Annual seeds

This may seem stupid, but here goes.

Since annual seeds are ANNUAL and normally drop their seed as they die, why can't I just rhow out my "annual seed mixes" now? Won't that be close to the way it naturally happens (like with my zinnia and impatiens) every year?

I tried the whole seed thing with 2 shelved, zip up, green "houses" on my sunroom last year. It's not for me. I can't remember to keep them moist, they get stringy and on top of that, by spring I get so busy I neglect them too long. Plus it's dirty and unattractive.

Now I have these packs of seed that I feel I should just throw outside and let nature take it's course. They say things like "sow in early spring after all danger of frost has past". April 15th here. But again, my zinnia come back on their own and I'll bet a pack of them would say the same thing.

I realize one benefit of sowing indoors is the earlier growth and bloom time. But, realistically, that's not going to happen.

What should I generally expect when I just throw them outside now?

Not a stupid question. It's called winter sowing. I throw mine out in early winter and let them go. I've had no trouble. They seem to do better that way.

3gardeners,

Your reasoning makes good sense to me too. I too have loads of Zinnias come up every year. And it seems they are pretty good at knowing when a good time for them to come up. Although I would guess that not every seed is so smart, and Nature is sometimes nasty to her own, and will freeze those tiny seedlings every once in a while. The way I see it however, is that Winter sown seeds sometimes move around, and come up not always in the spot that you prefer. Things like the Wind and the Rain tend to have their way with them. Also, I'm fearful of those pretty little birds who are in the habit of forraging for the meal, and find the seeds. Turns out the seeds chances of survival get slimmer and slimmer.

So you can see the advantages of raising seedlings in the small seed trays, and planting them right where you want them, after the frost. But I agree - it's not always preferred.

So, I'd suggest to just hang on to your seed packs, and wait until after frost and place them where you want them, and within a few weeks, they'll have better chances of surviving.

I am also in the habit of stratifying all my seeds: Annuals and Perrenials for that very Natural reason. Seems to work real well for me.

my humble two cents worth.


This message was edited Jan 14, 2008 1:59 PM

Some annuals are hardy annuals (can take a frost) and others are tender annuals. For northern growers, we have to sow tender outside after our last frost or indoors for transplant. Additionally, some annuals are self-seeding (self sowing) and come back each year, but not all annuals are that way.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like it's pretty much a toss up.
Since I KNOW I'm not starting them indoors, I think I'll spread some now and some in March/April. It's just that once April hits, I've already jumped the gun and stocked up on plants to get in the ground so the seeds are left for another year.

Thanks!!

What kinds of seeds do you have?

I went crazy this past spring and thought I would become a seed grower. NOT! Now I feel I must do something with these seeds because I spent a good bit of money on them on ebay. There are a couple I will go to the trouble of trying to grow indoors because they are so pretty, but most I think I'm going to just throw in their own individual piles and see what makes it. I'm just trying to see which ones to spread like nature (like fall/now) and which ones I should really wait until April to spread.

Siberian wallflower
texas hummingbird sage
chinese houses
snow in summer
rose moss
sundew
slipper flower
Nemesia Masquerade
Italian Clematis
Amaranthus Pigmy Torch
fortnight lily
baby toes cactus
white agapanthus
lillium superbum
salvia reference
spurge kilimanjaro
cosmos daydream
zinia pumila
coreopsis tinctoria
snapdragon night and day
helenium Bright Buttons

Some of these for sure I would wait until spring. Check the zones on them.

Some of those like Agapanthus and fortnight lily are perennials, although I'm not sure if they're hardy in your zone or not (PF lists them both as zone 8, so I think they'd be a bit borderline for you). The reason I mention those two is that I don't think there's any way they'll bloom first year from seed which means you can't really grow them as annuals in zones where they're not hardy. If you want to grow those, I'd probably put them in pots so you can bring them in for the winter, then after a couple years hopefully they're big enough to give you some blooms.

For the ones that are truly annuals, you might try looking in one of the seed catalogs like Park's or Thompson and Morgan, some of them will tell you whether the plant is a hardy annual or not. Hardy annuals can take the cold, but anything else I'd definitely wait until after your last frost (or start indoors and then transplant).