# Tip, are my seeds to old to plant?



## beanpicker (May 25, 2011)

Years ago when I garden a lot, I would have seeds left over from were I bought to many , or simpley changed my mind not to plant as many so & so . But come next year an some times a couple two or three years , I would use this trick to sprout seeds before planting an worrying about if they were still good . ( I loked to passed out when I found out a neighbor threw out all there seed an bought NEW each year , ) 
I would take a paper towel, fold in half, then space 10 seeds on the towel, fold up or roll up an place the towel/ seeds in a baggie. wet the towel ( damp ) an zip it shut , place in a summy window . in about a week or so according to what seeds I put in it, but I would check an see how many of my seeds sprouted. If all sprouted then I was ok to plant them in the garden , if only 1/2 sprouted I would maybe drop 2-3 seeds according to what I was planting . Anouther thing I would do is if only 1/2 sprouted , I would take an make a bed of like 3 foot by 4 foot , ( instide of rows ) an sewed the seeds every were , what come up did an what didn't , didn't hurt any thing, an I didn't feel like I was waisting seed for I usually got some thing from the patch I sewed. ( I never sewed corn this way ) 

Anouther tip I would do for the younger kids to enjoy , well you help a child do it . Take a glass canning jar, or old mayo jar, but roll an sheet of news paper 3 or 4 papers thick, an place new paper roll into jar , be sure to cut the paper as tall as your jar, after paper was in jar I would fill paper tube full of sand or potting mix ,, then with a dull knife or a dowel stick, I would wiggle it between the glass an the new paper an plant a corn seed , the next wiggle area held a bean seed , an so on to maybe have 3 to 6 seeds, then water the sand an put on lid , set in a window, ( you have a mini green house ) that waters it self but small kids love to watch the seed sprouts an can understand growning things better..for they can "see" things sprout, an root an grow.. on the out side of the jar help the little one write the kind of seed planted, corn , bean, radish, etc.. with a felt marker.. At some point you have to take the lid off an course then you'll see that it is watered. or by then the little one has lost interest any way. 

Once I took the little ones ( grandkids) & I bought spearmint & pepper ment 
gum then I took them to my garden an let them smell the mints an compaired them to the chewing gum.. course then they wanted to know were was the juicy fruit plant was .. lol 

Have a young one scratch his name on a pumpkin , as the pumpkin grows so does his name . 

I onced love working with the young ones in the garden , hoping they would love to garden as much as I did, course being all boys they now hate the thought of having to garden but all have encourged me to teach the grand kids as I did them. Then all know gardening is becomeing a lost art thing an says they could garden if they have too, now if I could only confence a couple of them it getting close to were they may have too soon. 

I do want to say I am so proud of so many new garderners an love seeing post of first time gardens an first time canning, , I have canned for over 44 years an still have my heart swell with pride when I see a shelf full of my work knowing we won't go hungry come winter.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

:flower:

Lots of good information in your post. Thank you!

('where's the juicy fruit plant' made me laugh.)


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