You can start them now, could have been earlier than now in your zone. Same method, same type of containers, nothing different.

Fran

I usually direct sow zinnia. I've sown marigolds in feb. and had no problems.

Caryl

cary,

When do you direct sow Zinnia? We are in the same hardy zone. You said you sowed marigolds in Feb, I assume that in Wsing containers and not in the ground.

Also what about rudbeckia?

I just ws'ed marigold and my other annuals.

same method, but no top, unless I put down the top to prevent excess rain getting in.

I WS'ed zinnia last year in Feb and they germinated in a warm spell and then got zapped when the cold returned. In my area, I learned not to WS annuals til mid-April.

I'll direct sow zinnia in early May. And yes, my marigold and petunias are in WS containers. The petunias are up and doing fine -- still covered of course until it gets consistently warm.

As for rudbeckia, I do that in Feb. too. That's when I do most everything, tomatoes included. So far, no problems. Great germination on everything except phlox. I had problems with that last year, too. The seeds were from someone on the seed exchange and I'm beginning to suspect they weren't good.

Caryl

Today, I decided to try direct sowing them for a change. I usually never direct sow, but I had one area where I was going to plant the seedlings so I thought, why not just skip all the intermediate steps of starting them in containers and then transplanting. I scratched up the soil, laid the seed on the surface and then covered them with a thin layer of vermiculite. Now if I can just keep them moist until they sprout. I've had marigold sprout in 5 days and zinnia in less, so I'm hoping I won't have to baby sit them too long.