help please....with poppy seeds
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
by Patty S on October 18, 2005 10:33 AM
When the seed pods start to lose their green color the seeds are just about ready for harvest. Instead of waiting for them to completely dry up & turn brown & brittle, I cut mine down (or pull up the plant... you'll have to do that sooner or later anyway), because I know that once they're completely dry, the 1st breeze to come along will broadcast the tiny seeds far & wide, to places I dont want them growing!
I just make a "bouquet" of the pods & set them in a vase to finish drying, then 1 day during the winter I "pour" the seeds from the pods into a jar. (If you lay them down, be sure they are in a bag or a shoe box or something, cuz the seeds will spill out as they dry.) Never seal them in a zip-lock or a jar unless you're sure the seeds are dry, of course. The pods break easily when they're dried up, usually revealing more seeds hidden in the corners of the sectioned pods... so dont just throw the pods on your compost pile when you think they're empty!
Most of the Poppies I know of are "self-seeding", so that means it's OK to plant them in the fall/winter, however, they won't start germinating until after the winter weather settles down. (If you want to wait until spring, thats OK too... it'll be about 3 months before they start sprouting, depending on the weather/ground temp.)
Plant Poppy seeds the same way you would grass seed... broadcast them where you want them, but walk on the area before you put water on them, to press them down into the soil so they don't blow away. Too much watering before they settle in will cause them to gather up into puddled areas where they'll grow in clumps rather than more evenly spaced.
(Maybe if you plant LOTS of Poppies all around your Sunflowers, your Sunflower theif will be less eager to trample through a "flower bed" to get to his target! Good luck!)
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I just make a "bouquet" of the pods & set them in a vase to finish drying, then 1 day during the winter I "pour" the seeds from the pods into a jar. (If you lay them down, be sure they are in a bag or a shoe box or something, cuz the seeds will spill out as they dry.) Never seal them in a zip-lock or a jar unless you're sure the seeds are dry, of course. The pods break easily when they're dried up, usually revealing more seeds hidden in the corners of the sectioned pods... so dont just throw the pods on your compost pile when you think they're empty!
Most of the Poppies I know of are "self-seeding", so that means it's OK to plant them in the fall/winter, however, they won't start germinating until after the winter weather settles down. (If you want to wait until spring, thats OK too... it'll be about 3 months before they start sprouting, depending on the weather/ground temp.)
Plant Poppy seeds the same way you would grass seed... broadcast them where you want them, but walk on the area before you put water on them, to press them down into the soil so they don't blow away. Too much watering before they settle in will cause them to gather up into puddled areas where they'll grow in clumps rather than more evenly spaced.
(Maybe if you plant LOTS of Poppies all around your Sunflowers, your Sunflower theif will be less eager to trample through a "flower bed" to get to his target! Good luck!)
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by ladystressout on October 18, 2005 10:50 PM
I live in zone 6 and want to plant popppy seeds also can anyone tell me when is the best time to scatter the seeds? Someone told me in the fall so can I do it now?Thank you
by MRS.D on October 18, 2005 11:19 PM
PATTY S
many thanks for your post![[flower]](im/graemlins/flower.gif)
it's exactly what i needed to know!!
and........thanks for the "maybe if you plant LOTS of poppies all around your sunflowers, your sunflower thief will be less eager to trample through a 'flower bed' to get to his target"!!
Sounds good to me!! lol![[clappy]](im/graemlins/claps.gif)
anyway, shall tell you how i get on
take care
Mrs.D.
![[wayey]](im/graemlins/wavey.gif)
many thanks for your post
it's exactly what i needed to know!!
and........thanks for the "maybe if you plant LOTS of poppies all around your sunflowers, your sunflower thief will be less eager to trample through a 'flower bed' to get to his target"!!
Sounds good to me!! lol
anyway, shall tell you how i get on
take care
Mrs.D.
by Patty S on October 19, 2005 12:41 AM
ladystressout, most of the Poppies I know of are "self-seeding", so that means it's OK to plant them in the fall/winter, however, they won't start germinating until after the winter weather settles down. (If you want to wait until spring, thats OK too... it'll be about 3 months before they start sprouting, depending on the weather/ground temp.)
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Search The Garden Helper:
could anyone please tell me how to harvest poppy seeds?
after reading this forum, i was extremely successful at harvesting snapdragon seeds, so im after a step-by-step plan for these if possible.
also, do i store them in the same way or do i sow them straight away?
many thanks
take care
Mrs. D.