[Success/Bounty] Swiss Chard and Friends (Sep 08, 2020)

[ERR0R1755]

Planted six pods of the Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard from the Seed Savers Exchange. No nutes added yet.

I've left a few pods open because I'm planning to start some other plant off to the side and then move it into the Bounty once it germinates.

[Shawn]

Love the colors

[waterphoenix]

Wishing you luck! For some reason my chard seed in the AG never germinated. I have one outside in the EB doing just fine.

[Sher]

Sept 9, 2020 6:10:48 GMT -5 waterphoenix said:

Wishing you luck! For some reason my chard seed in the AG never germinated. I have one outside in the EB doing just fine.

I get about 40% germination in the AG.  I get around that by transplanting duplicate and triplicates in the pods that do sprout to other pods.

[ERR0R1755]

Maybe this isn't true of every swiss chard (or I'm remembering wrong), but I vaguely remember hearing that the "seeds" were actually clusters of seeds, so it was possible to get multiple seedlings from one "seed".

[waterphoenix]

Sept 9, 2020 9:58:35 GMT -5 Sher said:

Sept 9, 2020 6:10:48 GMT -5 waterphoenix said:

Wishing you luck! For some reason my chard seed in the AG never germinated. I have one outside in the EB doing just fine.

I get about 40% germination in the AG.  I get around that by transplanting duplicate and triplicates in the pods that do sprout to other pods.

That's a good idea. It would be nice to have some indoors. I did get 100% germination when I planted in soil.

[waterphoenix]

Sept 9, 2020 11:22:10 GMT -5 ERR0R1755 said:

Maybe this isn't true of every swiss chard (or I'm remembering wrong), but I vaguely remember hearing that the "seeds" were actually clusters of seeds, so it was possible to get multiple seedlings from one "seed".

That is so interesting! A quick Google search confirmed. Apparently beet seeds are similar too. That must account for how huge the chard seeds are..they are pretty too, like little stars.

[ERR0R1755]

No signs of germination yet. I will put the Cates Family Black Cowpeas I mentioned in my other thread in the two side slots.
Considering putting something in that middle slot, but I have no idea what. Maybe another Tom Thumb Pea?

[ERR0R1755]

So far one seed has sprouted with two seedlings, but it doesn't look good. I think these seeds are tougher and need to be soaked before planting.

[Shawn]

Will you try soaking first and retrying

[ERR0R1755]

Sept 13, 2020 5:09:53 GMT -5 Shawn said:

Will you try soaking first and retrying

I'm going to give these a few more days, but if I don't see any more signs of progress, then I will.

[ERR0R1755]

A few more of the seedlings have sprouted and I've moved in some other stuff, so here's what the layout looks like at the moment.
Back row: Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard, N/A, Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard (pending)
Middle row: N/A, Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard, Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard, N/A
Front row: Early Wonder Beet, Dark Purple Opal Basil

[Sher]

I am looking forward to seeing your photos. That sounds like an interesting mix.

[ERR0R1755]

Here's the beet (left) and swiss chard (right) seedlings:

The beet wasn't something I originally planted in here - but I started a single seed in coco coir, and so far I've gotten three seedlings from it:

[ERR0R1755]

Added 4ml of nutrients today, since the leaves started to fold upwards.
The pod in the back right is a Mung Bean, since the beet never germinated.

[ERR0R1755]

Added another 4ml of nutes.

[ERR0R1755]

Added another 4ml.

They are doing well! As for more than 1 from 1 seed...I did experience that with the rainbow chard.

[Sher]

The colors are showing. So pretty!

[ERR0R1755]

Sept 29, 2020 23:09:55 GMT -5 Sher said:

The colors are showing. So pretty!

I'm not sure how well it shows up in the photos, but the two swiss chard in the middle are different colors - the left is more of a golden yellow, while the right is more of a greenish yellow.