DIGGING IN THE DIRT WITH DEANN 

Gardeners grow their own flowers from seed for many reasons, including their desire for stronger, healthier, less costly and greater varieties of flowers; need for fulfillment; enjoyment; and eagerness to get the gardening season underway. With the cost of everything today sky high, it’s much more economical to plant from seed.  Check out the Dollar Stores for seed.  I have bought seed there for as little as 10 cents a package.

 

Flower seeds can be started indoors, outdoors or in an unheated or heated greenhouse. The proper time to start seeds depends upon where you live. Generally speaking, if seeds are started before the last frost of the season, you will need to start them indoors or in a heated greenhouse. If seeds are started outdoors or in an unheated greenhouse, you should wait until the last frost of the season has come and gone, which in Mid Michigan is usually about May 12th. Seeds can be started indoors if the proper temperature and light can be provided. If you are fortunate like me and have a  heated greenhouse for starting seeds at any time,  this type of environment will provide the appropriate conditions for germination.

You should take the time to assemble the tools needed for seed starting so that everything is available when the process of seed sowing starts. The necessary tools include: containers, seed starting mix, fresh seed, plant markers, covering for containers and a water bottle/mister.

Containers should have drainage holes so that excess water flows through readily. They should also be 2 to 3 inches deep to accommodate for seedling growth. Examples of containers include plastic cell packs that annual flowers are frequently sold in, peat pots, peat pellets and recycled items such as yogurt cups and milk cartons. I also use the clear square cartons that strawberries are sold in.  They make ideal containers as they have a top on it to close it and keep your seedlings sheltered.  Extra holes can be created in recycled items to ensure proper drainage.

The seed starting mix should be light and spongy in texture and moist, but not wet. Examples of good media include vermiculite, commercial mixes, such as Jiffy Mix, Miracle Grow and ProMix, and homemade mixtures composed of vermiculite, perlite and sphagnum moss. Some folks use potting soil, but the other options listed are preferable. Garden soil should not be used as it is too heavy and may harbor fungi that can reproduce and wreak havoc in the home environment.

To optimize the germination rate, always use fresh seed—i.e., seed packed in the current year (the date can be found on the seed packet). However, I must say I have used seed that was a year old and had success with it.  After all our forefathers’ came across the ocean bringing with them seed from their native lands.

If starting various flowers from seeds, use plant markers that can be inserted in the containers to identify the type of flower seed sown. Examples include plastic or metal markers designed for labeling flowers/plants, popsicle sticks and tongue depressors. Myself I use popsicle sticks which I bought by 1000 in a box at a craft store.

If seeds are started indoors, the containers in which seeds are sown should be covered with an appropriate wrap such as plastic or saran wrap, aluminum foil or paper bags. The type of wrap used—transparent or opaque—depends upon whether the seed needs light or dark to germinate.

You should also have on hand a bottle that emits a very fine spray of water to moisten the starting mix prior to sowing the seeds and to remoisten the mix immediately after the seed is sown. After the seedlings have sprouted, I water with the same bottle that emits a very fine spray so the tender shoots do not get water logged.

I have listed 12 fannual flowers that in my opinion are very easy to grow.  Many of them you know of and have probably planted over the years.

BACHELOR BUTTONS

A charming annual that blooms in shades of blue, pink, and purple, bachelor's button is a great choice for hot, dry sites. The flowers are perfect for cut and dried-flower bouquets.

Starting Tips: Plant the seed about 1/8 inch deep; they typically sprout in one to three weeks. You can start it early indoors or sow it directly outdoors in the garden.

HYACINTH BEAN

This spectacular but underused vine is a snap to start. Grow it in a sunny spot and be sure to give it a sturdy support on which to climb. Hyacinth bean can grow more than 10 feet by the end of the season.

Starting Tips: Because the seeds are protected by a tough coat, soak the seeds in water for 12 hours before sowing or file away or nick off a small piece of the coat before planting. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep; they sprout in one to two weeks.

