"Elliott Plack, USAR" wrote:

Hello. I just started my first herb garden, as a hobby, because I enjoy
cooking. I love the smell of mint and the many varieties it comes in. I
also have a large garden that I would be happy for mint to take over.
Anyway, I bought some mint plants and some seeds, for experimentation.

So far (about 1.5 weeks) the mint plants in pots are doing fine. I have
Chocolate Peppermint, Pineapple, Corsican, and Apple mint in pots. I
also planted a Orange mint and a Chocolate Mint outside, in a hole
filled with topsoil. Finally, I planted all the seeds in the packet of
regular mint, and spearmint in small pots, with a little topsoil.

Like is said, the potted ones are OK. The ones outdoors are not OK, but
I think it's because of the fact I haven't watered them enough. The
seeds however are not sprouting. Is it because they are too close? I
didn't leave but a few millimeters between each seed. I planted some
basil in a similar way but it seems to be doing alright.

Where did I go wrong?

Are the pots outside too? Experienceing the same level of sun and
rain? The root zone of pots gets hotter and drier than their in-ground
cousins. Usually they need more water as days get warmer.

To be clear...
Plants were planted in pots AND outside, outside are "not OK".
The seeds were ONLY planted in pots and aren't sprouting.

Seeds need to absorb water first. Soaking seeds for 24-36 hours before
planting them has sped up and improve germination rates for me. Some
seeds are very finicky to sprout. They need a certain humidity or
specific temperature range to sprout. Sometimes refrigerating seeds
first helps. Might need to research mint specific.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
3rd year gardener
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/royalf...=/2055&.src=ph