It’s been 12 days since I started trying to germinate some seeds. California Poppys have a germination time of between 10 and 15 days, I’m told. I have two of those that have sprouted. But, that’s all. One looks good, the other looks, um, not as good. Is it, as they say, “leggy”? I’m not sure.

The picture shows the two seedlings. The one in the foreground is the first to have sprouted. It has been lying down like that the whole time. The second one, in the back, looks better with four leaves and is standing up. It’s possible others will still sprout. But, I’m a bit disappointed with the “crop” so far.

Spruce and Joshua Trees take longer to germinate, anywhere from 20 to 30 days. So, maybe they will still show up, too.

My tray has a heating mat and I have it on a thermostat set to 75 degrees (those are freedom units, of course. That’s what the F stands for, isn’t it?). I chose that number because it was about average for spring time and it’s what vegetable seeds seem to like. Also, I didn’t know I needed a thermostat initially. The mat didn’t come with one and the instructions said it would keep the soil about 10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature. Since, the garage is around 50, I thought that would be okay. But, the mat was actually warming up to 80 or 90 degrees! That’s too warm. I’m wondering if I didn’t do something wrong with the seeds by having it too hot like that for the first few days. I also have two LED grow lights I bought on them during the day. I’m under the impression that the lights emit the right spectrum for plants to grow while limiting heat output and using minimal energy.

Anyway, the seeds were cheap and this was just for fun. Maybe I will still get some more sprouts. And maybe I’m learning enough to not make mistakes with the veggies and the other poppy seeds I have. I bought some from Grow Native Nursery at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. Those are the ones I’m really hoping to get growing this year.