For April, May or June blooms, plant seed directly outdoors August-October. For June, July, August and/or September blooms, plant your seed outdoors March-June. Seedlings normally tolerate a light frost. Sprinkle Seeds on top of 1/2- 3/4” of potting soil, peat moss or fine sawdust.
Fall planting will be much easier, so you should aim for getting your seed down late in the season, but before the ground freezes entirely.
Tap Down. Wildflower seeds don't need to be planted in holes; however, they should be tapped down to encourage growth. After you've scattered them over the soil, use the back of a shovel, your hand, or your foot to gently press them into the ground.
Tender annuals can be sown directly in the garden, but only after all danger of frost has passed. These cold-sensitive seeds can also be sown indoors four to six weeks before the last spring frost date. Transplant into the garden when you are confident that nighttime temperatures will stay above 40 degrees F.
Seeds of such flowers as pansies, cineraria, dianthus, delphiniums, violas, nemesia, Iceland poppies, primroses, snapdragons, stock, and calendulas, planted in August, can give a great number or transplants with which to fill beds in October.
Tip. Mid- to late-August is often an excellent time to plant fall flowers, as long as the weather isn't still so hot that the plants will suffer heat stress. But don't wait too late to plant, or you'll have a very short window to enjoy your flowers. Check the growing requirements for each plant.
It's never too late. It just matters what you put into that garden. It's too late to grow tomatoes in your Chicago garden in September because you'll be getting cold weather soon, but you could still grow carrots, radishes, and lettuce plants.
Petunias, poppies and sunflowers have been recognised as some of the fastest growing flowers, taking only a fraction of the time to germinate and bloom compared to some of the more challenging plants.
While you can plant a late planting to the first frost date, it's always best to allow as much growing time as possible. If you missed the spring planting, then calculate which vegetables you can grow now and still have a harvest before the first frost.
Planting too early in cooler temperatures can cause stunted growth, wilting, surface pitting, foliage necrosis and increased susceptibility to disease. Low soil temperatures can stunt plant growth and prevent root development.
While we frequently urge patience on those who might plant too soon, there is a way to get quicker germination once your seeds are in the ground, a technique known to almost every gardener and practiced universally: Soak your seeds before planting.
As a general rule of thumb, your seeds will sprout even if you don't soak your seeds before planting, but with soaking, the germination time decreases, and the germination rate increases. Seeds that have a continual flow of moisture to uptake have much higher chances of success.
By midsummer you should be knee-deep in tomatoes, beans, zucchini, and peppers, so it can be hard to remind yourself to shop for seeds for your next season of vegetable gardening. However, July and August are the best time to get a start on fall and winter food gardening.
Fall is the best time. The autumn season comes with a mix of warm soil and cool air, perfect for planting grass seed and allowing time for new grass roots to develop before winter sets in. It is also a good time to fertilize to build stronger, deeper roots for winter, resulting in a thicker, greener lawn next spring.
Planting too deep (or not deep enough).
Small seeds such as basil, onions, and carrots should only be covered very lightly with soil or vermiculite. That's because these little specks of seeds don't have the energy within them to push through a lot of soil when they germinate.
April is finally here meaning that your garden soil is finally warming up! April is the best time to plant most of your vegetable seeds after your last frost for all zones. It's still not too late to plant tomatoes and peppers from seeds as well!
March is the perfect time to get those tomato and pepper seeds started indoors so they can be ready for an early spring planting! Also now is a great time to start planting cool weather vegetables that can withstand those last frost days of March and April.
Some seeds like Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Eryngium giganteum need a long period of cold-moist stratification with alternating temperatures. These are the most difficult seeds to germinate.
When it's October, people often wonder if it is too late to plant new seed. The good news is if you hurry, seed can still be planted in October with the hope that it will survive the upcoming winter. Although September is the best time, often we can still plant grass seed up to October 15 with good results.
Our fall planting season started in September, but October is still a great time to your fall garden started. With a little protection from our occasional frosts, you'll be able to reap a harvest through the winter.
Depending on the type of seed, it is definitely not too late to plant grass seed in October. Cool season grass seed varieties like Jonathan Green Black Beauty grass seed do well with planting in October. The most important thing is to lay the seeds down at least 45 days before the first threat of frost.