What is the best month to plant flower seeds?
In the very early Spring (end of January to March) you can sow hardy annual seeds. These are seeds that will produce plants that are tolerant of frost – they’ll put on strong deep roots all winter long and produce flowers from June until the first frosts (where I live in Surrey that happens in early November). Different seeds take different lengths of time to germinate, so it is always worth checking how long it typically takes. Some are quick to germinate, taking 1-2 weeks at most, such as chillies, beans, sunflowers and pumpkins. Some seeds take more like 2-4 weeks, such as mango and parsley.A good rule of thumb is to sow annual flower seeds as early after the last spring frost as possible. For early-spring perennial blooms, plant these types of flower seeds in late summer to early fall so that they can germinate over winter.The planted seeds will germinate in the garden soil under natural circumstances, but if you want to know how to germinate seeds quickly, this is it: Add seeds to a cup of warm water. Make sure the water is warm, not hot). Soak them for 8-16 hours right before planting.As a general rule, seeds are started indoors about 6 weeks prior to your last frost date. During a cold spring, it’s better to delay sowing to ensure the soil temperature is warm enough than to be hasty and get disappointing results.While the speed of germination varies slightly across varieties, seeds should absorb moisture within two days and produce a root and the first leaf within four days. At this point, the seed is considered to have germinated.
Should I let seeds dry before planting?
In almost all cases, it is best to prepare your seed prior to planting. Threshing and winnowing removes the extraneous plant matter and leaves just the seed. After that, you may also need to soak the seed to remove any wet vegetative matter. Once all the wet stuff is gone, spread the seed out and let it dry. Only larger seeds with tough exterior coatings should be soaked. Tiny seeds with thin outer shells do not require soaking. Soaking tiny seeds can cause them to clump together, making them almost impossible to sow.Wetting the soil before planting is important. If you plant into dry soil, when you go to water the seeds, the water will run off the top and over the sides, potentially taking the seeds with it.Seeds need moisture, warmth, and light to germinate, so give them the exact opposite—a dry, cool, dark environment—when storing them. Place your seeds in an envelope or paper bag and seal them in plastic containers or glass jars.Almost all seeds can be pre-soaked, but it is large seeds, seeds with thick coats and wrinkled seeds that will benefit most. Small seeds benefit less and are difficult to handle when wet. Examples of seeds that benefit from soaking include peas, beets, cucumber, corn, squash, pumpkin and beans.Place the container in a warm location, for example on top of a refrigerator (I put mine on a heat mat). Watch the seeds over the next couple of weeks to see if they germinate. The percentage of seeds that sprout will give you a good idea of whether the remaining seeds in the packet are worth planting.
How long do flowers take to grow from seed?
The seed packet should tell you how many days to bloom, which means how long it takes from germination to flowering. If you have a short growing season and the packet says it will be 80 or 90 days to bloom, you will need to start the seeds indoors if you want to see them flower for a couple weeks before frost. Flower seed packets rarely list estimated days to maturity, but most annual flowers need about 95 days from seed to flower. The ones that made my list start popping blooms in 60 to 70 days when grown under spring conditions, and they also tolerate light frost.A good rule of thumb is to sow annual flower seeds as early after the last spring frost as possible.
What seeds should you not soak before planting?
Vegetables. Leafy greens and certain root vegetables are ideal candidates for being planted straight into your garden bed without being soaked first. This is because they have small and delicate seeds that don’t require extra force to jumpstart their germination. Almost all seeds can be pre-soaked, but it is large seeds, seeds with thick coats and wrinkled seeds that will benefit most. Small seeds benefit less and are difficult to handle when wet. Examples of seeds that benefit from soaking include peas, beets, cucumber, corn, squash, pumpkin and beans.Only larger seeds with tough exterior coatings should be soaked. Tiny seeds with thin outer shells do not require soaking. Soaking tiny seeds can cause them to clump together, making them almost impossible to sow.Some seeds—think morning glories, nasturtiums, lupines, dried peas and okra—have extremely tough, outer seed coats. Unless moisture can penetrate these, germination will be a no-go for these difficult seeds.Seeds You Shouldn’t Soak Before Planting Not so much because they don’t have a seed coat that needs moisture to trigger germination, but because they are so small that it is just not practical. Smaller seeds such as basil, chia, tomatoes, lettuce, black-eyed susans, foxglove, and lisianthus are all examples.
Do all flower seeds need to be soaked before planting?
And many popular types of flower seeds such as black-eyed Susan, zinnia, bachelor’s buttons, and foxglove also don’t need soaking first. While it won’t hurt the seeds to soak them, it won’t help speed up their germination much. Plus, getting tiny seeds wet can cause them to clump together, making them harder to sow. If you are drying wet seeds, for instance from tomatoes, you should aim for them to be fully dry within three days. Longer than that, and you risk them sprouting in your drying tray. This is, obviously, disastrous for the seeds because you can’t make the roots go back in.If you are saving your seeds, you may wonder when you can plant seeds. It is inadvisable to save tomato seed, for instance, without cleaning the pulp away and drying the seed for a period of time. If you don’t let them dry, they won’t germinate but, instead, tend to just rot in the ground.Mix 2-3 parts water to 1 part seed. The seeds are going to absorb a lot of water while soaking. All that matters is that we provide enough of it. As a rule 2-3 TIMES AS MUCH water (as seeds) is enough, but you can not use too much – the seeds will only absorb what they can regardless of what they have access too.Spread the seeds on newspapers, in a cardboard box, or in an old telephone directory, and allow them to dry between one and three weeks. Often seeds need to be separated from the chaff (the seed casings and debris).