Growing from seed

MacDanger

Hi

I'm hoping to grow some flowers from seed this year (have bought Ox-eye Daisy, Prunella Freelander mix and a cottage garden perennials mix). From what I've been reading up, I should be doing something like this:

1. Plant them in seed compost in the little seed trays, place them indoors in a well lit place
2. Transplant to bigger pots with potting compost
3. When they're almost big enough for planting outdoors, "harden" them by leaving them out for periods of time
4. Remove from the pots and plant in the garden

Is that basically correct? Anything else to watch out for?

And how long would I expect to wait between 1 & 2 and 2 & 3? Assuming I'll be planting them outside around the end of March/start of April, when do I need to plant them?

One other thing, some of the packets of seeds come with ~500 seeds, what should I do with the the leftover ones?

Thanks

Shaunoc

MacDanger wrote: »

Hi

I'm hoping to grow some flowers from seed this year (have bought Ox-eye Daisy, Prunella Freelander mix and a cottage garden perennials mix). From what I've been reading up, I should be doing something like this:

1. Plant them in seed compost in the little seed trays, place them indoors in a well lit place
2. Transplant to bigger pots with potting compost
3. When they're almost big enough for planting outdoors, "harden" them by leaving them out for periods of time
4. Remove from the pots and plant in the garden

Is that basically correct? Anything else to watch out for?

And how long would I expect to wait between 1 & 2 and 2 & 3? Assuming I'll be planting them outside around the end of March/start of April, when do I need to plant them?

One other thing, some of the packets of seeds come with ~500 seeds, what should I do with the the leftover ones?

Thanks

i'm also new to this.
bought a few packets of ox-eye. and sowed a couple of weeks ago (perhaps too eager), 3/4 seems to have germinated for me so far
no chance there is 500 seeds per packet, but neither would i try disprove it by counting. my packets say ~600. neither did i sow one seed per cell, tried to do a few per. how wrong I am...
i don't think they like too much direct sunlight, have a check on the packet constructions.
i'm watering every day - they are inside in seed trays. too much / too little i'll know in a month or two
i have done a few trays of Rudebecka (spelling), no life out of them yet after a couple of weeks. I think they are my first victims.
its fun trying

Fleetwoodmac

Yep you have the idea! Growing from seed becomes addictive and cheapest way to fill the garden. Sow cornflower, poppy and the standard wildflower seed mix direct after last frosts, into well tilled ground with a bit of sand in straight drills so you’ll know what’s weed and what’s not. Cornflower and poppy etc don’t seem to like being moved. It’s a good idea to have vermiculite and sieve compost if your organized and I use a mist spray bottle to gently water
For now, I sow cosmos ( easy and keeps flowering into November), nigellas love in mist etc and leave on warm windowsill. Pot on as they grow and harden off. You’ll be able to collect seed next year and have your own supply. Ox eye daisy will self seed and are like weeds now in my garden, I dig them up and repot them, giving them to friends.
Extra seeds either swap with others or I keep in fridge/freezer until I need them again but they usually keep for a few years.

MacDanger

MacDanger wrote: »

Hi

I'm hoping to grow some flowers from seed this year (have bought Ox-eye Daisy, Prunella Freelander mix and a cottage garden perennials mix). From what I've been reading up, I should be doing something like this:

1. Plant them in seed compost in the little seed trays, place them indoors in a well lit place
2. Transplant to bigger pots with potting compost
3. When they're almost big enough for planting outdoors, "harden" them by leaving them out for periods of time
4. Remove from the pots and plant in the garden

Is that basically correct? Anything else to watch out for?

And how long would I expect to wait between 1 & 2 and 2 & 3? Assuming I'll be planting them outside around the end of March/start of April, when do I need to plant them?

One other thing, some of the packets of seeds come with ~500 seeds, what should I do with the the leftover ones?

Thanks

Anyone able to advise on when I should start planting these seeds to have them ready to go outdoors around the start of April?

magicbastarder

i'm a lazy gardener when it comes to this sort of gardening. i just sow direct, if they're wildflower seeds treat them as if they're wild.

uck51js9zml2yt

I just bought a mix of wildflower seeds from fruithillfarm.
Seemed reasonably priced.

