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Rain or shine, it’s hard to get seeds to germinate this time of year because the summer sun quickly dries the soil. And there are plenty of seeds still to sow, including biennial and perennial flowers, and fall vegetables. 

A few tricks ensure good and rapid seed germination. Start out by weeding. Get down on your knees and use your hands to pull out every weed, roots and all. Deep-rooted weeds might need coaxing out with a trowel. But do not rototill or turn over the soil with a shovel because you will break apart the capillary connections within the soil. These connections are especially important now for moving water up, down and sideways to newly planted seeds. 

Also try to soak seeds in water for four to eight hours before you plant them. After soaking, strain the seeds and surface-dry them with a paper towel to make handling easier. Now sow, making your planting holes slightly deeper than recommended to make use of moister soil deeper down. 

Another trick allows better seed germination whether you soak the seeds or not before planting. After sprinkling seeds at the recommended rate within the furrow, do not cover them with soil. Fill your watering can and pour water directly into the furrow. Keep doing this until you have gently but thoroughly wet the soil just beneath the seeds. Now fill in the furrow with soil, and tamp it gently with the back of a garden rake. 

Every couple of days after sowing, if the weather is dry, sprinkle the soil surface with more water. This will not wet the soil deeper than a fraction of an inch, but evaporation will help dissipate some of the sun’s heat. The water deeper down, cozied up against the seeds, will not evaporate. Don’t water too much, however. You don’t want to make conditions conducive to damping-off disease, which rots seedlings right at the ground line. 

Try these tricks this summer, even with beet seeds, which are notorious for erratic germination, or carrot seeds, which are notorious for slow germination. You will be amazed at how soon you see the maroon leaves of beet seedlings elbowing their way up through the soil and the grass-green carrot sprouts forming dainty lines up and down the beds.