CLEOME

A perfect cottage-garden plant, cleome bears spikes of fragrant flowers in shades of white, pink, magenta, and purple. It's so easy, it practically starts itself -- in fact, in many gardens it self-seeds year after year.      

Starting Tips: Spread seeds over the ground; they usually don't need to be covered as they germinate by sunlight.. Cleome seeds typically sprout in one to two weeks.

 COSMOS

Another must-have annual for sunny cottage gardens, cosmos offers ferny foliage and daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, magenta, white, yellow, and orange. The plants don't mind hot, dry locations, so they're ideal for low-maintenance gardens, too. And they often self-seed.

Starting Tips: Spread seeds over the ground and just barely cover them; seeds usually sprout in one to three weeks.

CASTOR BEAN

This plant will amaze your friends. A fast-growing, warm-weather-loving species, a single castor bean seed can grow into a 15-foot-tall specimen by the end of the season -- even in northern Zones.

Starting Tips: Plant the seeds about 1/2 inch deep; they usually sprout in one to three weeks. If you sow the seed directly outdoors, wait until the soil has warmed.Note:  ALL PARTS OF THIS PLANT ARE EXTREMELY POISONOUS.   

LARKSPUR

Larkspur lights up the spring or fall garden with its spikes of blue, lavender, pink, or white flowers. This garden beauty often self-seeds, coming back each year all on its own.

Starting Tips: The easiest way to grow larkspur is to sprinkle the seeds in the garden in late winter or very early spring. The cool-season plants will sprout on their own. If you start seeds indoors, sow seed 1/8 inch deep. They sprout in three to four weeks\

MARIGOLD

Who has not planted Marigold. It's hard not to love a marigold's bright yellow, orange, and red flowers. Happily, this is one of the easiest seeds to grow.

Starting Tips: You can sow marigolds directly into the garden. If you start seeds indoors, sow seed 1/8 inch deep. They usually sprout in less than a week.

MORNING GLORY

One of the best annual vines, morning glory blooms in shades of blue, pink, white, and red. It's earned its common name because the flowers tend to close by noon, especially in hot weather.

Starting Tips: Morning glory seeds are protected by a tough coat. Soak the seeds in water for 12 to 24 hours before sowing or file away or nick off a small piece of the coat before planting. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep; they usually sprout in about a week.

MOSS ROSE

Moss rose is a perfect little ground cover for hot, dry spots. It forms a mat of needle-like foliage and cup-shape flowers in bright shades of yellow, orange, pink, and white. Moss rose often self-seeds in the garden.

Starting Tips: Sow seed 1/8 inch deep; they usually sprout in two to three weeks.

NASTURTIUM

Nasturtium offers tidy mounds of foliage and cheery blooms in shades of yellow, orange, red, and crimson.

Starting Tips: Nasturtium seeds have a tough coat. Soak the seeds in water for 12 to 24 hours before sowing or file away or nick off a small piece of the seed coat before planting. Sow seed 1/2 inch deep; they usually sprout in about a week.  Did you know Nasturtium are eatable flowers??

SUNFLOWERS

What would summer be without cheery sunflowers? While the big yellow varieties with brown centers are the best known, today there's an array of choices that includes orange, red, brown, and bicolor blooms. They're not all giants, either; dwarf varieties fit in virtually any sunny spot.

Starting Tips: Sunflowers don't like to be transplanted, so it's best to start them directly in the garden. They usually sprout in about a week after planting.

 

ZINNIA

Like many other warm-season annuals, zinnia is so fast-sprouting and easy to grow that you don't usually need to start them indoors. The plants offer a wide range of flower colors and forms, as well as heights.

Starting Tips: Sow zinnias about 1/8 inches deep. They usually sprout within a week.

So there you have it.....you can grow these also in containers, but keep in mind, container gardening requires alit of watering.

Deann