Shaunoc

i think i may try that approach also.
beats having a reminder set every day to mist spray my trays

Ms2011

Shaunoc wrote: »

i'm watering every day - they are inside in seed trays. too much / too little i'll know in a month or two
i have done a few trays of Rudebecka (spelling), no life out of them yet after a couple of weeks. I think they are my first victims.

Don't water everyday or your seeds will rot, only water as needed by placing the pots in containers of shallow water & allow the compost to absorb as much water as needed.
For Sowing:
Put compost in the seed tray, compost for sowing seeds is best.
Sit the trays in a container of water & allow it to absorb the water from below.
Sow the seeds & place the seed tray in a zip lock/freezer bag & place on a south facing window ledge until the seeds germinate then take them out & allow them to develop their second set of leaves before transplanting them into bigger pots.

FYI if your Rudbeckia seeds haven't germinated after 4 weeks or so put them in the fridge for another 4 weeks then place them back on a south facing window ledge, they sometimes need a period of cold to jump start germination.

Shaunoc

Ms2011 wrote: »

FYI if your Rudbeckia seeds haven't germinated after 4 weeks or so put them in the fridge for another 4 weeks then place them back on a south facing window ledge, they sometimes need a period of cold to jump start germination.

you have moved on several levels from my amateurish approach
fridge is a non runner.
at best i would kick them out unless there are frosty nights in store - not for the next week it looks like

looksee

The Prunella should be ok in trays, but all the others are hardy and will be much better planted outside directly into the soil. Mixed annuals/wildflowers etc are notorious for being attractive to new gardeners, but very difficult to get results from. The main problem with growing things in seedtrays is once they have germinated they grow long and spindly because they have not enough light or they are not kept a close enough eye on.

The main thing is though that growing things from seed is generally inexpensive, fun experimentation and very satisfying when it works! Go for it and enjoy!

Ms2011

Shaunoc wrote: »

Ms2011 wrote: »

FYI if your Rudbeckia seeds haven't germinated after 4 weeks or so put them in the fridge for another 4 weeks then place them back on a south facing window ledge, they sometimes need a period of cold to jump start germination.

you have moved on several levels from my amateurish approach
fridge is a non runner.
at best i would kick them out unless there are frosty nights in store - not for the next week it looks like

In that case you'd be better just buying the plant from a garden centre, they are relatively inexperience at about €3 or so.

Shaunoc

Ms2011 wrote: »

In that case you'd be better just buying the plant from a garden centre, they are relatively inexperience at about €3 or so.

i'll give it another go. it's practically a free effort

New Home

I meant to say, Lidl usually has a good range of wildflower mixes, both in the little sachets and in larger "sprinkly jars", and they're usually cheap enough. If they don't have them in stock right now, they will in the next few weeks, I'd say.

madmaggie

A little tip for anyone growing from seed. Buy the seed sowing kit with bottom tray, module insert and plastic lid. Aldi usually get them in. Fill the modules with compost, and then water. Put the plastic lid on, and leave on a sunny windowsill or in the greenhouse for a couple of days to warm up the compost. I have found this speeds up germination, and gives a higher success rate. Once you grow stuff one year, it often self seeds, and you can pot up the seedlings directly from the garden. I'm doing this at present, also dividing perennials.

rolion

@maggie

Very good tip.
Found that small container doing the trick.
On top of that,leave the seeds in the warm but not hot water for few minutes,to allow the water to break the external shell,before you plant them in the right compost.

In those nice containers,make sure that you leave them open / uncovered from time to time as the condensation builts up and the temperature can go wrong,damaging ireversibile the small plants.

Enjoy it.

madmaggie

Thanks rollon. Inadequate ventilation can lead to damping off and fungal diseases. I insulated the greenhouse one year with bubble wrap. It prevented air circulation and my overwintering pelargoniums and fuchsia all rotted. Lesson learned.

rolion

madmaggie wrote: »

Thanks rollon. Inadequate ventilation can lead to damping off and fungal diseases. I insulated the greenhouse one year with bubble wrap. It prevented air circulation and my overwintering pelargoniums and fuchsia all rotted. Lesson learned.

Haha and hmmm ... you werent alone.
Did the same and i lost a lots of mature vegies plants too...
Now,i have 2 plus 6 fans doing the managed ventilation and air exchanges.
Lesson learned.