About Direct Seeding Flowers
In January, the first seed catalogs appear in mailboxes with photos of colorful flowers adorning the covers. For the gardener wishing to forgo peat pots and growing lamps for his flowers, many seeds can be sown directly into the garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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Annual flower seeds such as marigolds and cosmos can be directly sown each year in most areas of North America. Some annual seeds such as petunias and snapdragons must be started indoors about three months before the last frost and cannot be directly sown into the garden. Some "annuals" are tender perennials and will not have to be grown from seed each year in warmer hardiness zones. Once perennial seeds such as dianthus and poppies are directly sown, the plants should establish and self-sow after the first year.
Time Frame
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Flower seeds may be directly sown in the ground as soon as all frost danger is past and the ground has warmed.
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Geography
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When selecting seeds to sow directly into the garden, the gardener should pay close attention to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for best results. If the gardener lives in a Zone 3 area and wants to directly seed his flowers, he should select flower varieties for that zone and do not have to be started indoors. Rudbeckia is an annual flower that can be directly seeded in Zones 3 to 9, but Shasta Daisies are for Zones 5 to 9.
Scarification
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Some pea-sized flower seeds must be pre-soaked for 24 hours or have their outer seed shell cut slightly in a process called scarification. This enables water to enter the seed coat quicker and allows the seed to germinate. Nasturtiums, morning glories and sweet peas have hard outer seed coats like this. Once the seed has been prepared, it can be directly sown into the garden.
Advantages
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Growing flower seedlings indoors takes up space. Direct seeding allows that space to be used for vegetable seedlings or flowers which cannot be directly seeded. Buying packets of flower seeds is cheaper than purchasing seedlings from a garden store. Thinned-out seedlings can be transplanted sometimes in bare spots of the garden.
Disadvantages
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Weeds will grow up along with the sprouted flower seeds and may be difficult to identify at first. Directly sown seedlings must be thinned out to provide appropriate spacing between plants. Directly sown flower seedlings will take more time to set their first blossoms than garden stock from a greenhouse.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Sandra L. Petersen
