Seeds don't need light to germinate, but they do need warmth. I placed my trays of seeds in a kitchen cabinet that has a kick-space heater under it. It kept them nice and toasty.
I covered the trays with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture.
Smokey was a curious cat!
The plastic wrap acted like a green house and I never had to water them while it was on.
I checked them daily anyway to be sure!
Three days later I had my first sprouts popping up.
I then moved them upstairs to the spare bedroom.
After a few more had sprouted, I removed the plastic wrap.
Someday, I want to get a light, like these , so my seedlings will grow up straight.
Even though they are in a sunny window, the angle of the sun in the winter doesn't give them enough light.
They grow more on the shady side and lean to the light, so every day I have to turn the trays around.
These are the spanish onions. The little seed heads look like cute little hats!
The evergreen scallions are doing well, but the red baron didn't come up at all.
I could have saved myself some trouble by doing a germination test on the old seeds or by reading about onion seeds.
I would have learned that onion seeds have to be bought fresh each year. They don't have a shelf life.
Ten years from now, this will be known to me, but now, it is all a learning experience.
I got my back ordered red onions in the mail the other day. Only the ones I ordered were out of stock, so they sent me a substitute. It's an heirloom onion called Southport Red Globe. I'll try to get that one started this weekend. It feels good to be starting some gardening!
One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a package of garden seeds.
- Dan Bennett
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