no on the top soil
plant paper towel with seed on it

I agree--don't buy that topsoil for your tomatoes.

You could plant with the paper towel on, but you should be able to just flick the seeds off of the paper towel with your fingernail.

I used to dry my seeds directly on little pieces of windowscreen, but now I have a little piece of paper towel on each, because it speeds drying. You could use paper plates or coffee filters, too.

Definate NO on the topsoil - containers require soiless potting mixes. If buying the MG buy only the MG Potting Mix/Container Mix. Do NOT buy the MG Garden Soil. It is not to be used in containers.

Flic the seeds off - if some paper sticke to the seed it won't hurt anything. Otherwise just wait until you are ready to plant the seeds then mist the paper towel and they will come off. Plant them immediately.

Good luck! ;)

Dave and into the

With potting soil you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands can be very unpredictable. I've had great luck with MG soils, I even sow seeds in it with excellent results.

T

Wow what quick responses!!. Thanks everyone.
Trudi did I ever thank you for the seeds you sent. Thanks so much.
Barb

I used to cut little strips of the paper towels with seed stuck to them and plant them. It works just fine that way like seed tape. To ferment the seeds you save or rinse them well and dry them on coffee filters will prevent them from sticking that way in the future.
I agree about the store brand "top soil", I do not think that I would want to take a chance on it without knowing a good bit more about it.
Bill P.

I sprouted about 18 (6 cells of 3) Burgundy Traveler that were dried on paper towels (Viva) last month. A little bit of paper towel often gets stuck to the seed. In fact, my seed envelopes look like pocket lint. No big problems though. After it sprouts, sometimes a trace of paper pokes out of ground, along with the seed coating.

Next year I plan to be more professional with my seed saving, including the bleach rinse. I hadn't thought of getting that fancy with it before, but I'm paranoid about diseases now. I would be afraid to share any of my last year's saved seeds with you guys because I had so many problems last year, I'd be afraid I'd be passing the problem along.

To dry my seeds I put the pile of washed "fermented" seeds onto a paper plate (unwaxed), touch a paper towel to the side of the pile to pull off the bulk of the liquid and then spread them evenly on the plate. After a few hours the plate absorbs enough of the surface liquid for the seeds to get fuzzy and start to stick. When they start to stick I unstick them with a butter knife or spoon. As a result I have a fluffy pile of unstuck seeds that can sit on the plate and dry for several more days until I package them.

You're welcome Barb ;-)

The one brand of soil notorious (IMHO) for frequent bad results is Hyponex. You can find it a the supermarket or the dollar stores, it's sold in a little black bag. One bag may be fine but the next is a bag that hardens with cement-like qualities after it's been moistened--you could use it for hypertufa. lol. You don't want to sow seeds in it.

You're welcome Barb ;-)

The one brand of soil notorious (IMHO) for frequent bad results is Hyponex. You can find it a the supermarket or the dollar stores, it's sold in a little black bag. One bag may be fine but the next is a bag that hardens with cement-like qualities after it's been moistened--you could use it for hypertufa. lol. You don't want to sow seeds in it.