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Planting Wildflower Seeds Posted on 22 Apr 15:06 , 1 comment

One of the best things about wildflowers is how easy they are to grow!  In case you missed it, we recently posted an article of EDIBLE FLOWERS at Mary's Heirloom Seeds!

 BACHELOR BUTTON

Plan

Check for your last frost date and plant after this has passed.

Choose a spot on your property that gets 6 or more hours of direct sun a day.

Prepare your soil be clearing the area of all existing growth. Simply dig up everything that is growing, turn the soil and rake the area flat. If this is an area that has never before been gardened, you may need to till the area up to remove growth.

 

Plant

Mix the seeds with sand for better visibilty and scatter the seeds directly on top of the soil.

We recommend lightly compressing the seeds into the soil, making sure not to bury them. You can either walk on them, use a board or just pat down with you hands.

 

Grow

Water so that the soil is moist, not soaking wet, until the seedlings are about 4-6" tall. After that, the seedlings will survive on natural rains. If you are experiencing very dry weather, we recommend watering occasionally.

 

NASTURTIUM

Spring, summer and fall are all wildflower planting times, depending on your region, your weather, and the way you want to approach establishing your meadow. No matter when or where you plant, site preparation is roughly the same. But the first consideration is not the season; it's your climate.

 

For mild-winter areas: If you're planting in a warm place such as California, Florida or southern Texas, with minimal — or no — winter frost, you can plant almost anytime, except during your hottest season. Best time is just before your rainiest season begins, and when you know the weather will not be too hot for young seedlings. In Florida, fall is best. In California, most wildflowers are planted during the winter to take advantage of California's greening in early spring.

 

For all areas with killing frost: If you have definite killing frost in winter, things are different. In these areas (most of the country) spring and fall are both fine for planting, and each has its advantages.

 

Wildflowers can re-seed and continue to grow for many years if planted in an area that will allow them to flourish.  Saving seeds from these wildflowers is easy and will ensure flowers for the future.

 

CALENDULA

Companion Planting with Flowers

Companion planting is based around the idea that certain plants can benefit others when planted next to, or close to one another.

Companion planting exists to benefit certain plants by giving them pest control, naturally without the need to use chemicals, and in some cases they can give a higher crop yield.

Marigolds: Basil, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, kale, potatoes, squash and tomatoes.  Often called the "workhorse" of pest deterrents.

Bachelor Button: Attracts pollinators to the garden
Lavender: cabbage, cauliflower and fruit trees
Nasturtium: cucumbers, melon, squash, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, carrots and radish.  Repels Carrot fly, Japanese beetle, whitefly, aphid and cabbage moth.  

Sunflower: Corn, squash and beans.  Attracts pollinators to the garden.
Lupine: nitrogen rich.  Attracts pollinators.  Traps aphids!

Echinacea and Yarrow:  Attracts pollinators to the garden. *Also reported to have medicinal properties*

More great companions include:

Borage

Feverfew

Basil

Chamomile

Zinnia

ZINNIA

I hope you have enjoyed another educational article. 

If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask!
HAPPY PLANTING!


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Growing Sunflowers from Seed to Harvest Posted on 23 Mar 04:59 , 4 comments

Sunflowers add so much color to the garden.  They're so bright and beautiful, naturally attracting bird and beneficial pollinators.

An annual plant, sunflowers have big, daisy-like flower faces of bright yellow (or red) petals.

Sunflowers grow best in locations with full sun. They are hardy flowers and will grow in any kind of soil as long as it is not waterlogged.

Sunflower seeds, leaves and stems emit substances that inhibit the growth of certain other plants. They should be separated from potatoes and pole beans.

It’s best to sow sunflower seeds directly into the soil after the danger of spring frost is past. Ideally, the soil temperature has reached 55 to 60 degrees F.

Space seeds about 6 inches apart in a shallow trench and sow 1/4 inch to and 1 inch deep depending on the seed size.  Smaller seeds don't need to be planted very deep while larger seeds should be planted 1 inch deep.  Make rows about 30 inches apart. (For very small varieties, plant closer together.)

Cover and keep watered until seeds sprout in 7 to 10 days.  When first true leaves appear (the second set of leaves); thin plants to about 2 feet apart.

 

Feed plants sparingly; overfertilization can cause stems to break in the fall. You can add diluted fertilizer into the water, though avoid getting the fertilizer near the plant’s base; it may help to build a moat in a circle around the plant about 18 inches out.

Harvesting for flowers:

Cut stems early in the morning. Harvesting flowers during middle of the day may lead to flower wilting

Handle sunflowers gently. The flowers should last at least a week in water at room temperature

Harvesting for Seeds:

To harvest seeds, keep an eye out for ripeness. The back of the flower head will turn from green to yellow and the bracts will begin to dry and turn brown; this happens about 30 to 45 days after bloom and seed moisture is about 35%. Generally, when the head turns brown on the back, seeds are ready for harvest.

To protect the seeds from birds, you can cover the flowers with a light fabric (such as cheesecloth) and a rubber band.

Cut the head off the plant (about 4 inches below the flower head) and remove the seeds with your fingers or a fork.

 

I hope you have enjoyed another educational article.  If you have additional questions, please leave a comment below or send an email to mary@marysheirloomseeds.com

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