6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
It's all about temperature. Now that we've dropped here in LA, it's perfect spinach germinating weather. But I never bother anymore because we inevitably get a winter spell of 85+ that wilts the whole crop and I didn't like the NZ stuff. And then there's the issue of heads becoming earwig homes. Maybe if I had a good north facing exposure that was relatively bug-free, but no. Definitely not my favorite LA crop.
I just overplant beets and eat the young leaves instead and focus on lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. And edible flowers, which we can grow lots of, especially my favorite winter addition - pineapple sage.
kinda damp and barely above freezing. Also, not where you keep your apples.
Here is a link that might be useful: My farm blog
Thanks. I thought it might be the light, but they sprang up so fast that they caught me napping. I've got them in a southwest-facing window that gets very good light all year round, so we'll see what happens.
Don't think I can do the fan yet. Still getting them used to not being in a closed environment.
Light from a window may seem like good light compared to the rest of the light in the house, but compared to "outside" it is weak and all to one side. Also the window glass is a poor insulator and within a few inches of the glass the air temperature is considerably cooler. Al
I would not start now. Start in January or February. Nick or file through the hard black surface. When you see white thats far enough. Put seeds in a bottle or jar of water until you see a white shoot coming out. Plant in a pot, put in window or under lights until last frost date.
Check soil temperature.. if its betwem 75-80F then no problem as that is the ideal temperature for germination & growing on.... some cactus seed takea year or more to germinate so after the new plant gets to transplant size go ahead & still keep germination tray on heat
If your grandma's poppies were a named variety, you may not get exactly the same flowers as the plants she grew.
Oriental poppies are hardy to about Z3 so even if yours will winter in pots and not the ground, I think they should be fine. Moving the pots to semi-protected spot (up against the house, under an evergreen etc) would give them about a 1/2 zone of protection as would sinking the pots into the ground for winter but I don't think you need to be concerned in Z6.
Where are you going to grow these. a window sill or heated greenhouse. will the growing area be semiaautomated or will you have several helpers (sepeciall when you get ill) will there be seporate areas to accomidaate the different germination & growing on temperatures, light, water requirements. do you entend to give 1 hour a day to these plants or 8-12 hours a day...............
consider these & then give me your answer.
I haven't sown giganteum but I think I'd start them now - or in the next few weeks. Allium can take anywhere from 30-365 days to germinate, I seem to have best luck Fall sowing, leaving pots outdoors, finding germination earliest Spring.
While his recommendations are most often for dried stored seed, the Clothiers site suggests warm moist, cold moist, germinating while warming up but still cool. Druse (Making More Plants) suggests outdoors in Fall.
I surface sow allium regardless of seed size, topping pot with a light layer of grit to help keep seeds in place....Other end of the size scale, I kept a few seeds of tiny allium cyaneum, same requirements and I may sow those tomorrow :)
Treelover, I've sown the seeds from the spice aisle jars and I wasn't impressed with the flowers either - they were a mix of uninspiring pastels, lots of singles, many white. There are many deeper colors, doubles, available in the seed catalogs if you are going to grow annual poppies.
Oriental poppies (papaver oriental) are perennials, their foliage is darker green, divided, hairy, almost scritchy/uncomfortable to your hands and arms when weeding around them.
The breadseed poppies, papaver somniferum, have more of a blue-green foliage for the most part, grow quickly, bloom and set seed within a few weeks of germinating. Are you letting the seed pods ripen before taking out the plants - pods will begin to turn more tan than green, look a little dry and if you give them a shake you can hear the seeds rattle inside. It can take some patience because the whole plant is looking a little ratty by the time the seeds have matured, can be hard to leave it in the garden.
Here is a link that might be useful: 
From your photo, I'd have to say that mine have all been annuals. I do wait till the pods ripen before collecting seed--tearing off any brown, dried up leaves in the meantime. By the time I remove the plants, they're just pods on a stick, which look interesting in their own way.
Thanks for the explanation, morz. I've been wondering about this since I was given the seeds. I think I'd like some of the perennial type, too. Another item for my wish list...
I am interested, but as trillianh says, I would subscribe to a quarterly sending more so than a monthly one. Being a student, I just don't have the space (and $12+ a month can get enough paper and pencil for a month) sorry if i sound stingy, but your concept is a great one
There is another forum "seed exchange" will have better luck there
Thanks for the suggestion yiorges-z5il, I will try there.