How to Measure Vegetable Seeds
When it comes time to plant your first garden, you may wonder how many seeds you should plant for each vegetable that you want to grow. There is no simple number for measuring vegetable seeds, because the number varies by vegetable plant. According to Cornell University's Suffolk Extension, the best way to measure vegetable seeds is to determine the number of seeds that germinate for each plant by experimenting with them before planting your garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Layer three paper towels on top of each other and wet them. Ring the paper towels out so that they do not hold excess water and straighten them back out.
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Place six or eight seeds across the layer of paper towels at one end so that there is enough paper towel to fold over the seeds. Try to put the seeds roughly the same distance apart, and then fold the edge of the paper towel over the seeds and loosely roll it up so that the seeds are on the inside.
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Put the rolls inside a clear plastic bag and set them in a warm location. Cornell University recommends the top of a water heater, but a windowsill that gets a lot of sunlight should also provide sufficient warmth to germinate the seeds.
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Check the seeds every two to three days for sprouting. When the seeds start to sprout, figure out the percentage of seeds that successfully sprouted by dividing the number that sprouted by the total number of seeds.
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Use the percentage of germinated seeds to measure your seeds when planting. If 75 percent of the seeds for a specific vegetable sprouted, for instance, and you want to plant three of those vegetable plants in your garden, you should start with four seeds.
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Start the seeds in a seed tray to encourage successful germination. Get a seed tray and fill it with individual seed cells, put potting mix in each cell and wet it so that the mixture is moist all the way through. Make a hole in the top of the mixture in each cell and place one seed per cell, using the amount of seed you determined during the testing process. Cover the seed with a layer of potting mix.
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Put the entire seed tray into a large clear plastic bag and seal it. Place the seed tray in an area that gets sunlight, such as a windowsill. As each seed sprouts, remove it from the seed tray and plant it in a separate pot. When spring comes and it is time to plant your garden, transplant the sprouts there.
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References
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
