Direct sow poppy seeds: when?

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I was given some poppy seeds of traditional red, orange, and
salmon color varieties. These are the kind with the black centers, not the Icelandic
type. The person who gave them to me just said to broadcast them “now”. This
was at a party, I don’t know her personally. She gave lots of us seed, when we asked
for details, she just said it was easy, just to throw them in.

That was in late July or early August. I did it immediately,
but have seen nothing. Weather has been decent, very little of too hot weather,
and the garden was watered during those periods anyway. Those were beautiful poppies,
and I would really like to have better success at getting some.

I don’t know whether it is just too soon to expect to see
seedlings, or that they won’t really sprout til spring anyway. Can anyone
clarify the process for me? Thanks!

Featured Answer

maidinmontana

10 years ago

Hello. . . I did just what your friend said to do. . . I got a brown lunch bag full of seeds from my neighbor last fall. I didn't do anything with them, just left them in the bag in the garage all winter. Mostly because I wasn't sure where I wanted to plant them. last late spring, I'm thinking May, I roughed up the soil a little bit in a south facing, scorching bed and just shook the bag over the area. There were a lot of seeds and I'm pretty sure every one of them lil buggers germinated. I had pretty red poppies! ! ! They didn't last very long, but poppies don't. My sister took some of the same seeds and scattered them on the ground in the late fall and she had the same results as I did. Don't cover the seeds, just let them lay. they need sun to germinate, that's what my neighbor told me anyway.

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Comments (7)

Michael Jeffries
10 years ago
I prefer to sow mine in the fall. They do well that way here in 7B
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks. I will try again at some point, maybe when we getthe usual fall rains.
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User
10 years ago
I also have better luck sowing them in deep pots (on the surface) and transplanting as soon as the true leaves appear. As long as you get them in the ground when very young, they will survive transplanting. I am sowing seeds now (in fact I sow seeds pretty much every month of the year) and will carry on throughout autumn and winter - the seeds know what to do as long as they get a chance to do it.
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks! Deep pots just set on the surface of the soil? Or sunk in?
Mary Leek
10 years ago
Are the deep pots left outside while the poppy seed germinate? Do you expect the seed to germinate in the fall or spring?

My thanks, Mary
Peter (6b SE NY)
10 years ago
I don't know about growing poppies from seed, but I have oriental poppies and they are cool weather plants. They are one of the first things to come up in the Spring. They are basically weeds - they spread and are hard to control.