The chilling of seeds is vernalisation. Rather than using a whole sheet of kitchen paper, where the roots can start to embed in the fabric, making them difficult to remove without damage, I give each one its own tiny (1cm) piece of paper. If the root embeds, the seedling plus paper can be put into the soil. I also use a straw to blow air into the plastic bag before sealing. Thanks for this useful video.
I tried this after I watched you do it, and I was so excited to see it work. I too, was skeptical thinking the surely not. It even worked with the delphinium to my surprise! This week I watched another video from some university that does experiment stratify their seeds by potting them up into soil. Although they do this for a couple of months and have large refrigerators to do this, I’m experimenting with potting up seeds into 6 cell trays and placing them in the freezer for just one day. Since it’s only one day, I figure I could rotate several varieties without them taking up freezer space. Wish me luck. Thank you for inspiring me! 💚🌿
I am going to do this with scabiosa, I'll prepare the seeds in the 6 cell trays and I will put them in a ziplog bag, I just want to make sure I keep that humidity high from the beggining. Good luck!
@@SoilandMargaritas oh, I forgot: I moistened the soil before placing the seeds and then put the tray into a bag before they went in the freezer. Today I took them out and put in foxgloves and poppies. I’ve only successfully sowed three poppy plants in my life even though I’ve sowed a gazillion and one packages every year. So I hope this will be my answer for poppies as well. 🤞🏽
I tried it after watching your other video. I placed potting soil in strawberry containers and sprinkled the seeds in. I place the containers (dirt and all) in the freezer for 24 hours. Worked on yarrow, scabiosa, bachelor buttons, and a few more!!! Thanks so much for this tip.
I'm going to try this with some pelletized Mrs. Burns lemon basil. I'd heard the pelletized seeds are unreliable after one year, but it was confirmed when I first added seed to a grocery store basil plant that's looking tired. Next, I added seed to a moist (not wet) paper towel and placed the sealed zipper bag on my floor furnace grate. A week later, a few of the seeds had sprouted and I added them to my basil pot. I haven't seen any further activity. Today I fertilized my little herb garden with a weak solution. I think I will place facial tissue inside the paper towel. My brand has texture so it was tricky pulling the delicate sprouts from the wells on the paper towel. Thank you for watching so many videos and sharing their tips with us. I just watched a new channel called, Flying By the Seeds of My Plants 😆 Love that name.
I took your advice and winter sowed today in a large bin. I’ve marked my calendar for 2x week to check them to see if they need water. Thanks for the inspiration!
Such cute little seedlings. I had my lavendar seeds (in wet paper towel in a baggie) for a few weeks and then put under my lights. I have about 10% sprouting. I planted those same varieties of Yarrow and Echinacia in my winter sowing today. 🙂
Thank you, Roxana, for sharing all this! Always very helpful and inspiring. This encourages me to start the lavender seeds in my stash that I’ve been ignoring. 🌱☺️
I've been following along as you've worked with this method this year, and I'm definitely going to try it. I have echinacea and several other perennial seeds on my list. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you for this video. I searched for long for such a detailed and relevant breakdown of the process and your video is just on point, direct and informative. Good luck with your garden and keep posting! 🙂
You have done an excellent job germinating seeds with the freezer method, you really came across into something that works! Congratulations on that regard, you are helping many people who have had a hard time germinating these type of seeds. Have you thought of placing the paper towel with the germinated seeds into soil? Have a tray with soil and then cover them lightly with vermiculite or soil placing them under grow light? The germinated seeds may grow stronger and make them easier to transfer by not damaging the seed? Even the the ones that did not germinate might have a chance to do so? Just wondering 😊❤
Thank you Carmen! There are so many ways to tweak this and make it work, as this was a test for me I can now make it better year after year by making it easier for the seeds and you are right, placing the seeds in the soil in containers already will be the easiest
I am going to experiment with this, for sure! A day or two in the freezer sure beats a month or two in the fridge! I normally sow my seeds directly after stratifying them as sprouted seeds are very fragile & it's fairly easy to damage the roots, so I would probably do the same with this method, but it would definitely be great to avoid all that advance planning! Thanks 😃
Great video! I have been watching you for quite a while and just started today to use the masking tape labels as you do. It’s a game changer!!! Those annoying plastic labels are now history for me.
