Germination times, by crop
How many days before you give up on a tray. Figures are the spread recorded across every variety in the catalogue for that crop.
Reading the table
The median is the number to expect; the maximum is when a tray is genuinely worth abandoning. Most "failed" sowings are abandoned two or three days before they would have come up.
Germination speed is driven by soil temperature more than by variety. A crop listed at 7–14 days can take three weeks in cold soil and five days in a warm propagator. If germination is slow and uneven, check temperature before blaming the seed.
The table
| Crop | Fastest | Median | Slowest | Varieties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce | 5 | 7 | 10 | 107 |
| Tomato | 5 | 7 | 8 | 91 |
| Pepper | 7 | 10 | 14 | 73 |
| Eggplant | 7 | 10 | 14 | 29 |
| Beans | 6 | 7 | 10 | 84 |
| Peas | 7 | 7 | 10 | 35 |
| Cucumber | 5 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Melon | 4 | 7 | 8 | 38 |
| Squash | 5 | 7 | 8 | 59 |
| Brassicas | 3 | 7 | 7 | 79 |
| Root vegetables | 3 | 7 | 14 | 53 |
| Alliums | 7 | 7 | 21 | 41 |
| Herbs | 5 | 7 | 14 | 101 |
| Microgreens | 1 | 3 | 7 | 49 |
When to give up on a tray
- Wait until the crop's maximum plus about 50 percent before re-sowing.
- Check for damping off first — a pinched, dark stem means the seed germinated and the seedling died, which is a different problem.
- Older seed germinates slower and less evenly; four-year-old lettuce seed is not equivalent to fresh.
- Lettuce needs light to germinate — barely cover the seed, or surface-sow and press.
Questions
How long does lettuce seed take to germinate?
Typically 7 to 10 days, with a recorded spread of roughly 5 to 14 days across the catalogue depending on soil temperature and seed age.
Why is my seed not germinating?
In order: too cold, too wet (which rots seed), sown too deep, or old seed. Lettuce and some herbs also need light, so covering them deeply prevents germination.
Should I soak seeds before sowing?
Only for hard-coated seed such as beans or peas in dry conditions. Lettuce, brassica and most herbs gain nothing and are easy to damage by soaking.
Cite this page:
DarkGrow Seed Bank, “Germination times by crop — reference ranges from 891 varieties”, https://seedbank.dirvenbank.com/reference/germination-times.html (accessed ).
Figures compiled for 891 catalogue varieties.
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