Seed Sowing Instructions
Sow seeds in the ground or containers in full sun.
Place the seeds at least 6” apart and cover with 1/4” to 1/2” of soil (check the table for optimum distance per seed.)
Water as needed every few days to keep the soil moist.
Seedlings will emerge in 7-14 days.
| Seed | Earliest Sow Date | Spacing - Container | Spacing - Garden | Plant Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasturtium 'Alaska' | April 3 | 6" | 8" | 10" |
| Cosmos 'Versailles Red' | April 15 | 6" | 10" | 24"-36" |
| Sunflower 'Teddy Bear' | April 30 | One Seed | 18"-24" | 18"-36" |
| Zinnia 'Cherry Bicolor Profusion' | April 30 | 8" | 12" | 15" |
It’s really that simple. Scroll down the page for some extra tips.
Tips for Seed Starting Success
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We’ve done that for you. These seeds are pretty easy to handle and they can be sown in any typical garden bed or container.
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When you look at a tiny cosmos seed, it’s hard to believe that it will needs at least 6” of space (about the size of a salad plate,) and it will be its best if it has 12”. There is no advantage to planting seeds too close together nor planting several in one spot.
6” is fine (although the sunflowers will need to be thinned), but more precise distances are given on the chart.
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Most seedlings look alike, including weed seedlings. So mark your sowing spot so you know they are not weeds. Place something that is obvious that won’t blow away in a couple of weeks right by the planting hole. When the seedlings are well established, you can remove it. You need something that can be stuck in the ground, or you can weigh it down with a small rock.
Golf tees are perfect, as are takeout forks and chopsticks because they can be stuck in the ground. Curling ribbon or string held in place with a rock works well too.
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When most seeds sprout, they have a skinny stem and two seed leaves. This is pretty exciting and it can happen in less than a week, but it’s important to know that they may not grow beyond this stage for two to three weeks.
It takes long enough that you might think that the seeds have failed - but they are fine. They are alive and soon they will leaf out like crazy. Keep them moist, do NOT fertilize them, and hang in there. Soon they will sprout true leaves, their stems will thicken up, and they will start looking like they are supposed to. v
Sowing Seeds Indoors
Just sow them outdoors. There are several great sites about starting seeds indoors, but lights, planting medium, sanitation, equipment, and acclimatizing the seedling to you garden is complicated. You may get flowers a week or two earlier if you start them indoors, but probably not.
If you really want to start some indoors, I would recommend the zinnia seeds. They like warm weather, they don’t get too big too fast, and their roots don’t mind being a little restricted at first. The zinnia we selected is also premium (i.e., expensive) so they may be worth the trouble. Email us at info@gardenOG.org if you would like to know more.
Do not start the nasturtium or sunflowers inside.
The nasturtium are so easy it’s not worth the trouble (and they actually prefer it a bit cooler,) and transplant stress will undo any advantage that the earlier start may have had. Also, do not buy nasturtium seedlings, they are always too rootbound and the seeds are actually much easier to plant.
The sunflowers grow quickly indoors, but they don’t grow much outdoors until it gets a bit warmer, so you will either have an enormous, gangly plant indoors or an established seedling that sulks outdoors. Either way they won’t do much until June.
Save the Date: Our Plant Sale returns
Saturday May 8, 2021 (the day before Mother’s Day)
These beautiful images were created by GCOG member Ilse Gordon.
Sunflower ‘Teddy Bear’
These dwarf sunflowers have charming fuzzy flowers that work as well in a vase as they do in the garden. They will grow to be about 3’ tall in the garden and they will grow about half as high in a container.
This beautiful, robust plant loves warm days and will flower well into fall. They attract pollinators all summer and are a bird favorite at the end of the season. The strong, fast growing seedlings are very gratifying to adults and kids.
Cosmos ‘Versaille Red’
You have probably seen the pink and white version of this plant in garden centers, but this cosmos is a very special deep red that looks vibrant in extreme heat and in dusky evenings.
The ferny foliage and fine stemmed flowers creates an ethereal effect that works perfectly in naturalistic meadow gardens and formal borders. They attract pollinators, which are welcome in any garden style.
They grow to be about 30” tall, and they add height to large containers without being too massive and heavy. They also make a great cut flower and cutting the flowers ensures that more buds will come.
Zinnia ‘Cherry Bicolor Profusion’
This very special zinnia grows to be about 15” tall, which makes it perfect for borders and containers. Most zinnia seeds are mixed colors, but these are cherry and white so you don’t have to worry about violent clashes.
The Profusion series is great for your garden because they are very disease resistant and, unlike most zinnias, will tolerate cooler weather, so they should be going strong at least until Halloween.
Like all zinnias, they attract pollinators and make great cut flowers.
Nasturtium
This is my favorite annual to start from seed. The flowers are perfectly fine, but the leaves are the star of the show.
These are very easy to grow from seed - planting them in the soil is actually much easier than transplanting sixpacks or seedlings. Fat seedlings pop up from the ground and within a couple of weeks you will have very sturdy seedlings with their distinctive lily-pad leaves. Within a few more weeks you will have a lush plant that brightens up any garden or container.
They are also edible! The spicy leaves add freshness and a little bite to a salad and they are great with creamy or strong flavored foods (perfect with smoked salmon.) The beautiful flowers have a milder spicy taste and a sweet drop of nectar. If you feel ambitious, you can gather up the seed pods and make nasturtium “capers.” They are a great addition to a veggie garden and they will definitely make it prettier!
Nasturtium ‘Alaska’ planted in a container in the Secret Garden at Old Greenwich School. The seeds were sown in May and this picture was taken in June. The pink leafed plant is caladium.