Flower Seed Planting Guide

Crop Type

Ideal soil temp.

Frost Sensitive?

Typical days to germ.

Ideal spacing

Spacing between rows

Planting depth

Pinch back or Not

Transplant or direct sow

Amaranth

60°-80°

YES

3-8

6-12”

12-18”

¼ - ½”

YES

Transplant or direct sow

Aster

60°-85°

YES

3-8

9-12”

12-18”

¼”

YES

Transplant

Bachelor’s Button

65°-80°

YES

3-8

6-12”

18-24”

¼ - ½”

NO

Transplant

Barley

55°-75°

NO

3-8

2-6”

12-18”

½”

NO

Direct sow

Basil

55°-80°

YES

3-10

6-12”

18-24”

¼ - ½”

YES

Transplant

Bell’s of Ireland

60°-75°

MODERATE

5-14

6-12”

12-24”

¼-1”

NO

Transplant

Broom Corn

60°-75°

YES

3-8

6-12”

18-24”

1”

NO

Direct sow

Calendula

55°-75°

NO

3-8

12-18”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

YES

Transplant or direct sow

Celosia

55°-80°

YES

3-8

12”

18-24”

¼-1/2”

YES

Transplant

Chinese Forget Me Not

65°-90°

MODERATE

3-10

6”-12”

18-36”

¼ - ½”

NO

Direct sow

Cleome

65°-90°

YES

5-14

12-24”

12-18”

½”

NO

Direct sow

Columbine

70°-85°

NO

4-10

6-18”

18-24”

¼ - ½”

NO

Transplant

Coreopsis

50°-75°

YES

3-7

12”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

YES

Transplant

Cosmos

60°-80°

YES

3-7

12-18”

12-18”

 ½”

YES

Transplant or direct sow

Daisy

50°-80°

YES

3-7

6-12”

12-18”

¼ - ½”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Dahlia

55°-75°

YES

3-8

12-18”

18-24”

½”

YES

Direct sow

Echinacea

50°-80°

NO

3-14

12-18”

12-18”

½”

NO

Direct sow

Euphorbia

50°-75°

YES

5-10

6-12”

12-18”

½”

NO

Direct sow

Feverfew

60°-80°

NO

5-10

6-12”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Gaillardia

70°-85°

NO

5-10

12-18”

12-24”

½”

NO

Transplant

Gomphrena

60°-80°

YES

3-8

6-12”

 

¼ - ½”

NO

Transplant

Grasses

55°-75°

NO

3-8

2-6”

 

½-1”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Hollyhock

55°-75°

NO

3-8

12-24”

12-24”

1”

NO

Transplant

Marigold

60°-80°

MODERATE

3-8

12-18”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

YES

Direct sow or transplant

Nigella

60°-80°

MODERATE

3-8

6-12”

12-18”

¼ - ½”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Orach

55°-75°

NO

3-8

6-12”

12-18”

½”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Poppy

40°-75°

NO

5-14

4-12”

12-18”

¼”

NO

Direct sow

Rudbeckia

55°-75°

MODERATE

3-8

12”

12-18”

¼ - ½”

NO

Transplant

Scabiosa

55°-75°

NO

5-14

12-18”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

YES

Transplant

Strawflower

60°-80°

YES

3-8

6-12”

12-18”

¼”

YES

Transplant

Sunflower

60°-80°

YES

3-8

6-18”

12-24”

1”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Sweet Pea

55°-75°

NO

3-8

2-4”

18-36”

1”

NO

Direct sow or transplant

Sweet Williams

55°-75°

NO

3-8

12-18”

12-24”

¼ - ½”

NO

Transplant

Yarrow

55°-75°

NO

5-14

12”

12-24”

¼ ”

NO

Transplant

Zinnia

60°-80°

YES

3-8

12-18”

18-24”

½”

YES

Transplant

 

Should You Direct Seed or Transplant?

 

Many folks might ask this question, particularly if you are growing something new to you. In nature, seeds fall free from pods every day, or are dispersed by wind, birds and a myriad of forces, to find a suitable spot and sprout when the conditions are just right.  When we are stepping into the role of the cultivator, we have to choose when, where and how to plant our seeds.  We have tried to indicate how we do it throughout the catalog, but opinions vary, so here are some points that may guide your decision:

SEED INDOORS THEN TRANSPLANT

  • Planting indoors (in a greenhouse, cold frame or sunny window sill) allows you to plant earlier for earlier production.
  • Allows you to protect tender seedlings from birds, pests and harsh rain or wind.
  • Helps you to identify your seedling from what may be weeds sprouting at the same time when direct seeding. This is especially true when you don’t know what the sprouts are supposed to look like.
  • Allows you to more carefully space your transplants at the right/most ideal spacing.
  • Allows you to be more efficient with limited seeds
  • You can “garden” in a greenhouse or inside even when the weather is nasty outside
  • Kids and other helpers tend to have an easier time handling transplants better than seeds. 

            DIRECT SEED OUTDOORS

  • Easiest to do
  • Best for root crops as when they are transplanted their roots tend to become forked and sprangled
  • Most grains (including corn) are most easily planted this way.
  • Allows you to garden without a greenhouse or cold frame
  • Much faster than making/buying potting soil and maintaining a greenhouse and all the flats, trays and so on.
  • You tend to use more seed and plant thicker and then later thin to the desired spacing
  • Young seedlings can be susceptible to predation by slugs, birds, insects – necessitating taking protective measures such as floating row covers, scare crows, policing and so on.
  • Most natural way = uses less plastic