| Seed | Life in years | Avg days to germination |
|---|---|---|
| Broad bean | 2 | 21 |
| French bean | 2 | 14 |
| Runner bean | 2 | 14 |
| Beetroot | 5 | 13 |
| Beet spinach | 5 | 13 |
| Broccoli | 5 | 8 |
| Cabbage | 5 | 8 |
| Carrot | 3 | 16 |
| Cauliflower | 5 | 8 |
| Cucumber | 7 | 9 |
| Kale | 4 | 7 |
| Kohl rabi | 4 | 7 |
| Leek | 3 | 14 |
| Lettuce | 4 | 7 |
| Marrow | 6 | 7 |
| Courgette | 6 | 7 |
| Onion | 4 | 14 |
| Parsley | 2 | 10 |
| Parsnip | 1 | 17 |
| Peas | 2 | 10 |
| Radish | 4 | 6 |
| Spinach | 2 | 11 |
| Summer squash | 6 | 7 |
| Swede | 2 | 8 |
| Sweetcorn | 3 | 9 |
| Tomato | 3 | 7 |
| Turnip | 2 | 8 |
| Winter squash | 6 | 7 |
So what do you do with that half packet of seeds you have left over?
The main points are to keep the seeds cool, but not frozen, dark and exclude air. Reseal the little silver foil packets by folding over and then place the seeds in an airtight tin or plastic storage box. Ideally you should keep them in the fridge but anywhere cool will be fine in most households.
Checking Seed Germination Rate….
If you have a left over packet of seeds that you are unsure of check the germination rate for your seeds on kitchen paper …
To germinate, take a piece of kitchen roll and dampen it. Onto the damp kitchen roll put a number of seeds, 20 is good if you have a lot, and place into a plastic bag or Tupperware type container. Put somewhere dark and warm, an airing cupboard or a closed cupboard in an occupied room.
Check the seeds to see which have sprouted and if they fail then you haven’t wasted time and effort planting them. The table above gives the average germination time for each seed, so you know how long to wait before declaring a failure. Often they germinate well before the average time, so check frequently.
sowing temperature
Minimum soil temperature for sowing vegetables| Minimum temperature | vegetable |
|---|---|
| 21C/69F | Aubergine |
| 8c/46F | Broad bean |
| 12C/ 53F | French bean |
| 12C/ 53F | Runner bean |
| 8C/ 46F | Beetroot |
| 8C/ 46F | Broccoli |
| 8C/ 46F | Brussels sprout |
| 8C/ 46F | Cabbage |
| 8C/ 46F | Carrot |
| 8C/ 46F | Cauliflower |
| 10C/ 50F | Celeriac |
| 10C/ 50F | Celery |
| 18C/ 64F | Chilli pepper |
| 8C/ 46F | Chinese cabbage |
| 13C/ 55F | Courgette |
| 13C/ 55F | Cucumber - outdoor |
| 21C/ 70F | cucumber-indoor/greenhouse |
| 8C/ 46F | Kale |
| 8C/ 46F | Kohl rabi |
| 8C/ 46F | Leek |
| 8C/ 46F | Lettuce |
| 10C/50F | Mange-tout |
| 13C/ 55F | Marrow |
| 8C/ 46F | Onion |
| 8C/ 46F | Parsnip |
| 8C/ 46F | Peas |
| 18C/ 64F | Peppers sweet |
| 8C/46F | Radish |
| 8C/46F | Spinach |
| 18C/ 64F | Squash/pumpkin |
| 8C/46F | Swede |
| 12C/53F | Sweetcorn |
| 18C/ 64F | Tomato |
| 8C/46F | Turnip |
