Seed Priming Tips for Vegetable Gardeners

I came across this post on seed priming written by my favorite garden writer, Barbara Pleasant and knew I would share it with readers. You can find the GrowVeg link below.

We all want our seeds to germinate promptly and successfully. Purchased seeds are expensive and we don’t want to replant when there are failures. We lose days of the growing season and frankly, it’s disheartening, especially for beginning gardeners.

These are some of the seeds that Barbara Pleasant provides instructions for seed priming.

Seed Priming Tips for Vegetable Gardeners

I had been a vegetable gardener for years when I discovered the difference seed priming can make with vegetable seeds that are slow or erratic sprouters. In my first try, I watched with amazement as parsnip seedlings from primed seeds popped up like little soldiers. A different technique resulted in beet seeds that emerged with the speed of radishes, while a third method gave me spinach seedlings less than a week after planting. Everyone should know these tricks! Read more

After all, isn’t this the goal?

The read a scholarly article on seed priming, begin below:

Seed priming is an old empirical strategy used since centuries by farmers, and since decades by seed companies, to improve germination processes in cultivated plant species. The underlying mechanisms involved in this positive impact of pre-sowing treatments remained obscure for a long time. The present review aimed to summarize recent information provided by various tools allowing the identification of molecular cues conditioning priming efficiency. Read more

Update—I followed the seed priming instructions for peppers as described in the above article. In five days they had germinated and I planted in six packs today. Look forward to trying the other recommended seed priming techniques.