If have new seeds or a few leftover seeds from previous planting seasons, germination is easy using a paper towel without any soil. This is also a good way to check whether or not a batch of seeds is still viable.
What you need
- Seeds
- Paper towelling – one full sheet
- Water – tap water is fine
- Plastic baggie – make sure that it will seal
- A warm place to sprout your seeds
Instructions
- Moisten a paper towel and squeeze out any excess water.
- Fold the paper towel in half.
- Put several seeds on one side of the folded towel. Be sure to space them out.
- Fold the other half of the towel over to cover the seeds.
- Slide the paper towel into a plastic food storage bag and seal its carefully.
- Optional : Write the date and variety of seeds on the bag with a marker.
- Set the plastic baggie in a hot spot like direct sunlight, the top of your refrigerator or above a water heater.
- Check the seeds for germination in two or three days. Depending on the variety, seeds take from several days to two weeks to germinate.
- Monitor the progress every day thereafter. Spritz the top layer of the paper towel gently with water if it has started to dry.
Optional : Count the germinated seeds. The number of germinated seeds divided by the total number of seeds started times 100 is equal to the percent success rate. This will be a good indication of whether the rest of the seeds in the package are worth using.
Ninety percent is an excellent germination rate. Eighty percent is still good. Even 60 to 70 percent is an acceptable, but somewhat low germination rate. At 60 – 70%, you can still use the package, but sow several seeds per spot. If only 50 percent or less of the seeds germinate, don’t even consider using them, throw away the package immediately.
As always, have fun. Enjoy your gardening efforts.