We will be moving into the Fall Season after weathering through this heat wave this next two weeks. As the weather cools down, it is a great time to be sowing the seeds for fall crops. But do you know how to prepare these seeds or roots for germination?
Here are some suggestions we have for planting in Fall:
- Pumpkins
The best tasting pumpkins are those that have a plentiful amount of flesh and thin skins. To prepare the pumpkin seeds for planting, remove them and rinse off the pulp. Then, dry them on a paper towel. Pumpkin seeds removed 3 weeks after harvesting are best for planting. Larger seeds are also better for planting. As a general rule of thumb, you would need 3 times the amount of pumpkin as the number of seeds for planting.
- Beets
Beets tend to thrive in the cooler weather, so they are a good choice for the Fall planting season. A single beet seed capsule contains several seeds in it, soaking the capsule in water for 24 hours will produce better results in the germination process.
Fun fact: Beets are a biennial plant, so seeds are only available the second year into sowing them.
- Carrot
Like beets, carrots grown in fall tastes better, they are sweeter. Carrots germinate slowly but they germinate best at temperatures between 55Ė and 65ĖF. Another way to speed up this process is by priming the seeds. To prime the seeds, soak the seeds in water for an hour.Ā Place the soaked seeds onto a damp paper towel, cover them and place it in an airtight container. Leave the container at room temperature. Your seeds will be ready for sowing in 3 - 5days.