These recipes were created in response to the Recipes to Germinate 300+ Seedlings in our MV1s’ thread created by @cregini. I will create a new post with the next phase of these (seedlings) later this week.
Germination Recipes: Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber
| Recipe Name | Circulation Fan  |
Temperature  |
Pump Amount  |
Light Intensity  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce_Germination_100ML | ON at 00:01 | 78°F at 00:01 | 100ml x 1 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
| Lettuce_Germination_160ML | ON at 00:01 | 78°F at 00:01 | 80ml x 2 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
| Tomato_Germination_100ML | ON at 00:01 | 85°F at 00:01 | 100ml x 1 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
| Tomato_Germination_160ML | ON at 00:01 | 85°F at 00:01 | 80ml x 2 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
| Cucumber_Germination_100ML | ON at 00:01 | 90°F at 00:01 | 100ml x 1 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
| Cucumber_Germination_160ML | ON at 00:01 | 90°F at 00:01 | 80ml x 2 starting at 09:01 | DLI 12: [0, 207, 150, 209] PWM at 00:01 |
Germination temps for lettuce, tomato, and cucumber
This table summarizes the information in the research below - showing how I obtained the optimal germination temps from that data.
| Plant Name | Extension | Almanac | University | Temp Chosen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce | 75F | 40-80F | 75F | 78F |
| Tomato | 85F | 70-95F | 80F | 85F |
| Cucumber | 95F | 75-95F | 95F | 90F |
Research/data used to determine germination temps:
I used Google to search for ‘germination temperature’ and then used the Images view to find several tables from reputable sources containing the information I wanted.
- This was easiest for me to ‘read’ quickly to get an idea of how the crops vary in terms of what temperatures they require/prefer.
Source: Monroe County Master Gardener Association
- This provided the data in a format I could easily quantify (rather than guess) with conversions from C to F as well - convenient!
Source: The Old Farmer’s Almanac
- These two views are my favorite by far.
- The first focuses on the minimum temp (tells you when you can start planting!) but also provides summary of optimal temp and # of days.
- The second shows a full breakdown of the germination trials they conducted on a few dozen crops in several temperature ranges.
Source: University of Alaska - Community Garden Project