The fastest germinating seeds include everything that belongs to the cabbage family: bok choi, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, etc., and lettuce. The slowest seeds to germinate are pepper, eggplant, fennel and celery, which can take longer than 5 days. The rest, such as tomatoes, beets, chard, pumpkin, onions, will take about 3 days. Lettuce is the first on my list because it is very quick and easy to germinate.
It doesn't require any special consideration and will easily grow on your kitchen countertop. Because lettuce seeds are so small, it is very difficult to sow them individually. So I like to take a pinch of seeds and sprinkle them in a line across the container. You could also grow lettuce microvegetables, in which case you would simply cover the top of the soil with the seeds.
Lettuce can survive in as little as 4 hours of daylight and, in fact, will taste better if it protects itself from the hottest sun. They prefer a cooler climate, and many varieties will tolerate some frosts. Once they have sprouted a little, you can decide if you want to transition and plant them outdoors or continue growing lettuce indoors. Make a gradual transition from indoor to outdoor for 1 to 2 weeks if you plan to plant them outdoors.
That said, lettuce would also be very happy to grow on your kitchen counter. If you have a sunny window, that's all you need. If not, try a bright white bulb in a desk lamp or countertop LED grow lamp. Turnips and radishes are very easy to sprout and require very little maintenance.
I like turnips better because we like to eat vegetables, but both are quite easy and quick to grow. Like lettuce, turnip seeds are quite small, so sprinkle them in rows or blocks as you prefer. Lose weight as needed as they start to grow. Both turnips and radishes are root crops, so be very careful if you are transplanting to the garden.
In a larger container of the right size, you can easily grow these vegetables indoors. They'll need a little more light than lettuce, but a sunny window should work just fine. Feel free to cut and eat the vegetables or harvest the bulb. Both lettuce and turnip are also excellent plants for growing microvegetables.
If you want to start growing your own plants from seed, planting beans is a definite yes on the list of the easiest to grow. Move them outdoors after the last chance of frost. Shrub beans will grow great in a container, but beans will need vertical space to grow and climb. Brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale are one of my favorite types of vegetables.
They are beautiful and impressive plants that are quite easy to grow. These seeds will sprout easily, but the plants are often too large to fully grow indoors, unless you have good indoor growing space. Some of the brassicas, such as bok choy, sprout especially quickly and are simple. Several vegetables grow very fast, including most types of lettuce and radish.
Cucumbers also germinate in seven to 10 days, and mustard greens, spinach, scallions, and turnips stay on the run. Blue Lake and Pencil Wax bean varieties are particularly suitable for quick gardening, and cucumbers, pumpkins, melons and watermelons, with their germination period of four to six days, are great additions to the garden. Radish seeds are hardy and sprout quickly and can be planted several times in a growing season. In addition, they are the perfect companion for carrots, as radishes rise quickly through the soil and break through the crispy top layer to later sprout the carrots.
Sow radish seeds in a sunny location (if planted in too much shade, your radishes will put their energy into making larger leaves when you want larger roots) in well-draining soil. If your soil is more clay-like, add compost. Thin radishes two inches apart when plants are one week old and provide consistent, even moisture. Harvest radishes about three weeks after planting.
If you're feeling anxious and want flowers fast, look for annual plant species that bloom within that 2.5 month range. For faster germinators to flowers, I would recommend sunflowers, marigolds, marigolds, nasturtiums and phlox, he says. Not only are they quick to deliver and totally appealing to the eye, but each one is quite forgiving to start with. You really can't go wrong with any of them, and they'll bring lots of pollinators to your garden.
Although many types of pumpkin seeds work well, pumpkin seeds are a good option because they are large and are usually known to children on Halloween. Seeds sprout within five days of sowing when using prepared seeds (regulating moisture and heat of planted seeds). Allison Vallin, an organic planter in Maine and creator of the Finch + Folly blog, confirms that yes, there are actually flower seeds that germinate and grow faster than others, just make sure you have realistic expectations. The next trick to germinating seeds quickly is to use stratification, which is when you expose the seeds to a period of wet cold.
Exposure to water allows the seeds to swell as water penetrates the seed coat, and the embryo begins to fill. After all danger of frost has passed, plant marigold seeds directly in the soil of your garden or patio, spreading them an inch or more apart in full sun exposure. Vallin says that, like sunflowers, nasturtiums shouldn't be transplanted, and you'll want to plant your seeds directly in the garden as soon as the soil has warmed up. Gently scratch the surface of the seed with sandpaper, called scarification, and then soak the seed in warm water overnight.
Consider the right seed starting medium, grow lights, or heat mats for plants, or maybe you want a good seed starter kit. For best results, sprinkle watercress seeds on the surface of the pot or plant together in the garden in a sunny spot. If you're worried about the room, sunflowers aren't always huge, plant some dwarf sunflower seeds in a self-draining pot or garden bed for buds between 6 and 14 inches tall. .
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