On 28/05/2020 16:40, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
David wrote:
As an experiment I've used a large deep plastic tray/box of compost as a
seed bed.

I sowed four drills of different herbs across the box (and thought I would
remember which was which!) and seedlings are now emerging.

However there isn't a nice stright line across the box, but clumps of
germination and spaces.

It is possible/likely that I didn't spread the seeds evenly.

However it is also possible that I sowed fine seeds a bit too deep.
If that is the case, would gently stirring up the fallow bits perhaps
stimulate a second burst of germination?
I am assuming that someone has had a similar problem and tried various
methods to solve it.

Yes, but not typically in seed trays. If you discover a cause, please
let me know - I am still defeated after 40 years' of trying to find out!

You can sow them from a folded piece of paper if the seeds are not too
fine and/or cut them with fine white sand so you can see where they go.

Mostly it is statistical variations but sometimes there is a stone or
void under a bald patch that made it too dry or too wet. This year far
too dry. I'm actually seeing new leaves burned to a crisp in the
sunshine even on new leaves on the hedge never mind seedlings.

My missing patches were dug up by a cat using my seed bed as a litter
tray and birds making dust baths in it. Trouble with a fine tilth.

I'm not too bad at sowing into a line more or less evenly.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown