Another seed that I have not had success with is onion and chives. I have some chives in the beds that have been there for years, I just divide them every now and again. Need to do it this year. And I have garlic growing wild. But, the seeds of onion and chives have just eluded me. As I posted with the tomatoes and pepper seeds, I have never had a good seed starting location.<<<
Water, sun and soil.
If I had to guess about your seed problem/planting, I would look to see if they are soggy wet and if they are buried too deep.
Next is the sun, LOL, always the right amount, bright but not so it burns them, LOL, unless they are a seed that has to have the dark..........Cilantro and maybe it is parsley [?], start better in a black plastic covering, until they break the soil.....there are as many ways to start seeds, as there are people doing it.
If you wanted to grow Orchid seeds, they are as fine as face powder and are lightly sprinkled in a sterile flask on an agar solution, LOL, one might say on a pudding like substance.
Of course a few make it in the wild, but most are divisions of the plants.
The main trick with seeds is to press them firmly into the soil, that is almost more important than covering them. If they are not firm against the soil, they will rot.
I planted my onion seeds in the Pro mix from Walmart, in a flat with drainage and put them in front of the west window.
Have all the fun you can now, I had so many plans for my retirement, but the oxygen generator, halted most of them.
Gardening is good for you, as is the good food.
You will enjoy the greenhouse and next fall it will be full of plants.
You can root tomato shoots in water, plant them in a pot and in the greenhouse.
One of the best pots that I have used, was an old plastic baby bath tub, with holes in it for drainage, also the small plastic wash basins that folks bring home from the hospital, they hold about 2 gallons, dish pans and anything else that sits still long enough for me to poke a hole in it and drop in a plant.
I did not have good luck with the clear plastic or clear glass, it forms a green scum on the walls and the plants never did well in the clear materials.
If you start getting bugs set out the big soda bottles, bury them so that the mouth is at ground level, at an angle and in them put about an inch of beer, soda, or juice mixed with an inch of water, then add enough old cooking oil to be about 1/4 inch deep.
The bugs go after the beer and once they get the oil on them, they cannot crawl out of the bottle, fall back and die.
Lemon-lime soda will do the same for ants, or did in my greenhouse, I was amazed at the number of dead ants and my place sets on top of an ant hill, I have fought them for 30 years.
Good to know.
I haven't had much luck with onion seeds either so this year I'm trying onion sets.
Well, I had been told to put them on the surface of the soil and not cover them. I think they alternated between being soggy and dry due to my work schedule, but here again the worse thing was probably that they weren't warm enough. I've never had good windows and I don't have good heat in the house even for me. My onions and chives sprouted but then we'd have a cold spell. At my old home it would get cold enough in the house to put ice over the water in my water glass by the bed at night. Apparantly my refrigerator nor hot water heater kept them warm enough. But being living beings, I understood that. Sometimes it was all I could manage just to keep the kids warm enough.
I understand about that oxygen generator as well. I grew up with my grandparents who were married in 1932. Being with them so much of my childhood is why I have a mindset to use everything and make do. By the time I was born my grandparents were fairly well-off but you didn't know it by the way they lived. We had *so* much love in the house and never did without anything, but they didn't spend money if they could manage in another way.
So, what I was going to say about the oxygen generator is that Grama had one of those for the last couple of years. She died in 2003. But, she was the best friend and most fun person I ever knew. We had a little portable tank before she got to where she just couldn't get out. Even when she was feeble we'd take the tank and head out to the lake for picnics and such. She loved to watch my youngest daughter play at the lake. Those are memories of Grama with my kids are right up there with my own childhood memories. She kept her mind good till the very end and I was with her when she went. I miss her every day. But, in the best way possible. I think God that I had her always.
And the last coupla days I have thanked God for your conversation as well ma'am.
I gotta try potting up the tomato shoots from the best plants in the yard then. I didn't know you could do that!!! Now, taking cuttings and makin' 'em grow is something I can do with my eyes closed!!! So, if I can root those shoots I can keep my best plants alive in the greenhouse all year long even if they start out in the yard! Awesome!!!