How exciting!! Did you prop the plank up on something and, if so, how far and on what? Congratulations!
:)

Excellent idea! Thanks for sharing...

Nancy

No propping up, I just laid it on top the soil. I didn't check it one day, and the next, the carrot seedlings were already an inch long, flat on the ground. They all recovered and are upright now.

Good follow-thru, David. Garden ideas nearly always require a 12 month wait before one can try them.

It's probably a character flaw but I've gone thru life avoiding whatever is under rocks and boards. There's the key to your success here, you ventured to look on a regular enuf basis to discover the seedlings before they died in the damp and darkness. And, with an often 3 week germination period for carrots - good job.

I came to rely on pelleted seed and this year made a wholesale commitment to Nelson Nantes. What happens? Johnnies backorders my pelleted carrot seed until June . . . still hasn't arrived.

I purchased some unpelleted seed for 1 or 2 experiments and was just looking at the carrot bed this morning. What an embarrassment - nearly bare ground!

digitS'

Congratulations Dave on your success!

I, too, have a new germination attempt that appears to be a winner! Pigging-backing on several ideas this was what I did for carrots in my SFG:

1T. cornstarch in 1c. water, boiled and then allowed to cool. Smeared this lightly with my fingers all over one piece of cheap paper towel. Sprinkled between my dry fingers the carrot seeds. Used the end of a chop stick to arrange the seeds such that I would not have to thin (just incase I got 100% germination, I am an optimist). Laid this in the prepared bed, covered lightly with topsoil and keep moist till germination. These photos are at day 20.

Not planning on doing any thinning! Maybe try this and it wonÂt be too late for you Steve?

Wow, Lookit dat!

digitS'!

This makes me so much better. I just moved to CO from Seattle, and planted my first true vegetable garden. I was so disappointed in the germination of carrots and lettuce. It's nice to know that this failure (probably) wasn't my complete incompetence!

Well, carrots are one thing but lettuce . . . . . . no, no, just kidding, Alice!

I showed up on this forum because, even tho' I'm here in the interior of the Pacific NW, nothing (& I mean nothing) made any sense to me concerning gardening in what is defined as the Pacific NW. I donÂt believe the world even knows that Washington and Oregon just might include some land east of the Cascades.

It wouldn't have helped much at all if you'd gardened in the Seattle area before planting your garden here in the Intermountain West, U.S.A. In Seattle, the soil never seems to dry out. Here, the oppositeÂs true.

(But, before I hijack this thread from David -- here's something he had to say earlier this Spring ;o):

"RE: Participation - GW

Posted by david52 z5CO (My Page) on Mon, Apr 16, 07 at 14:15

I enjoy hearing about other's gardening experiences, and then I don't feel so bad."

I tried the cornstarch / paper towel trick with my second crop of lettuce and spinach, and so far it's a rousing success. Seems like almost 100% germination. Which is very gratifying since I decided to do this in the middle of a 90+, very humid day! Maybe it was the sweat pouring off of me - some sort of secret ingrediant!

Now I'm just curious to see if they'll take hold and grow roots through the paper towel.

A week later and all the seedlings are going strong. As I read through the thread again, I didn't boil my cornstarch and water, just mixed some together and gave it a try. Sometimes I'm just plain lazy... this time it looks like it paid off.

This is so exciting to me, as a really enjoyed the few greens that did germinate from the spring planting. In fact, my whole vegetable garden experience this year has been fantastic! I'm really kind of proud of myself, and can't wait for next spring to improve on this year's results based on my experiences.

Good for you, Alice!

Could be that the 90°+ day and all the sweat substituted for the boiling.

My June 27th planting of carrot seed in gel was a failure - I believe only 2 seedlings emerged from the soil. Planting carrots in gel on June 13th succeeded and the plants continue to grow slowly. Too much heat has interfered in both cases, I guess.

I'm a real believer in pelleted carrot seed but made a disappointing discovery this year when I learned that the pelleting apparently shortens the shelf-life of the seed. This was both my experience and the experience reported by others.

For me, the gel has been shown to be an inexpensive substitute for the pelleting. There are limits but the gel obviously improves the odds for germination.

digitS'

Yes Steve, I think the seeds benefited from the hothouse affect of the day. At first I was afraid that it was too hot, but I think there's something to be said for a second planting. Tucking these seeds into a bare spot in moist soil, surrounded by other plants to prevent wind from drying the area, and then with all the humidity... Well, I think that may have had a lot to do with the success.

I haven't tried carrots yet with the gel, but will next spring. I think next spring I will also try to set up some kind of row cover to get things going earlier.