syntheticbutterfly
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Location: Rojales, Alicante Spain

Seed Germination

I have never tried growing much veg before, and wanted to know if its better to germinate seeds indoors or whether I can just chuck them in out of doors.

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rainbowgardener
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That's a very large question. It depends on what you want to grow and also on your climate, growing season etc.

Peppers for example, are very slow. Those of us northern gardeners with shorter growing seasons, wouldn't get very many peppers if we didn't give them a head start by starting them indoors.

I don't know your climate very well, but I'm assuming being in sunny Spain you have a longer growing season, so the head start may not be as much an issue.

Root crops do not like to be transplanted, so carrots, onions, beets, etc would be direct seeded in the ground.

Very quick growers there's often no reason to start indoors. So I direct sow in the ground lettuce and other greens (spinach, swiss chard, etc) as well as peas and beans.

Most other veggies I tend to start indoors, especially tomatoes. Lot of advantages of the indoor start -- easier to baby them with hot pads, 16 hrs a day of light, etc.

Of course "just chuck them in" was loose usage for direct seed in the ground and then take very good care of them! :)

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Ozark Lady
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A simple rule of thumb for me is... seed size.
The smaller the seed, the greater the likelihood that it will need some help getting started.
I start tobacco and mullein inside as a matter of routine, it is not buried, just laid on top of the soil. I have sowed them outside with very poor results.
I also start tomatoes and peppers inside, again, based on seed size and the fact that often tomatoes and peppers are heat killed in August.
So, in effect some years my garden season ends and begins again in July and August. So, I start some early to grow before, and then start some more protected from the heat, to use as replacements, should some fail due to the heat.
I direct sow, many seeds like cucumbers, squash, melons, corn, okra, peas, beans, lettuce, radishes, swiss chard.
I know lettuce and radish seeds are small but they grow so fast, that there just isn't time to transplant. ha ha
I also usually start cabbage and broccoli seeds inside, to get them more sturdy for the garden, because they seem to really bear the brunt of bug attacks in my garden and they need a head start! Still, some years like 2009 I got no food from them, just a great catch crop... they caught all the bugs! I left them in the garden, hopefully, these brave individuals will set seeds in 2010 as a reward for their valor... They refused to die.

The Helpful Gardener
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Nice list MG. Thanks!

HG

syntheticbutterfly
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Location: Rojales, Alicante Spain

Awesome response, thanks every one.

purplerose
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Marlingardener wrote:....
Inside starters: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, basil
......
Marlingardner. Do you start your tomatoes and broccoli inside even in summer? Sydney Jan summer weather is around 25 - 30 deg C (77 - 86 deg F). February can get hotter sometimes (not always) high 30's on the occasional bad day low 40s (95 - 105 deg F).
My tomatoes, planted early spring, are now starting to look a little sorry. I'm thinking to try to plant from seed for a change. I'm also thinking to try broccoli seeds a little later. (FYI Sydney can get what we call "Indian summers", its quite warm even in early autumn and then all of a sudden it starts to cool off.)

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rainbowgardener
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No matter your growing season, starting indoors gives the seedling some advantages of being pampered in constant even temperatures, 16 hrs a day of light, no wind, etc. But it is necessary if your growing season is short, whether it is short because it gets too cold or too hot.

Tomatoes don't do very well at temps above 90. In extreme heat ripening is delayed and pollination is impaired so they can't set more fruit. So you may need to start your tomatoes earlier and/or indoors and figure they are done once it gets too hot. Depending on what the rest of the year is like maybe you can start over with fresh plants for the fall.

purplerose
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Thanks RainbowGardener.



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