DMF wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:11 pmThese seeds are all 2015 and 2016. They were well dried and have lived in the fridge since. I expect germination will go well.

1. The soak.
   I used to use shot glasses but I had to divest the collection. Now I use 2.5 oz. metal sauce cups. Each is labeled with a strip of magic tape folded over on one end so it can be removed easily.
2. The germ (germinating) bags.
   Previously, I would lay the seeds on a paper towel with corral boundaries and contents labeled with a Sharpie. This year, pencil boundaries only. [Update: Add a reference mark. Without labels it's too easy to get the thing upside down and backward.] Larger corrals - only 4 per baggie. Note that a half-width paper towel is just the width of a ziploc sandwich bag.
   Using a single half-width paper towel and two coffee filters trimmed square to the size of half the towel, lay the towel width-wise, a filter square on the top half, scribe the corrals, and moisten to hold everything together.
3. Add the seeds.
   One at a time, drain a soak cup into a small sieve and rinse. invert over a corral and knock the seeds out. Spread out the seeds. Unpeel the tape label and stick to the bag where the corral would be were the towel laid flat on it.
4. Finish the bag.
   Lay the second filter square over the seed and fold up the bottom half of the towel over the top half. (Fold an edge over so it's easier to find when everything is wet.) Moisten to hold it all together.
   It's still too big to fit in the bag, so fold once like a book. Slide it into the bag. It should just fit. (If necessary, fold again.)
5. Place in a nice warm spot to cook.
   The best place I've found is a gas oven with a pilot light. Top of a fridge is okay. I haven't found a heat mat necessary, but if you use one, get one that is thermostatically controlled and manually adjustable. Add a thermometer and monitor closely, for the first couple days.
6. When checking on the livestock
   Use the fold (you remembered the fold from #4, right?) to separate the filter sheets, but peel them apart slowly and carefully. Some of the seeds will stick to the upper sheet. A maverick seed is an unknown seed and thus worthless. Throw them away. (Unless you branded yours.)

Shule wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 6:03 pm I'm not seeing the table button on mine, either. Is anyone else seeing it?

DMF wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:11 pm I have a south-facing 3rd floor balcony, lots of pots, and thousands of seeds. In 2017 everything I planted started (and finished) dying, including some well-established over-wintered plants. I've dumped most of the old soil and this year the plants I do have in what's left of the old soil hasn't started dying! So let's see if I'm actually insane.

In germinating baggies:

Uluru Ochre (tomato)
Apple Pimento, C. annuum - sweet
Fatalii, yellow, C. chinense - v. hot
Grenada Seasoning, C. chinense - delicious!
Jay's Peach Ghost/Scorpion, C. chinense - nuclear!
Mako Akokasrade, C. chinense - med. hot
Scotch Bonnet, yellow, C.chinense - hot (I like these)
Shattah (arabian), C.annuum - med. hot (first time with these)

These seeds are all 2015 and 2016. They were well dried and have lived in the fridge since. I expect germination will go well.

Current:

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