what are some good seeds to put into the ground (not in little cups etc) this time of year in texas zone 8a?
fall seed planting
anything - and almost everything that is not tropical.
Fall is the time of year to seed Poppies if you care to grow them. Also, many of the wildflowers can be seeded.
October is also a great time to plant or divide bulbs and iris. Shrubs that are planted at this time of year are able to establish a good root system before the heat and water stress of summer.
it's hard to say linda. IF we get fall rains this year it is good to plant poppies, larkspur, and lots of other wildflowers. i was just wondering this myself whether i could sow any seeds right now. i'll let you know if i come across any good info.
Isn't it time to plant blue & A&M burgandy -bonnets?
thank you all--i was getting very confused with all the fall vs spring planting and then throw in the zones and it just gets worse!! so i can give anything not tropical a try and poppies are a good one for now--and i do have poppy seeds and some wildflowers--well --thanks all
Podster,
How about what seeds to plant in zone 9A-Houston, this time of year?
Flower or vegies? Mostly the flower color for fall is common ~ pansies, ornamental kales and cabbages. I really don't know what is good to go for seeds in the warmer zones. Perhaps some of the DGrs from your area will join in...
I planted nasturtiums and calendula last spring but they struggled with the heat as did the thymes. I am thinking this might be the time to try them again.
Thanks, Pod.
Many wildflowers seeds can be planted now. I also plant Cilantro/Coriander seed in the fall. Check this out...it has a fall direct seeding link.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/fallgarden/fallindex.html
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/668696/
here is a thread that got started last year. if you look there is probably one every year about this very subject. lol.
I plant everything now - all but a few veggies... even my annuals like zinnia I plant now and let them go until spring.
ok mithchF--that is what i want to do--plant now and let them go till spring--even if it means less germinate--i do not want to do the little pots etc with the seedlings--so mithchF--do you just sort of throw them out there? i mean how much prep do you do?
NOW, we're talking! MitchF?
lol. if you are going to direct sow you ought to stir the soil a little bit. if it's been worked this summer it's prob. good to go. i wish you all the luck in the world and please post next year how well it worked. and if we get good rainfall i am betting you have a bumper crop.
oh mamajack--here i thought daves gardeners would think what a lazy and undisciplined gardener i am!! thank you for the encouragement--my plan is to do just what you said with the soil--which has been worked and enriched this summer--put out my seed now and save a little for spring--then i will put that out and my thinking is between the 2 times something will come up!!!
Till, prep with the good stuff (compost or whatever you add) and then rake in the seeds. For my very specail ones I will winter sow into a bucket on the back porch - look in the articles for the one I wrote on winter sowing or check out the forum here on Daves. Really good stuff in there. I do very little planting in the spring.
I put out a wildflower seed mixture recently and they are doing well. I already have poppies flowering from it. For good measure, I put down extra bluebonnet seeds in several beds and they are taking hold well. I have lots of bluebonnet foliage right now and am hoping for quite the show in the spring. For whatever reason, I'm having far better luck this year with fall seeding than I did last year when I only got two sad-looking bluebonnets at of all the seed I put down. If they are doing well here in Bedford, I'm pretty sure they'll do well in Plano.
no i don't think anything like that. lol. i have a lot of special things i want to try and sometimes i kill it with too much pampering. if i have a lot of seeds i just throw 'em down too. this may the year that i just empty the seed box and just see what comes up. i always want to do that but usually i don't have anywhere to plant like that. i need a bed that is just used for starting plants but if bare ground is found here something is immediately planted.
I mulch the beds with pinestraw ~ if you spread seed freely could you mulch over it? What keeps the birds from feasting?
i wouldn't mulch beds where seeds are sown unless it was very sparse. and nothing but maybe rain pushing the seeds into the soil keeps the birds from getting your seeds.
I love collecting seed. Put them in a big plastic jar and just shake it really hard. Sort of separates the chaff. My beds aren't as open as they used to be but there is still enough soil showing for my benefit. Have already added new mulch this fall. Probably today or tomorrow I will distribute all the seed like I was feeding chickens. Then I use the leaf rake to very lightly cover. Already have poppies and larkspur coming up that I put out last week. It is such a thrill between now and next Spring to see all the new life popping up. Every morning it is a walk around the garden looking very hard to find new seedlings. Have had as good or better lucky this way as opposed to setting out plants. Even most of the tropicals have started from a bulb, tuber, root or something other than a plant. Just my particular thrill to have a bit of mystery about what is where. I would never be able to draw a plan and stay with it. Garden ADD. hahahaha
LouC
lou, i am the same way about planning. whatever i have on hand is what goes in the empty spot. later when i see how big plants are getting i have to move things but at the moment i am just trying to get them into soil to keep them alive.
Have to admit I do a good bit of moving but I really don't mind. It is worth it to me.
Good morning, mamajack.
LouC
and good morning to you. have you got all of your things planted. have you heard we might get a freeze next week? i wish that wouldn't happen now.
well i am a little confused because i thought that when i throw the seed out now it germinates and grows in the spring--but some of you said you have seedlings now--won't the winter just kill them? and by the way --i love the idea of just having a mix of flower seeds to toss in one area and see what happens--is that what you meant with the jar of seed?
Yes, mam. My own particular kind of thrill. I threw out poppy seed last week and also larkspur. They are both already germinating because this is their time. I don't really know what I loose and what I gain....definitely gain more than I loose. Common sense tells me that if my plants are currently throwing seed then it is the optimum time to plant.
that does make sense--but --and i am sorry this is so hard for me to get--will the poppies live long enough now to bloom? and when they die off do they come back? i have poppy seeds and will try them this weekend--thanks for being so patient!! i am not always this slow on the uptake!!
Linda ~ the poppies will germinate and grow right now and be ready to bloom in late winter and early spring if I am not mistaken. They will freely reseed when done blooming.
i did not know any flowers bloom in late winter! thanks for the info
Wait a minute! To me anything below 70 is winter ~ grrrrrr!
Right - most seeds know when to come up - I have never not had zinnia or marigolds and I always plant them in the next few weeks.
Just like nature reseeding wildflowers ~ it is amazing that they know when to sprout and bloom.
LouC ~ did you say you had already mulched and spread seeds on top ~ then raked them in?
poppies are perennial so if they germinate now they will return in the spring. you just can't move poppies very well without killing them so plant them where you want them. i am guessing zinnia and some of the others have to have warmer temps both day and night to germinate.
I have a small flowerbed underneath two trees. Right now it has a coupla very small hostas, two small autumn fern and two small mexican heathers. What seeds do you recommend I could spread around in this little bed to get some color for Spring? This bed gets filtered light, but no direct sunshine overhead because of the two trees sitting right in the bed. Also, I have a rich compost mixture in this bed. Table scraps, coffee grinds, leaves and grass that broke down into compost over the last 6 months. I have a small pile that's just about ready to get spread in this bed before winter.
Please advise, as I'd just love to go broadcast some seeds before I run out of these glorious weekends!
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Linda
