I'm puzzled at failure of corn and chard to germinate this year. They've
always done fine before. I planted the same corn that I did last year, and
of two packets got only 8 plants. I'm guessing maybe I got a bad lot.

But that doesn't explain the chard. I planted the same chard that I did last
year (not in the same place as last year, but a place where it did well a
couple years ago) and it never came up. A second packet of a different kind
from a different company failed. A third packet from yet another company
failed. The area is moist but well drained, more evenly watered now than the
last time I grew chard there. I screened it against birds and rabbits.
Muskmelons, asparagus, beans, and cilantro are growing just fine all around
the spot where the chard never came up, and weeds don't have a problem with
it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Kathy

too strong soil? chard does not like unfinished compost. Or too acid
soil.

"Kathy" expounded:

I'm puzzled at failure of corn and chard to germinate this year. They've
always done fine before. I planted the same corn that I did last year, and
of two packets got only 8 plants. I'm guessing maybe I got a bad lot.

But that doesn't explain the chard. I planted the same chard that I did last
year (not in the same place as last year, but a place where it did well a
couple years ago) and it never came up. A second packet of a different kind
from a different company failed. A third packet from yet another company
failed. The area is moist but well drained, more evenly watered now than the
last time I grew chard there. I screened it against birds and rabbits.
Muskmelons, asparagus, beans, and cilantro are growing just fine all around
the spot where the chard never came up, and weeds don't have a problem with
it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Kathy


I don't know, but if you find out, would you tell me? I've had
terrible germination with chard and carrots. I've finally got a chard
crop, but my carrots are horrible, I'll get a few.....I may replant
yet again (this'll be the third time). Spotty rows are all I've got.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

It might be that they germinate only after the soil temperature gets high
enough. After they have been in the ground too long, some seeds will rot
before germinating. I like to plant my onions, beets, potatoes, etc. early
in the spring, and then after harvesting them, replant with carrots,
radishes, and turnips. That way the temp is right since the first planting
is of cold weather stuff, and the second planting is done when the soil temp
is up. I am in zone 5 (Kansas).

Dwayne

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
I'm puzzled at failure of corn and chard to germinate this year. They've
always done fine before. I planted the same corn that I did last year, and
of two packets got only 8 plants. I'm guessing maybe I got a bad lot.

But that doesn't explain the chard. I planted the same chard that I did
last year (not in the same place as last year, but a place where it did
well a couple years ago) and it never came up. A second packet of a
different kind from a different company failed. A third packet from yet
another company failed. The area is moist but well drained, more evenly
watered now than the last time I grew chard there. I screened it against
birds and rabbits. Muskmelons, asparagus, beans, and cilantro are growing
just fine all around the spot where the chard never came up, and weeds
don't have a problem with it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Kathy

"Kathy" wrote:

I'm puzzled at failure of corn and chard to germinate this year. They've
always done fine before. I planted the same corn that I did last year, and
of two packets got only 8 plants. I'm guessing maybe I got a bad lot.

But that doesn't explain the chard. I planted the same chard that I did last
year (not in the same place as last year, but a place where it did well a
couple years ago) and it never came up. A second packet of a different kind
from a different company failed. A third packet from yet another company
failed. The area is moist but well drained, more evenly watered now than the
last time I grew chard there. I screened it against birds and rabbits.
Muskmelons, asparagus, beans, and cilantro are growing just fine all around
the spot where the chard never came up, and weeds don't have a problem with
it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Kathy

I would bet on temperature. Best soil temps for chard germination are
40 to 70 degrees F. For corn 55 to 85.

I had trouble with beans germinating this year. Started reading and
discovered that they won't germinate if it gets too cold. So I
decided to make sure next year that I would not plant unless it would
stay warm for the entire germination period.


--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
I'm puzzled at failure of corn and chard to germinate this year.

You all might be onto something with the soil temperature. I don't have a
soil thermometer so I can't be sure. But we did have a very long cool spring
this year, which is different from any other year when the same vegetables
did well. Frosts ended early but summer heat didn't come on until a couple
of weeks before the corn went in, after the third chard planting. I thought
that would be enough to warm the soil; maybe it wasn't. I suppose I'll know
if the fourth chard planting comes up well. It had better - I've run out of
seed and run out of summer too.