Germination Guide

How long does it take for vegetable seeds to sprout? Here's a general germination guide for the most common vegetables.

For good germination of vegetable seeds, plant each seed twice as deep as the seed's size. For example, lettuce only needs a sprinkling of soil, silver beet needs about 10-15mm (½ inch).

Tuck your seeds into bed; tell them they will grow up big and strong if they eat and sleep well; keep them warm; give them some fresh air... and with these conditions, seed germination will take the following number of days:

Beans (dwarf) 7-10
Beans (climbing) 7-10
Beetroot 10-14
Broad beans 10-14
Broccoli 6-10
Brussels Sprouts 6-10
Cabbage 6-10
Capsicum (Peppers) 10-14
Carrots 10-21
Cauliflower 6-10

Celery 14-21
Chinese Cabbage 6-10
Cucumber 6-10
Eggplant 10-14
Endive 10-14
Leeks 10-14
Lettuce 6-10
Marrow 6-10
Melons 6-10
Okra 10-14
Onions 10-14
Onions (Spring) 10-14
Parsnip 21-28
Peas (Dwarf) 7-10
Pumpkin 6-10
Radish 5-8
Rhubarb 10-21
Silverbeet 10-14
Spinach 14-21
Squash 6-10
Swedes 6-10
Sweet Corn 6-10
Tomato 10-14
Turnips 6-10

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