38 Sowing the seeds 

Three days to three weeks are required for germination depending on the 
variety. Pot-grown seedlings, shown above, ready for transplanting. Sizeable 
seedlings should be watered by pouring water into the pot. 
It is important that the soil mixture be screened through a quarter- 
inch mesh and no finer. If the soil is too fine it will pack when 
watered. Press down lightly and see that the surface is smoothed 
and level. Place pots in pan and put warm water 7m pan around the 
pots until the soil in the pots has become uniformly damp by capillary 
action. 
Sow the seeds uniformly on the top of the soil, placing the scar- 
side downward with the aid of tweezers and a magnifying glass. 
Commercially, one cannot take the time to place seeds, but germina- 
tion repays by making it easy for the seeds to send roots into the 
soil. Separate the varieties of different seed by glass strips and put 
a small plant-tag marker in each section so that it comes only 
