How to Figure Out What Went Wrong if your Vegetable didn't Sprout

When beginners are learning how to grow vegetables occasionally a plant will fail to sprout. Do not let this discourage you. Instead just take a quick evaluation to see if you can pinpoint exactly what happened.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• seeds to replant

1. First, did you water as you were suppose to? Not only does lack of water kill plants or make them fail to sprout, but over watering can have the same effect. Watering too frequently can cause excess moisture to build up in the soil. If it is during the initial growing season, seeds will rot if they get too much moisture. A simple and easy way to tell if your soil is moist enough is to stick your finger inside about two inches. If it feels dry to this depth, you will probably want to water.
   Another problem with over or under watering is that it can cause the soil to crust over, making it too hard for a new plant to break through. If you are such you watered properly move onto the next step.
2. The second reason seeds fail to germinate would be because of depth. Did you plant the appropriate depth in the soil? Most smaller seeds only need to be planted around 1/4 or 1/2 of an inch. Larger seeds such as beans or corn need to be planted only about an inch into the soil. If you plant too shallow they will simply erode away and if you plant too deep it may be too far for the sprout to find it's way to the top. If unsure about the depth, most seed packages will instruct how far to plant.
   If you planted the appropriate depth, then move on to step three...
3. The last step to check is sunlight, did your soil receive adequate sunlight during this phase? Some people may be under the misconception that plants do not need sunlight until they actually see a sprout. This is incorrect because the soil absorbs the sunlight and warm which helps the plant to grow. If you are planting outside did you plant during the recommended season? Some seeds need early or late spring warmth and sun while others need early or late summer warmth. Also, if planting inside, did you use the number of hours of light recommended for the plants growing season?
4. If you have followed all of these steps properly and do not see a problem with the way you planted, then just replant.
   If you can look and see where you possibly went wrong then adjust and replant.
   The main thing is to not get discouraged and try again. Just like riding a bike, if you don't have initial success, try again until you get it right.