Can I plant seeds now?

*Astrantia*

ive collected a lot of seeds over the past few weeks mainly aqualegia, fox gloves & big oriental(?) poppies can I sow them now? Will they grow & if yes can I overwinter them in a unheated greenhouse or should I just wait till next spring?

Ceres

I've found that a lot of plants do really well if you sow the seeds at the time the plant intended....i.e. about now. You will find lots of seedlings appearing around the garden in late summer, foxgloves and aquilegias amongst them. To be on the safe side, sow some now and keep a few seeds back just in case the plants don't make it through the winter.

UpNorth

Astrantia advice seems to be 'v slow to germinate' tends to wait until spring.    i just stored some of my own....i think i'll wait until they've stratified over winter ( in case they need it, it's possible they don't).

*Astrantia*

Ok thanks! I sowed some echinacea earlier this year from a bought packet of seed but all I seem to have are a few straggly leaves no real plant has grown so I was wondering if I should see if I can buy another packet & try again this time of year? They’re very expensive in the garden centre if bought in a pot. But now I’m wondering if they are hard to grow ? I’ll keep the stragglers in a pot and just see what happens.

Big Blue Sky

I scattered some calendula seeds a few weeks ago hoping for them to grow next season. Well they germinated, quickly grew and are flowering now. So will be collecting THEIR seeds for the next season 😄😄

BobTheGardener

Almost anything classed as 'hardy' can be sown when the seeds naturally fall.  It's all down to survival rates (slugs etc.) so many are best given some protection, as you describe.  Lots of hardy perennials and biennials will flower next year if you sow them now, while waiting for next spring means most will take another year, so it's definitely worth doing.  Hardy annuals will be bigger, stronger plants than spring-sown ones.  Because most of my covered growing space is currently taken up with plants, I sow mine in pots and trays in an open coldframe and am always surprised at how well that works when lots of little seedlings appear.  I then prick-out and overwinter them in a cold greenhouse.  Lots of seeds need a bit of cold so leaving any ungerminated pots outside usually brings results. 

Lyn

Big Blue Sky said:

I scattered some calendula seeds a few weeks ago hoping for them to grow next season. Well they germinated, quickly grew and are flowering now. So will be collecting THEIR seeds for the next season 😄😄

Got to flowering in a few weeks? 

*Astrantia*

That’s great advice thanks everyone! I have also just been able to get some physostegia (sp?) seeds from a friend so I’ll try putting them in a seed tray too to see if they do anything then keep them in the cold green house over winter. 
One more question I’ve got compost should I be mixing it with something else like grit?