My tomato seeds from 2022 finally sprouted after a weird trick

I had a packet of 'Sun Gold' cherry tomato seeds from two years ago that I gave up on after three tries with no luck. Last month, I put them on a damp paper towel inside a ziplock bag and left it on top of my fridge for a week, and now I've got 12 little seedlings. Has anyone else had old seeds wake up with a different starting method?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy6922mo ago

Sun Golds are my favorite cherry tomato but that baggie method is actually for germination testing, not really for starting plants. Those paper towel roots get damaged when you try to move them to soil. I've had better luck just planting old seeds a little deeper in a starter pot and keeping it really warm, like on a seed mat.

gavine412mo ago

Got a question about that seed mat idea. How warm are we talking, and do you leave it on all the time or just during the day? I've tried warming pads before but fried a whole tray when I left it on too long. Also, when you plant older seeds deeper, does that slow them down a lot compared to fresh ones?

sam_rivera2mo ago

What brand of warming pad did you use that fried your tray? Mine has a thermostat.