• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • John F Dean
  • r ransom
  • Jay Angler
  • Timothy Norton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Tereza Okava
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • M Ljin
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Megan Palmer

Radish seedlings not sprouting after 6 days zone 6a

 
Posts: 6
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello, this is my first garden and i was expecting my radishes to start sprouting by now and i am starting to question if i did something wrong. Things that come to mind are


1)My garden bed top soil is not leveled so water pools on one side and i already sowed seeds and dont want to add more soil and have the seeds too deep.


2)I might have air pockets where i sowed the seeds


3)maybe 50/50 loam-compost is not a good mix for seedlings


4)I might of planted too early (i sowed radish,beets,spinich,carrots,peas seeds on April 18 - brocolli on April 19)


Anyone have radishes that have already sprouted in zone 6A?


Thank you!
 
Posts: 83
15
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Six days is still pretty normal honestly, especially if your soil is on the cool side. Radishes can take anywhere from 4 to 10 days depending on temperature, and zone 6a in spring the soil might not be as warm as the air feels. I wouldn't worry yet. The pooling water thing is worth sorting when you can though, waterlogged seeds tend to rot before they sprout.
 
zach sabri
Posts: 6
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Joao Winckler wrote:Six days is still pretty normal honestly, especially if your soil is on the cool side. Radishes can take anywhere from 4 to 10 days depending on temperature, and zone 6a in spring the soil might not be as warm as the air feels. I wouldn't worry yet. The pooling water thing is worth sorting when you can though, waterlogged seeds tend to rot before they sprout.



Thank you very much for the response! My current thinking is once i start to see some sprouts just outside of the waterlogged area which is the section where my carrots are - i will have a better idea of if i have rotted the seeds under there and will replant. It does drain after 15 minutes but certain spots are pooling more than others which i will be trying to fix on bed number 2 tomorrow by watering the soil before i sow the seeds and seeing where the pooling is, then adding more soil there
 
steward
Posts: 18687
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4732
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I agree, your soil may not be warm enough, area could be too shady, etc.
 
gardener
Posts: 2188
Location: Zone 6b
1375
forest garden fungi books chicken fiber arts ungarbage
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I am wondering how your spring and early summer weather is like. I am in zone 6a, and historical data shows 50% chance of frost free after April 15. I sowed my seeds 6 weeks prior to that date and did encountered three below freezing temperatures.  With protection they are doing fine and actually bolting already. I harvested some radishes last week and the remaining ones are sending flower stalks. So the window for cool season veggies can be very short, depending on your location. Hardness zone is an indication of how cold it can get in winter. If you are in the coastal region with maritime climate, you are fine. But I do feel you can have warm season veggie seedlings ready in case it gets hot quickly.
 
zach sabri
Posts: 6
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Anne Miller wrote:I agree, your soil may not be warm enough, area could be too shady, etc.



I have got the beds in an all day sunny spot on the property, one thing tho is nights are still dropping to low 30 degrees F here so maybe the soil is too cold

Night time temps since April 18: 41,27,21,27,34,29,31
 
zach sabri
Posts: 6
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

May Lotito wrote:I am wondering how your spring and early summer weather is like. I am in zone 6a, and historical data shows 50% chance of frost free after April 15. I sowed my seeds 6 weeks prior to that date and did encountered three below freezing temperatures.  With protection they are doing fine and actually bolting already. I harvested some radishes last week and the remaining ones are sending flower stalks. So the window for cool season veggies can be very short, depending on your location. Hardness zone is an indication of how cold it can get in winter. If you are in the coastal region with maritime climate, you are fine. But I do feel you can have warm season veggie seedlings ready in case it gets hot quickly.



My area says average day that last frost is is May 4th (SW New Hampshire). Do you use mulch for protection?
 
zach sabri
Posts: 6
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

zach sabri wrote:

May Lotito wrote:I am wondering how your spring and early summer weather is like. I am in zone 6a, and historical data shows 50% chance of frost free after April 15. I sowed my seeds 6 weeks prior to that date and did encountered three below freezing temperatures.  With protection they are doing fine and actually bolting already. I harvested some radishes last week and the remaining ones are sending flower stalks. So the window for cool season veggies can be very short, depending on your location. Hardness zone is an indication of how cold it can get in winter. If you are in the coastal region with maritime climate, you are fine. But I do feel you can have warm season veggie seedlings ready in case it gets hot quickly.



My area says average day that last frost is is May 4th (SW New Hampshire). Do you use mulch for protection?
The last snow we got was april 7th this year. Daytime temps are in between 45 to 70 degrees spring into early summer. Lots of rain in May/June usually


 
May Lotito
gardener
Posts: 2188
Location: Zone 6b
1375
forest garden fungi books chicken fiber arts ungarbage
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It looks like yours is very mild and still has a good amount of growing season ahead. Small seeds like lettuce, carrot and brassica don't like to be buried deep as they carry little reserves. I just broadcast and thin later. For cold protection, I cover with a wool or fleece blanket when needed. Some people start seedlings indoors and transplant larger plants into mulched bed. That would work too. Have you heard of the Ruth Stout method of deep mulching? It is suited to your local weather being developed in the New England region.
 
zach sabri
Posts: 6
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

May Lotito wrote:It looks like yours is very mild and still has a good amount of growing season ahead. Small seeds like lettuce, carrot and brassica don't like to be buried deep as they carry little reserves. I just broadcast and thin later. For cold protection, I cover with a wool or fleece blanket when needed. Some people start seedlings indoors and transplant larger plants into mulched bed. That would work too. Have you heard of the Ruth Stout method of deep mulching? It is suited to your local weather being developed in the New England region.



This is very helpful info thank you, i have not heard of the Ruth stout method but i will be sure to look into it for the second bed that i am doing tomorrow, it will be an interesting experiment seeing these two beds side by side with my mistakes from last week against what i will attempt to fix this week. i think i buried my lettuce too deep around 1/2 inch. i think bed 1 lettuce might fail
 
Arthur, where are your pants? Check under this tiny ad.
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic