I TESTED Starting Seeds at 6 Different Depths - The Results Shocked Me!

[@MindandSoil]

Happy Saturday y'all!! I would LOVE to help you have your best gardening season ever. Click here to join GROUNDED and let's make this an amazing season! 2ly.link/1xWPX

[@AlanHiatt]

A few years ago, I worked as a seed broker at a wholesale seed company, I loved almost every minute of it. Every winter we verified germination rates from every lot of every seed variety in the warehouse. We counted out 100 seeds from every lot and tested them in petri dishes, it was basically the paper towel method in sterile conditions. If we attained the minimum germination rate within time set by the State for each seed variety, they would pass and we could confidently sell the seed, otherwise that lot would be thrown out. Some seed pass rates were shockingly low. This is why I am drawn to your video's and especially this one. I am wondering what the certified germ rate of that lettuce was, it appears you were stuck with bad seed to begin with.

[@Cinematsic]

I love your tests so I didn't hesitate to watch it! ❤

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks so much!! 🙌🏻🙏🏻

[@ambreewilliams6585]

This was a really good experiment! I've been gardening for over 20yrs and learned something new! The peas and squash were very interesting. Planting them deeper when direct sowing would be good to keep critters from attacking them outright. Planting tomatoes deeper is a good thing for root development. Too bad the lettuce seeds were bad - that would have been cool to watch the progress for them. Overall, this was one of many good videos you're done! 👍🏾👍🏾

[@MindandSoil]

Thrilled to hear that!! THx so much!

[@schnder1]

I am loving your experiments. I am new to your channel, so glad I found you. Thank you for sharing.

[@MindandSoil]

Thrilled to have you!!

[@beverlyr8152]

Great test. Thank you. Would love to see a similar test for root veggies, especially carrots 🥕

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah!! I think I will do another version of this experiment but directly down into the beds!

[@charliemagoo7943]

​@@MindandSoil some root crop like carrot may need cooler Temps so may not sprout with heat mat

[@zanewalsh1812]

19:28 that's awesome, pretty much my takeaway also. Thanks for sharing ☺️

[@MindandSoil]

My pleasure Zane, glad you enjoyed it!

[@KateMedland]

That was a great experiment! Planting at those deeper depths will stop the soil from drying out at the roots. I'll for sure be planting my Peas,Tomatoes, Squash and Cucumbers at 2 " this year

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!!

[@osmia]

Great follow through on this whole experiment. I'm definitely going to be planting some of my seeds a little deeper

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!!

[@patrickvandervalk9622]

Thanks for this helpful test. Love your other test as well, and I have changed some of my methods accordingly. Really helpful and much appreciated. Kind regards from the Netherlands

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks so much Patrick! Appreciate your kind words!

[@katrinagarland5219]

I just love your experiments... sooooo helpful. Thanks so much and keep up the good work!

[@MindandSoil]

Thrilled to hear it Katrina! If you're ever interested in joining GROUNDED just let me know!

[@charliemagoo7943]

Thanks for the test. My take is generally smaller seeds need planted with metric system measurements. Larger seeds use imperialistic measuring system.😊

[@MindandSoil]

Haha yup!

[@tamararobinson2069]

This is huge!!! I always fuss and worry about depth at planting - THANK YOU!! I do think the peas did so good at deeper because they were cooler down there🤔

[@MindandSoil]

Same here! Very happy to no longer have that angst! Haha

[@janaclerico7809]

Fascinating! Thank you.

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!!

[@honestlee4532]

It's good to keep trying things to see what works best!

[@MindandSoil]

100%, always learning!

[@yukonsmomma3562]

I always enjoy your experiments. Thank you for sharing what you find.

[@cheyno237]

Ive literally dug up seeds that had germinated several inches under soil. Tomatoes for one. Also had passionfruit grow despite having given up on them and reused composted and mixed their soil up for other plants

[@kahristeee]

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks so much!!

[@L2LBill]

Quite fascinating. I LOVE having data-based results to challenge my preconceptions. Thx Jordan!

[@CarolynStanfill-p9n]

I absolutely enjoyed this experiment. I have been gardening for years and I love learning from other gardeners. I can't wait to see what you do next. New subscriber.

[@MindandSoil]

So glad to have you Carolyn!!

[@lesliejones9372]

So instructive, thank you Jordan.

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!! Appreciate you! Got another great one coming out next weekend! 🥳

[@jerrybessetteDIY]

The tomatoes were a surprise, pushing through so much mix. When direct seeding you have to consider how loose the soil is and how fast it dries. I will be planting deeper when direct seeding.

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah definitely was a surprise!!

[@mrwormtester]

Love these experiments, nice work!

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!! Appreciate you! Got another great one coming out next weekend! 🥳

[@jamesvillas428]

Really great test. Looking forward for other experiments you are conducting 😁

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much James!!

[@joyfulparadise]

You took all my worries away. Love this channel.

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!! Thrilled to have ya!

[@Andbygrace7024]

Did you use light or heat pads?

[@MindandSoil]

I don't like using heat pads. I put a small space heater in my seed starting area and keep it around 75F/23C. That has given me the best results for germination and growth!

[@nathaniverson]

​​@@MindandSoilso you can't expect your results for 2"and 3" depths to be valid for planting seeds in the actual ground since the ground temperature is much colder than your room.

[@mntgardener9246]

This experiment was VERY helpful. TY

[@MindandSoil]

THrilled to hear it!

[@emoisit]

Try chilling the lettuce seeds over night in your fridge first. I've had to do that several times to get them to do their thing. Also on top on the soil or with a very thin layer covering them and use glow lights to get them to germinate. The guy from No-Till Growers Podcast did a video showing how he does lettuce. He does up a tray of seeds and puts them over night into the fridge and then the next day under grow lights or into his greenhouse.

[@AndrexT]

Great experiment especially at those deep depths. I always go by twice the depth of the widest part of the seed. This season, I will go deeper on Peas and Squash.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Interesting. Thanks

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!!

[@JR-kb4mh]

This vid was verry interesting to watch. Thank you!

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!!

[@ErnieHatmaker]

The Lettuce surprised me.

[@UraniumCastanets]

Enjoyed your video, with no doubt that you’re Canadian, as you are hopping fluently between metric and Imperial measurements without even thinking.

[@MindandSoil]

Hahaha spot on 🤣 I think it can cause a little unnecessary confusion but alas!

[@joniboulware1436]

I think my compost experience also proves that tomatoes and squash can be quite deep and still sprout. Also, both tomatoes and squash will sprout inside of the fruit.

[@joannrichardson5997]

I love the real life experiments

[@IoFPV]

Hey I have an experiment idea for you. I know you did straw vs bare soil but what about straw vs wood chips?

[@RobertO-yw3zm]

lettuce requires light to germinate. What light regime did you have them in?

[@NordeggSonya]

cool!!!

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Testing works better than just having a theory.

[@katie1515katie]

Thanks! Such dedication. You don't mention other variables in your experiment. What were the light conditions for the lettuce seeds? As I'm sure you know, they require light to germinate and most of the others do not. How about soil temperature?

[@PeterSedesse]

This was a great experiment, but you didn't account for one variable. Seed germination for each type is dependent on temperature also. Lettuce germinates best at around 70 while the others are up 75-80. At the higher temperatures, lettuce is much more likely to dry out (similar to carrots and herbs). Ultimately it comes down to two things... staying moist vs the seed having enough energy for the plant to make it to the surface. You want to plant seeds as deep as possible so the moisture stays consistent, but not so deep that small seeds don't have enough energy to get to the surface. That is the basic premise behind the whole ' plant stuff twice as deep as the seed is big'... which is a really good basic guide. Finally, just a technical point. Germination is the point where the seed 'hatches'... So for things like the Arugula at 3 inches... The arugula did germinate, it just ran out of energy before it could get to the surface. The big takeaway for me is that I can go much deeper with tomatoes than I thought I could. The stem that is below the surface will develop roots, and make the plant much more drought resistant at 2-3 inches than a tomato planted at 1/2 inch.

[@MindandSoil]

Great thoughts/points and thanks tons for the words!

[@samiam159007]

So what you're saying is, Don't ever buy lettuce seeds" lol

[@MindandSoil]

Hahaha. I started some since then successfully. I think that pack was just a bit old!

[@Junzar56]

The Hopi plant their corn 12-18” deep

[@nicolasbertin8552]

Why would the results shock you? It's common knowledge. The bigger the seed, the deeper you sow it. Beans can be sown 5 cm deep with 15 cm of mulch over it. The size of the seed is proportionnal to the energy stores inside to grow through deep soil. So stuff like basil or bee balm is surface sown.

[@bluewolf4915]

Great experiment. Be even better if we could see it. 👀 Turn on some lights please. 🙄

[@MindandSoil]

Thx so much!

[@johancornelis3719]

mind you that some plant seeds need light to germinate "light germinators". In my experience on average seeds should be planted the double of the seeds hight. Execp for the light germinators such as lattice, celery, basil, shives,rucula, carrot,..

[@samiam159007]

@@johancornelis3719 Do you believe he doesn't know this information already?

[@wildalentejo]

3 times the size of the seed.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

You are not accounting for the viability of the seeds. My lettuce seeds that I produce fresh every year have a very high germination rate after 2 days with only a sprinkling of soil on top.

[@sethsmith9999]

please post your video experiment and show your results and explain your varieties of each plant. we will wait ...

[@MindandSoil]

SETH KNOWS 👊🏻 Appreciate the understanding and having my back on this! Hahah

[@OstropoloS]

I didn't like your videos before as I felt they are basically just a way to get views, and this one just made sure I never watch them again. Lettuce seeds germinated at no depth, basically the only one people were even wondering about. LETTUCE seeds with basically 100% germination rates. No one is throwing squash and cucumber seeds on the ground and wondering if they're gonna sprout, everyone is going to plant them. Something like lettuce, the most important part of this experiment, is something people DO wonder about. I don't know if you mentioned it or not but I skipped through the video, because I knew what was going to happen. None of them germinated. You have bad seeds. Bad experiment, not asking you to be totally scientific, but at least show that you're putting in some effort. You shouldn't of even posted the video if they were bad seeds. Never again. Also make sure to say one two three four five every single time to make this video longer and seem deeper than it is. You learned so much about planting seeds at different depths didn't you! Plant vigor and all. F off dude.