think about it this way .. if it takes 60 to 90 days to bloom .... from germination ... is there going to be frost freeze in oct/november.. before they bloom ????

in your zone 6 .. they will be frosted/frozen before they get to flower ...

so.. what can you find .... that will bloom in 30 to 45 days .... i dont know ...

also .... it is hard to have tiny new sprouts.. live through the intense heat and sun of august .... there are reason babes are babes in may and early june.. warm days.. warming nights ... rain.. low intensity sun ...

all that said .... if you can find some seed packs [and that might be hard this time of year] .. and some fast plants .. give it a go ... what do you have to lose .. a few bucks???

good luck

ken

The shortest days to maturity is probably 60-70 days for Marigolds.

If you can do it, many places have annuals at half price here in central Jersey which would mean you don't have to wait 2+ months for blooms.

The Seeds of Change online catalogue has days to maturity for each variety if you want to search for something that might match Marigold's comparative "speed".

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Seeds of Change

I've had marigolds bloom in 30 days. I don't think that that would be uncommon, but maybe not for this time of year with the shorter days. Marigolds can take some cold temperatures, but not frost.

Thanks for the info. I'll wait till next year. I just didn't want to miss a chance to learn one more little lesson with seeds before the cold weather hits!
Susan

If you still want to play with seeds you could try sowing hardy annuals for flowering next year. I don't know if it would work in your climate but if it does it produces stronger larger plants than waiting until next spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Autumn sowing

Susan,

Some zinnias bloom as quickly as six weeks from seed. Zinnia Thumbelinas start to bloom when they are only 3 inches tall, and grow only about 6 inches high, so they would be suitable in a lot of containers. Zinnia Zinnita are similar, but slightly larger and a newer (possibly better) strain. Zinnia Short Stuff has larger flowers on short plants, and is also suitable for pots. Some seed sources offer Zinnita and Short Stuff in separate colors.

There are places on the Internet where you can enter your location and find probability data regarding killing frost dates. If you don't mind stating what town and state you live in, we could try that here. But, as you know, there is nothing certain about the weather.

ZM
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