seeds usually need to be on the soil... not hanging on wood chips ...

so .. either start them indoors... or leave a section of one bed bare .. scatter your seeds .... but save some chips....

then transplant the babes around the yard next spring.. then bury the bed in chips

ken

FrankTank,

"...plus I have a source of all the free woodchips I can haul."

In that case, compost them. Build a large compost pile that includes a lot of wood chips. Combined with some grass clippings, a little soil, some Fall leaves, and some old compost, your free source of wood chips could be a bountiful source of organic matter for your garden and landscape.

I also use wood chips for garden paths and walkways and they can become horizontal compost piles in that role, because the chips do rot over time. Adding some nitrogen fertilizer can speed up the decomposition of wood chips. That's probably a good idea, because wood chips can use enough nitrogen in their decomposition to cause a deficiency.

ZM

Yes plant in soil. but you have to know the requirements of the seeds you are planting. Some seeds need light to germinate, others need total darkness.

Also a word of warning about sowing seeds in the fall. Not all annuals will sprout from fall seeding. Some are tender and will die with the frost.

Since you are new at planting annuals, please do a little reading. The on line seed catalogues will give you a lot of this info.