Check your seed dates.

caboroig

I`ve gardened for some 45 years and grown flowers, shrubs, tomatoes and fruit. This year I was determined to try a first at vegetables.
At the end of last year I ordered on line the seeds that I wanted to grow - parsnips, carrots, lettuce and radish. I also ordered potatoes to grow in containers. For simplicity, the parsnip and carrot seeds were the type contained in a paper tape - I wanted to avoid thinning out. I sowed half the tapes in February and wrote on the packets "Sow the rest in May". Up to yesterday absolutely nothing appeared but weeds. I felt 2 months was too long for germination and a little probing confirmed there was nothing there. So today I brought out the remainder of the tapes to sow and only after I had done this I spotted on the packets the expiry date - June 2010 !
These seeds were ordered from a very well known supplier and it would never have occurred to me to check - I will next time !

valk_scot

Sure June 2010 wasn't the packing date?

caboroig

Absolutely sure valk_scot!

rabidbun

I'd email the supplier to complain myself - especially with things like parsnip seeds they should have been a lot more careful!

BallandChain

I thought that seeds can still be used after the date on the packet. A lot of people have had success growing veg from seed dated several years ago.

macma

BallandChain wrote: »

I thought that seeds can still be used after the date on the packet. A lot of people have had success growing veg from seed dated several years ago.

Things like parsnip and parsley are always better fresh.That said two rows of fresh parsnip and one row of beetroot sown weeks ago have only yielded about a dozen seedlings

oldtractor

I'vehad poor germination form some seeds but those I have bought from The Real Seed company have been excellent. infact i have juat ordered some more from them. very impressed.

Davesnave

BallandChain wrote: »

I thought that seeds can still be used after the date on the packet. A lot of people have had success growing veg from seed dated several years ago.

Yes, but not so much parsnip & carrot, which is better bought fresh.

I have just germinated some seed I collected in 2006, but I wouldn't have sold it to someone else!

Personally I think things like tapes for parsnips must be a bit of a rip off because:

• germination is often poorish, so how can they space 'em effectively? (without the need to thin, which defeats the object)
• I got about 30 metres of parsnips out of one seed packet by spacing them myself. Do you get 90' of tape?