Requirement
4. Test 100 seeds for germination, and explain the failures
Required Often forgotten
Count them out, germinate them, work out the percentage, and explain why you think some did not. It takes days rather than months, and it tells you what proportion of your seed is viable, which is what you want to know BEFORE sowing requirement 2.
Notes and warnings
Warning. DO THIS BEFORE REQUIREMENT 2, NOT AFTER IT. Testing 100 seeds tells you what proportion of your seed is viable and why the rest failed, which is exactly what a gardener wants to know before sowing the six-from-seed at requirement 2(a) and 2(b). It takes days rather than months. The badge numbers it fourth, and the plan cannot draw an arrow backwards from 4 to 2 without closing a loop, so this notice is the arrow.
Where this step comes from
- Gardening Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-09-19), Requirement 4 · Requires 100 seeds, the percentage that germinate, and an explanation of the failures.