6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
A minimum of 4 week cold period (40F) is needed..... then lightly cover &..... darkness .....needed for germination. Soil temperature 65-70F taking 10-14 days .... taking 15 weeks to be large enough to set out. Figure last frost free date... count back 20 weeks & see if enough time to plant this year.
In your zone you might do well doing what I used to do with them, I just sprinkled them lightly in my garden during the month of October. I always got plenty that reached blooming size. My old garden in Fresno had them return each year by the 10s of thousands. Quite spectacular!
--Ron
Hi mblabe,
Your big pots should work fine. The potting soil in them will be fine. You can put more zinnia plants together in a pot than sunflower plants. The zinnias will grow to 1-3 feet tall, the sunflowers along the lines of 4-7 feet. Zinnias aren't fond of their roots being disturbed, so be gentle when you transplant them. Leave an inch or two between the plants. Put your pots in a sunny location. As you can see from my picture, I used 15 inch planters that I placed a full packet of seeds in each. It may look a little crowded but they are growing well.
BTG
From Gardener
Hi there, just wanted to say that is real cool, that
your daughter planted seeds and watched them grow. This pic of my zinnias was one package, I plant them in
several places in my large flower beds. They grow
quickly and are pretty. Just keep them watered and I
too think the large pot will be fine for yours.
Good luck .
Hi greenmouli,
Here's a link to shade loving plants from Spring Hill Nurseries. It should give you some ideas on choosing something suitable. Hope it helps.
BTG
Here is a link that might be useful: Shade loving plants
My advice is take advantage of your great, frost-free weather and learn to germinate before spending the $$ on either. Unless you are really deep into the Outer Sunset foggy part of SF, I would use the coffee filter in a plastic baggie method (see link) for the heat lovers and germinate outside for most of the veggies that can take some fog (my preference is to use flats). All the root veggies, the leafy veggies and squash and beans and peas and brassicas will germinate w/o additional heat in SF, although it can be slower this way if the sun disappears for days.
I grew plenty of veggies outside in Bolinas, the Haight and Oakland using these methods. Your main obstacle is that the humidity can promote damping off and other diseases, so an occasional spray of dilute hydrogen peroxide or watering with weak chamomile tea is a good preventative.
It's not that heat mats aren't a good aid when the marine layer rolls in, they just aren't a necessity. APS always has seemed an unnecessary expense in coastal CA.
Here is a link that might be useful: faq: baggie method
Thanks! That's great to know you were able to germinate outside (I am thankfully in the Haight, not the Sunset).
For germinating outside, I'm assuming that putting them anywhere that doesn't get direct sun is okay? Did you just put the flats out there or did you use any kind of cold frame?
You may have already figured this out, but the part that flowered first should be mature enough to harvest by now. If you roll the dried capsule between your fingers the tiny little seeds should spill out. The plant produces over a period of several weeks. Try to protect forming seeds from the rain.
The 'puffball' are not the arugula. You must have some weed in there too. Or maybe lettuce. Arugula produces pods and when they are dry you will find small almost spherical brownish black seeds inside. Alternatively you could not 'harvest' them but just leave them to self sow.
Remove lid as it can promote damping off (not a good thing) & yes may continue to grow insid if container is large enough for the size of the plant. May need /does need GOOD light. to grow ewell. (Basil + all others) Still time to start herbs for fall/winter use.
I don't grow it, but looked it up and the information is a little confusing. I find the site you mention, another that says isolated plants may be self sterile, yet another that states 'self sows' but with more restraint than c. radicans (missouri botanical gardens).
Then this from the Clothiers site - blooming 17 months from seed after pruning, his information is reliable....
Here is a link that might be useful: Campsis x tagliabuana
I love Chiltern's seeds in the UK. I've ordered seed from them on a Tuesday evening, and had them arrive that Friday (that's faster than US-based shippers!). They give you good quantities of seeds, and I've had great success with germination, including with particularly tricky seeds, like the blue poppies (meconopsis).
--Ron
I watch for seed sales at T&M all the time! This year they had the 1/2 price sale and then the 99 cent sale! I stocked up on things I would not normally purchase.
http://www.tmseeds.com/