I'm for sure going to try this tomorrow as I forgot to put the extra seeds from last year in the fridge. Here is something else I was told last year from a local seed company. If you have just gotten your seeds in the mail chances are they have come from cold storage (large fridges) at the factory so are already stratified. -Roxanne Zone5 🇨🇦
I always wonder about that, I am sure they are kept in a cool place just not enough to trigger the seeds... at least that's why I tell myself when I fail at germinating them lol
Great results Roxana, love 💕 the wall behind you . Is it mentioned on each seed package if the seed needs cold stratification or light or darkness to germinate etc.? I’ve never been seriously into seed starting because I don’t have the space or equipment needed and it can get expensive. The hardening off process was a real pain in the neck also the few times I tried seeds indoors. It is just amazing to see a tiny seed turn into a beautiful flower or vegetable , I’ve tried direct sowing in previous years with good results
I didn't do that for mine, but if you are on a cool room definitely the mat would help and the lights are really not needed until they germinate, my luck is that some of them would germinate and get super leggy if I don't move them under the light right away.
I have so many seeds in my freezer that i kept.since last year.. this year i tried growing lavender and what i did was. Just sow the seeds like normal.potting mix n cell and cover with seren wrap and put them outside for 2days.then i bring them inside and put in the growlight..i have a veey good germination. I think only couple is missing.
Keep a close eye on your yarrow after it’s in the ground. I had an older variety escape the bed and it has turned into an annual chore to eradicate it from areas I don’t want it. We hand pull as well as try to cut off flower heads as soon as we see them, but we’re not always around. In addition to its robust root system, seeds love our cold 6b winters! Now I’m afraid to try the gorgeous new varieties that are supposed to be well behaved.
I planted mine in a gallon (or larger) size pot when I realized what a thug it was. Years later, I yanked out all the self-seeded plants. I forgot about the buried pot. I don't even know if anything is still growing in it. I'm down to a couple weak plants. They're going this year when I overhaul that entire garden. I'm not such a fan if yarrow.
I did this with my bells of Ireland but put them in the frig for a few weeks. Took them out and put them under a lamp I have in the kitchen. They started sprouting within a few days. Of course, I got busy and forgot about them, and they are now over a month later still in the bag, still alive, and are about 3inches long.🤣 They are stuck in the paper towel. I'm afraid they are so leggy that they won't make it, so I'm going to try it again along with about a dozen other flowers I'm growing.
Hi Roxana(hope I spelt your name right,I am sorry if I haven't) I just want to thankyou for sharing your tips & advise..I have watched so many video's,read through so many websites & read a few books,but I have been trying to reasearch how to germinate my rosemary seeds lately..there is so much advice out there,all good,diffrent techniques,but sometimes it can get a bit to scientific,don't get me wrong it's really intresting & I get lost in reading it. But your video was a kinda inbetween all of the things I have researched,so now (today,wed 6th Oct 23)I am going to try this,the only thing is I soaked the seeds over night,but I have got a few I haven't soaked,so I will put the soaked & dry ones in.. This is the first video I have watched of yours,so I don't know if you cover this in your other video's but I will watch them,have you tried tried growing rosemary,or took cuttings??.. I love how down to earth you are & genuine you are..sorry for the long comment.. Thankyou for taking time to film these video's & put them here to help others,have a blessed day and take care 🙏🏻💜🤘🏻☮🦋🌼🙏🏻💜🤘🏻☮🦋🌼..
Hey 👋👋 Thank you for your sweet comment! I tried growing rosemary about 4 years ago and it was SUPER SLOW, so start it with plenty of time. I remember growing thyme at the same time and when this was about 6” tall already my rosemary was barely 1”, so plan ahead.
@@SoilandMargaritas Thankyou for taking time to reply I really appreciate it..And thankyou for your advice.. I am not the most patient of people lol,but I will just leave it,cause I have been known to give up,forget what I have put in what then shocked that I have got these other veg or flowers growing in pots🤣🤣.. Have a lovely day✌🏼☮🦋🌼✌🏼☮🦋🌼
Tomato seeds don’t need cold stratification, however, they do need a very warm - moist environment. Get a heat mat or get them close to the warmest spot in your home.
@@kfrankism it depends on the seed not the zone. I winter sow all my seeds usually - do they sit outside in January down to negative 24 degrees here usually I’m zone 5.
Some seeds require a period of "winter" conditions, when a plant goes to seed outside, the seed stays in the soil for the winter and when the temps get warmer in Spring they start to germinate, basically I am just trying to mimic that quickly since I didn't have the luxury to put my seeds in the fridge for months.
