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Soaking Garden Seeds for Four Days?

We began soaking our seeds four days ago. We have not planted them yet because our tiller broke down before cultivation. Should we remove the seeds from the water and do something with them before tomorrow when we sow? Green beans, squash, cucumber and corn.

Public Comments

1. No you should be fine, they will be just as nice or better off in the water til your ready.
2. You can put the seeds in moist paper and let them sprout. Be extra careful not to break off the sprouts as you plant. This will speed up your garden a week or two.
3. If the seeds were soaked, as in under water, they're probably dead... Spread them out on cookie sheets or plates with damp newspaper underneath (single layer of seeds) and cover with a single sheet of moistened newspaper or paper towel. Slip it into a plastic bag. Seeds *need* oxygen during germination, and underwater and in a heap, they just don't get the oxygen they need. Examine the seeds closely -- I would expect to see at least radicle (primary root) emergence on a goodly fraction of the seeds of each species. If you're not seeing that, hold the seeds in damp paper (the plastic bag is just to help keep things moist) for a few more days. They'll either be rotten or growing at room temperature by then. If you've got a number with radicle emergence, you can sow the seeds by hand -- I wouldn't entrust them to machinery at this stage. If the seeds were "soaked" by being held between layers of wet newspaper or toweling for four days, they're probably fine, and should be planted ASAP. We have a tremendous load of slugs here, so I often "pregerminate" my garden seeds by holding them on wet paper until the radicle starts to emerge. Gives them a little extra boost.
4. green beans you do not soak them period..only water them after planting them dry.... Beans are sensitive to cold temperatures and frost. They should be planted after all danger of frost has past in the spring. If beans are planted every 2 to 4 weeks until early August, then they can be harvested all summer. Both type of beans grow best in full sun. The principal diseases affecting beans include fusarium wilt, cutworms, Mexican bean beetle and bean mosaic virus. Contact your local Cooperative Extension office for identification and current control recommendations. Bush and pole beans require the soil to be well drained and have a pH of 6.5 – 7.5. The seeds of both types of bean varieties are sensitive to the moisture in the soil. If the soil is too wet, then they fail to germinate properly. Do not soak seeds before planting. Instead, water site immediately after planting. Bush and pole beans have shallow root systems. For this reason, light hoeing of the area is necessary to rid the soil of weeds that might compete for water. Cultivation should be done carefully. It is important not to disturb the plant’s shallow roots. Squash you soak in a mild cobalt solution http://www.springerlink.com/content/nm89h1tnhr6pmwmx/ cucumbers only soak 10 to 12 hours.. http://www.amishlandseeds.com/garden_tips.htm Soaking corn has no benefit at all..in fact when you soak them they must air dry first a few hours..but 4 days..I would best say..start over with fresh seeds..they are probably dead..they need air too to germinate..and they been under water too long.. http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/97/1/211