary, versus someone who just goes out and runs around the neighborhood in their basketball shoes every couple of days. If you take these people off, and tell them that they need to get the right shoes, and keep a training diary, they might stop running all together because it's no longer fun.

They're not setting themselves up for failure. They're probably not going to hurt themselves. Depending on what kind of "compost" we're talking about, whatever they're going to plant will probably grow. They may not be ready for the competitive vegetable harvest circuit in fall, but their approach may result in enough to satisfy them.

Right or wrong? Nope. Just different.

Reply to
Warren

Shame on me. I forgot how fun it was to throw caution to the wind, and just go ahead and do something. I'm not going to "help" him unless he specifically asks again. I must be getting old, good grief!

I did warn him about buying that sewer sludge stuff though.

Thanks, Jeana

Reply to
Jeana

As anyone who's maintained (or rather, not maintained) a 'cold' compost pile, plants *love* it and will take root or germinate in compost in profusion. However, 'compost' usually refers to partially decomposed organic matter that will continue to decay and disappear. Without any soil, your friend will have sunken gardens rather than raised beds.

Reply to
Frogleg

I prefer to dig my compost in. Reason: To leave it on the surface could kill the living organisms in it. I say bury it. But there are lots of ways to skin a cat...some are better some are worse. Most will work to some degree. Gary

Reply to
Compost Nut

Reply to
John Wheeler

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