"MikeCT" wrote in message
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Try as I might, and unlike Monty Don, I am unable to get my ''Gardener's
Delight' tomato seeds to germinate. Should tomato seeds be germinated in
the
dark or the light? May 1st. now and I'm fast running out of patience.

MikeCT



Chit them between two small sheets of moist kitchen towel or four folded
sheets of thick toilet paper.

Moisten but don't saturate the paper with a fine mist of luke-warm water
from a plant sprayer. Lay the seeds out on the paper.

I make pairs of "slides" using the lids of margarine tubs - held together
with elastic bands and put the folded paper cut to size inside those, and
open up and inspect them daily. They can also be remoistened if necessary.

They can be left almost anywhere within reason - and light or dark - clear
or coloured lids doesn't seem to make any difference.

After a few days the small while radicle root will appear from the
pointed end of the seeds. Remove seeds as they sprout and "plant"
them rot end down into pots of compost. Or trays to suit. Make a slit
in the compost and push the seed into one side and the firm it up all
round rather than pushing it in directly as the root is brittle and
may break off.

The only extra equipment you may need are a pair of tweezers for
handling the seeds.

I got into the habit of chitting almost everything except carrots,
brassicas, lettuce, cacti etc ( even leeks and onions ) on account
of being short of room for pots on the windowsill and the cost of some
f1 hybrid, seed years ago. And have never gone back. There's far
less waste of seed, far fewer variables and far fewer things to go
wrong.


michael adams

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