{"id":3344,"date":"2026-09-23T13:08:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3344"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:08:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:08:35","slug":"paper-towel-sprout-radish-beets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/paper-towel-sprout-radish-beets\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper Towel Seed Germination: Can You Sprout Radish, Beets &#038; Arugula?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3344&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Paper Towel Seed Germination: Can You Sprout Radish, Beets \\u0026amp; Arugula?&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Paper Towel Germination Experiments<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83e\uddfb <strong>The Paper Towel Method:<\/strong> Pre-sprouting seeds in a damp rolled-up paper towel works great for many crops. Growers report excellent results starting radishes, beets, and arugula this way\u2014producing sturdy, strong little sprouts.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf31 <strong>What NOT to Sprout in Towels:<\/strong> Herbs with delicate taproots and stems like dill, cilantro, and parsley tend to stretch immediately. Growers note they become as thin as threads (severely leggy) and are better off being direct-sown into soil.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd25 <strong>Reviving Old Seeds (Thermal Shock):<\/strong> One grower successfully germinated 9-year-old seeds (from 2012) using a brief thermal shock: dipping them in boiling water for a few seconds, immediately followed by cold water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #f9f9f9; border-left: 4px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83d\udcac What is the weirdest seed you&#8217;ve successfully germinated in a paper towel?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Share your seed-starting hacks below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">AAA (Alexandra) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,133 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vostryakovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Maybe this will be useful to someone&#8230; On March 18th, I rolled up some cabbage seeds in damp paper towels to pre-sprout them, and just as an experiment, I did the same with radish, beet, and arugula seeds.<\/p>\n<p>Today I pricked out the cabbage into cell packs and left them indoors in a cold room. And I heeled in all the others into flats out in the greenhouse. A frost might hit this greens, but I don&#8217;t really mind losing them if it happens. But here is the main takeaway: radish, beets, and arugula do perfectly fine germinating in paper towel rolls exposed to light without any soil! (Unlike dill, cilantro, and parsley\u2014those come out incredibly thin and spindly, like little threads.)<\/p>\n<p>The radish and beet sprouts turned out very sturdy and robust. Take a look.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_03\/1616768578467768724025080837840.jpg.53ed97887d6f5844ee3dd6ccf32b64ac.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_03\/1616768578467768724025080837840.jpg.53ed97887d6f5844ee3dd6ccf32b64ac.jpg\" alt=\"Radish and beet seedlings sprouted in paper towel rolls\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>AAA (Alexandra) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\n[Photo of paper towel sprouts]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sasha, what beauties! Are those cabbage and radishes, or just radishes? I was also planning to roll up a packet of radishes in a paper towel, but I&#8217;ll probably wait and do it around the 30th-31st. That&#8217;s right when I&#8217;ll be starting my late cabbage and putting zucchini seeds into little plastic condiment cups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>brilliant wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nEven if it doesn&#8217;t sprout, whatever. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>No way! You can&#8217;t go without early cabbage, we&#8217;ll just have to sow more!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">gala7496 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,460 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Broccoli (3 varieties) on the left, white cabbage (3 varieties) on the right.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_03\/20210326_194026.jpg.b2089b4126e991633aa7f11294ec1c64.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 600px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_03\/20210326_194026.jpg.b2089b4126e991633aa7f11294ec1c64.jpg\" alt=\"Broccoli and white cabbage seedlings\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">AAA (Alexandra) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,133 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vostryakovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nAre those cabbage and radishes, or just radishes?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Radishes on the left, arugula and beets on the right. The cabbage is already living large in its own separate pots&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galiy (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (17,662 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stupino District, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-date\" style=\"font-size: 0.85em; color: #666;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Posted: March 26, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nNo way! You can&#8217;t go without early cabbage, we&#8217;ll just have to sow more!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>You absolutely can go without it! \ud83d\ude06 I comfortably survived the whole winter on store-bought cabbage. Even fermented it for sauerkraut. I love homegrown, but I ate it all a long time ago. Finished the Napa cabbage back in February. Today I bought some Egyptian potatoes. Obviously, you can&#8217;t compare the taste to homegrown, but whatever, it&#8217;s fine. Nelly sent me a video of them hiking through the canyons in Egypt, I was really impressed. And their potatoes aren&#8217;t bad either.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, I can&#8217;t get out to the dacha before May, so whatever grows, grows. As Lidia suggested, I took some very old seeds and held them in boiling water for a few seconds, then immediately plunged them into cold water. They germinated nicely all at once, but now the latest ones to emerge are growing strangely\u2014the leaves are kind of twisting and curling. The seeds were from 2012. \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 0.9em;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2c Editor&#8217;s Botanical Note:<\/strong> The growers are discussing two fantastic advanced gardening hacks!<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Pre-sprouting Root Crops:<\/strong> While crops like beets and radishes are almost always direct-sown because they hate root disturbance, pre-sprouting them in a damp paper towel can give you a massive head start. Just be extremely careful when transplanting them to ensure the tiny taproot points straight down into the soil!<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Thermal Scarification:<\/strong> Galina\u2019s trick of dropping old seeds in boiling water and then cold water is a form of thermal scarification. It shocks the hard, old seed coat into cracking, breaking dormancy and allowing moisture in. The reason some of her sprouts had twisted, curling leaves is that a 9-year-old seed is already lacking vigor, and the intense heat likely caused minor cellular damage to the cotyledons. However, it&#8217;s still a great rescue technique for seeds you thought were completely dead!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Paper Towel Germination Experiments \ud83e\uddfb The Paper Towel Method: Pre-sprouting seeds in a damp rolled-up paper towel works great for many crops. Growers report excellent results starting radishes, beets, and arugula this way\u2014producing sturdy, strong little sprouts. \ud83c\udf31 What NOT to Sprout in Towels: Herbs with delicate taproots and stems like &#8230; <a title=\"Paper Towel Seed Germination: Can You Sprout Radish, Beets &#038; Arugula?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/paper-towel-sprout-radish-beets\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Paper Towel Seed Germination: Can You Sprout Radish, Beets &#038; Arugula?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[806,686],"tags":[844,845,846],"class_list":["post-3344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grower-diaries","category-cabbages-brassicas","tag-paper-towel-method","tag-pre-sprouting-seeds","tag-radish-seedlings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3346,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344\/revisions\/3346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}