The gardening year is well underway and we eagerly await the fruits of our labor! Here at Siskiyou Seeds we are busy growing new seeds for next year.  We grow many of the seeds we sell here on our home farm and the rest are grown by a network of farmers throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

Having vigorous and healthy plants is one of our goals at Siskiyou Seeds. So each year not only do we spend time trialing varieties and selecting for the best genetics but we also perform rigorous germination testing on all the seeds we have in stock. Germination testing at Siskiyou Seeds is a 6 month process. Our Lead Seed Coordinator does more than 1500 individual germination tests.

Seeds can germinate at very broad ranges of temperature and at varying conditions. When we do our in house germination we are looking at how well seeds do at optimum temperatures and with the most accurate germination technique possible. We check seeds for vigor (how fast they germinate) and for seedling health. Some of our perennial herbs are quite difficult to germinate and require multiple month long processes in order to coax the plant to grow. 

When you look at your seed packet, there is a germination percentage on the description tag. There are USDA standards for germination percentage depending on the type of seed in order for the seed to be sold. The germination percentage is the number of healthy vigorous sprouts that occurred in the seed sample.

It is important to check the germination percentage because it can help you decide how many seeds to plant. If you have ten seeds and a 50% germination, then you should plant all of the seeds if you want to end up with 5 plants.

We know it can be tricky to get the conditions exactly right for germination. We also know how disappointing it is when only a few of your precious seeds sprout. So we took the time to create a new resource which will help you be successful in growing every plant that we grow here!

Click on the links below to download our printable guides:

Download Vegetable Germination Chart

Download Flowers Germination Chart

Download Herbs Germination Chart 

 

Best of luck and happy planting!