Sowing & Growing

To speed the process and improve germination rates, scald the the seeds by pouring hot water over them. We mean Hot! As in water that has been brought up to a boil. Let the seeds soak in a small amount of the hot water (less than 4 ounces), until the water is room temperature again. The outer seed coat should soften and a layer begin to slough off. This may not be immediately apparent, and will require a few repeat treatments. Repeat the process a few more times until a sublayer of seed has been exposed, or can easily be exposed by removing the seed coat with your fingers. Caution should be taken not to scald a seed that has no seed coat, or one that can easily be removed, or you will effectively cook and sterilize seed.

Let the seeds, with removed seed coats, sit in a final soak of room temperature water. The soak should only last a few hours.

For best results then  sow immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. We sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination, as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, often waiting for natural spring germination, hence giving them a full season of growth.