Top 3 Ways to Germinate Seeds Faster 

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    Do you want to get your garden going fast, Here are the Top 3 Ways to Germinate Seeds Faster at Home. They are easy to do and just requires very few steps. Starting seeds indoor helps you get seedlings before the beginning of the growing season at a far lower cost than if you bought them at your local garden centers. 

First Method

Paper Towel Method of Germinating Seeds Fast

    If your are here, therefore it means you are looking for faster way to germinate your seeds and if you are like me, you can’t wait to get your hands dirty especially before or around spring and summer time. The paper towel method ie very easy and requires just a few things.

The paper towel method cuts the germination time by as much as 70%. That is if you do it right. Here is how.

Things you will need: 

Seeds, Paper towel, Water, zip lock bag or Plastic bag and Hydrogen Peroxide.

 The Process

Get SeedsYou can get seeds at your local garden center and online

Get Paper towel

1. Get a sheet or two of paper towel  and spread one of them out on a flat surface.

Spreed the Seeds                

Take the seeds out of the seed packet and spread the seeds you want to plant on the paper towel as shown below. make sure the seeds are a little bit spaced out. 

        Once the seeds are spaced out put the other sheet of paper towel on top of the seeds, making sure it cover all the seeds.

The next step we are going to do is to mix out solution of water and hydrogen peroxide.  I will suggest you use a cup of small bottle of water and just add 2 to 4 drops of hydrogen peroxide to the water.  

Sprinkle the Solution                   

Now sprinkle the solution we just made on the paper towel covering the seeds. you want all the paper towel to be moist. with both sides of the paper towel moist(wet), because it is wet you should be able to fold the paper towel and the seeds without the seeds moving around.

Fold the Paper Towel           

Fold the paper towel two or 3 times and put in a zip lock bag. The zip lock bag helps because it keeps the moisture and temperature in the bag. As a result the bag’s temperature will be higher than the outside temperature. You want the temperature in or around where the bag is to be about 70 degrees and above.  

Place on a warm spot        

 Put the bag in a warm area of the house. I am sure you know the warm areas of your home but in some homes it is the kitchen, food pantry, on top of the refrigerator and many more. you get the idea.

After about two or three days even the seeds that take a long time to germinate like pepper seeds  will start to germinate. Finally all you have to do is to get your seed starting containers ready and transplant.

Method 2

Scarification Method

 scarification is the process of opening or removing part or all coats of seed to encourage seed germination. Scarification can be done mechanically, thermally, and chemically. I Do Scarification mechanically by using a sandpaper or a concrete brick to remove part of the seed coat on the seeds I want to germinate and grow.

Scarification is mostly done on large seeds that are a little impervious to water. once part of the seeds coat is removed, the seed is able to absorb solution (water) and start to germinate.

Things you will need: 

Seeds, Sandpaper, concrete block, water, seed starting tray or container, and Hydrogen Peroxide.

The Process

Get SeedsYou can buy seeds from the store, garden center, farm stand or online seed sellers like Burpee, 

Get Paper Towel

Get a sheet or two of sandpaper or a concrete block. grab a bean and run it over the sandpaper until part of the seed coat is off.

Get Hydrogen peroxide and water Get your hydrogen peroxide and water to make the solution you will use. 

Once the seeds outer coat is removed, You can plant it in a container or garden. To germinate it even faster apply the next method to it Soak it in water or hydrogen peroxide solution.

3rd Method

Soaking Method

Soaking method requires you soaking your seeds in water or a hydrogen peroxide solutions for 3 to 48 hours.

mix your solution. Mix out the solution of water and hydrogen peroxide.  I will suggest you use a cup of a small bottle of water and just add 4 to 5 drops of hydrogen peroxide (or teaspoon) to the water. shake the mixture and use it.

After SoakingAfter soaking the seeds for 24 to 48 hours, the seeds will start germinating like this.

Plant the seeds       

Plant your seeds in a seed starting container or in your garden

Transplant your seeds

Once your seedling germinates and grow, you can transplant it to your garden.