How long do celery and salsify take to germinate?

[Millymollymandy]

Never grown either before and I sowed the celery direct in the ground on 5th May but nothing has appeared yet.

The salsify was sown before I went on hols (last 2 weeks of April) and I don't think that row was watered by my housesitters. It's been watered since I came back and I have 6 plants. I then resowed in all the gaps on 14/5 but nothing yet. (It doesn't help that I weeded out the first salsify I saw because I didn't realise it came up looking like grass!!! ). It's all brand new seed.

Getting a bit fed up here at the lack of germination (loads of other things not appeared!) due to either too cold or too hot or whatever.

[theabsinthefairy]

Mine took forever (salsify), I put it near the parsnips now and try to forget about the rows for at least 4 weeks, then if nothing happens, I reseed it.

[bonniethomas06]

Me to MMM - I now have Salsify and Scozonera, but both took absolutely ages to come up - at least a month, and the parsnips....I know germination can be sketchy, but they literally took two months.

My celery wasn't too bad though, at about two weeks.

I know what you mean, even my bedding plants are in a state of suspended animation and doing NOTHING

[Odsox]

I always have trouble germinating celery, and I do mine indoors in a heated propagator.
I know (or I think I know) that the seeds need light to germinate and should be surface sown .. ie, not covered with compost.
So I have no idea how you would do that outside as they would dry out every time the sun shines.
Sorry I can't help more.

[JulieSherris]

Ah... I sowed my celery on top of seed trays & stuck them in the polyhouse where it's warmest.
They've taken just 7 days to start, but the celeriac is still a no-show at the minute.

I sowed some peter pepper seeds & waited... & waited... & waited.... 4 weeks I think, maybe longer, then popped those in the polyhouse & by day 2 I had 5 out 6 little seedlings pop up!

I'm now thinking that I should make some shelving for the polyhouse & use one end as the seed starter area

[Millymollymandy]

Mine took forever (salsify), I put it near the parsnips now and try to forget about the rows for at least 4 weeks, then if nothing happens, I reseed it.

Cheers (and thanks to everyone else too), this is what I did back in March, half a row of parsnips and half of salsify. When I came back from hols there was one solitary parsnip and since then with me watering every day another 4 have managed to appear! So I'll be patient and hope some more salsify will come up from the 2nd sowing. Normally parsnips take about 3-4 weeks here but I think they went 'off' from not being watered during my hols.

Celery - didn't say on the packet to sow on the surface, just said to sow direct in the soil in May or June! Mind you French seed packets never ever tell you how deep to sow things so I just do everything about 1/2" down.

I have so much to resow and need to go to a garden centre to get fresh seed I might as well just buy bedding plants and see if they have baby celery plants.

[Millymollymandy]

Oh and as an aside I am going to stick a whole bloody packet of sweetcorn in a bowl of water and see if they DO anything. I'm so fed up!

[Odsox]

Oh and as an aside I am going to stick a whole bloody packet of sweetcorn in a bowl of water and see if they DO anything. I'm so fed up!

NO, no, no ... do that and they will rot.
Put a piece of kitchen towel in a closable container, flood it with water and then tip all the excess water out and put your seeds on that. Stick it in your airing cupboard and look at it every day.
After 3 - 4 days I guarantee they will all have shoots.

That's the way I always start my cucurbits and all my tomatoes.

[Millymollymandy]

What's an airing cupboard? Tony I was semi joking there but I fully intend to do what we discussed on the other thread which is just what you described above, only minus the airing cupboard (n'existe pas en france!). Do they need to go in the dark?

[Odsox]

Do they need to go in the dark?

I think so, I always do anyway which is why an airing cupboard is ideal, then it doesn't matter if the container is see-through.
As long as you keep them warm and moist they should germinate easily.

[Touchwood]

Oh and as an aside I am going to stick a whole bloody packet of sweetcorn in a bowl of water and see if they DO anything. I'm so fed up!

My first pack of seeds did nothing and the second pack I put in only have about 60% germination, yet I never usually have any problems

[grahamhobbs]

I have no problem germinating sweetcorn seed....so long as the b....y mice don't eat them!

Salsify self seeds very freely, as does parsnip, coming up after a winter in the ground, so maybe that's what they want - a long time in the cold soil.

[Odsox]

as does parsnip, coming up after a winter in the ground, so maybe that's what they want - a long time in the cold soil.

That's how I germinate my parsnips Graham.
I put them on kitchen towel (as above) and stick them in the bottom of my fridge for a month, and then transfer them to my airing cupboard.
When they germinate I plant them in toilet roll tubes

[grahamhobbs]

Odsox, sounds like a sound way of raising parsnips although a little involved, as they are my favourite winter vegetable, I think they are worth it for predicatable results. The only problem I can see is the number of toilet roll tubes I'm going to need!

[Odsox]

It's just about a years supply of toilet rolls, although kitchen rolls do as well cut into 3.
We already have 6 tubes for next years (2011/12) crop. !!