Thursday, February 28, 2008

Sprout Redux

The seed sprouting has had mixed results. Mark folded five varieties of peppers into damp paper towels, and two sprouted well--purple coffee (in 1 week) and hot lemon (in 10 days). The habaƱeros didn't sprout at all in 10 days, although that may be because they were from the fruits of hybrid peppers we ordered from Burpee last year. We also sprouted two other varieties that didn't really have enough time to sprout before we planted them. Tonight we planted all of our hot peppers, including some purple coffee and hot lemon that weren't sprouted, so we'll see if it makes a difference.

Regardless, we will be sprouting the melon and squash seeds later in the season. This is because they're sown directly in the ground at a time when the soil may still be too cold for them to germinate in a timely fashion. There's a good chance that we can give those plants a head start by sprouting them. Others, like snap peas, we may just soak for a bit to get them ready to go outside.

Not every seed can be sprouted or presoaked, such as seeds that are high in starch. Kate is using this information to attempt to keep Mark's sprouting zeal in check.

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