Where we are now…. It’s Late October and all the sowing is done for now.
Time to switch over to Greenhouse updates to carry on the fun, growing together until we pick up the seed packets again in Late Winter.
Here is the link to the GREENHOUSE UPDATES page or for SOWING stay here and scroll down to see what we have sown this Autumn…..
Timing Your Seed Sowing for Optimal Growth – keep scrolling down for information links and videos to everything we have started this Autumn.
Seeds that need chilling are:
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) *new, Larkspur (including Petite), Ammi majus and Visnaga, Orlaya grandiflora and Wild carrot (Daucus carota)
Put them in the fridge before we start. Late Winter will will also chill Malope and Eucalyptus
Seed sowing
Varieties are all different. Don’t treat things the same…
Sown too early they will get too big for a greenhouse/zippy, get root bound, be difficult to fleece and would need planting out before the ground is workable – for example Sweet peas will be 3ft long and tangled before the worst of the cold is over.
Started too late plants may struggle to over winter as growing pretty much comes to a standstill and they will be too small and delicate to survive.
Below is a rough guide to starting times, a few days or a week here or there won’t make much of a difference. However a drastic deviation will make growing very challenging.
Lean in to the light and temperatures, don’t argue with nature.
Biennials First!
These are the first seed that we are going to sow for the new season Autumn Jump Starter.
Early September
Canterbury Bells, Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), Sweet Rocket and Sweet William
Hardy Salad can be sown now too and again from late Winter onwards.
Early–Mid September
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus), including Mini Snapdragons and the new Doubles, all are technically a short lived perennial best grown as an annual. The slowest to germinate and grow so do these early. Tiny plants suffer during low light levels over winter.
Seeds require light for germination, do not cover with compost.
For best results start seeds early Autumn while the greenhouse is still warm and light levels are good.
Sow either in modules or in an open seed tray. I like the quarter sized seed trays with lids (see extended videos on my website or check the shopping list in your handbook), they take up less room.
Water compost ahead of sowing then either sow one seed per cell into a 40 cell tray or scatter thinly over damp compost.
Seeds are seriously tiny but respond well to pricking out, wait until seedlings have grown on and are less fragile before separating (there is a separate video available in the Snapdragon Video Hub).
Plants will grow slowly but steadily throughout Autumn before resting and not growing very much during the winter. Plants will get away again quickly when light levels return mid February onwards.
We will pot on once before planting out 22cm apart (cut flower) in spring. Cut Flower types will require support. Space mini butterfly types 15cm apart, this variety does not need staking.
Do not sow seeds in deep winter, seedlings will struggle to survive in the low light levels and results will be disappointing.
Cut flower types can be sown again late winter for a second slightly later flowering. Plants will also be shorter. I don’t sow again in spring because the plants won’t grow properly before flowering, however the new mini butterfly types can be sown a third time in early spring.
Then simply cut and deadhead to keep the flowers blooming and blooming.
If you have had any problems with rust, avoid watering overhead or a preventative spray of fungicide will help keep it at bay during wet summers.
Mid September
Clary Sage (Salvia viridis), Cynoglossum amabile and Nigella and Orlaya
All like a warm germination period and like Snapdragons do better if plants are bigger heading into winter when growth pretty much comes to a standstill. Sowing Orlaya now will also give you a bit more time for germination if you struggle with the greenhouse in not quite the right place resulting in poorer light levels later on. Chill Orlaya first and push it off to a corner to do ‘it’s thing’, it can take months to germinate if conditions are not right.
Late September
Sweet peas! Pick a week and focus on getting them all sown together. Not too early or they will be 3 feet long before planting time, too late they can struggle with rotting and cold shock!
Early October
It’s been so warm this year I have shifted these back by a week or so…
Orlaya (if not already started)
Cornflowers, Ammi majus and Visnaga, Agrostemma all grow at the same fairly quick rate, good options for tray sharing. Started too early they will outgrow their space before planting time. However sown too late and they will get caught out by the low light levels and struggle especially Cornflowers which can rot.
Poppies, Greater Quaking Grass grow fairly quickly as does Cerinthe major, now is also the perfect time to start. Perennial Quaking Grass can also be sown now, it’s tough and hardy but can also been sown in late Winter if you prefer.
Mid – October
Larkspur and Wild Carrot all like a period of cold and fluctuating temperatures. If you are looking for them, your seeds are in the Fridge!
Grow-A-Long Wild Carrot (Daucus carota dara)
Once germinated Wild Carrot needs a period of cool growing conditions for good seedling establishment. Seeds need light for germination and will typically take 3 weeks to germinate, so you’ll need to be a bit more patient compared to quick germinating seeds such as Cornflowers and Clary Sage for example.
Excessively wet foliage from watering overhead or a very wet Spring can cause carrot leaf blight.
This will cause the foliage to collapse and the plant will die.
For this reason I overwinter plants in a cold greenhouse to protect them from the worst of the winter wet.
Once planted, firm staking is required to protect against wind rock (minute 6.07).
The roots of wild carrot are small compared to the eventual size of the plant and strong winds can cause plants to sway.
This back-and-forth swaying will eventually loosen the roots from the soil, the plant won’t be able to take up enough water and will quickly die.
If you had forgotten your Ammi majus and Visnaga up until now and then only just found it in the fridge with the other seeds, don’t worry, you are fine to go ahead and sow it now. It might need to come indoors for a week just for the warmth.
Then after winter as the light levels increase again we will start sowing in late Winter, Lets call that Mid February to be precise.
Wild Carrot the Quick version!
Grow-A-Long Larkspur (Delphinium consolida)
How to grow the annual Delphinium Larkspur (Delphinium consolida)
Larkspur needs both cold stratification to break seed dormancy and trigger germination and vernalisation (a period of cool growing temperatures) to trigger flower development.
Larkspur won’t germinate if the soil temperature is to high so it’s vital that seed is sown outside in an unheated greenhouse and definitely not placed on a heat mat.
Upon receipt from our autumn jump starter seed shop, pop your larkspur seed packets in the fridge or freezer until the weather starts to cool down.
This will treat seeds to cold (stratification) which will help break seed dormancy. For best results sow in Autumn. Sow one seed per cell.
Larkspur has a tap root that can be delicate. By sowing seeds in cells this limits any need to disturb the roots. Cover seeds with a layer of compost to block out the light, darkness aids germination. It is important not to overwater seed trays, Larkspur seeds are prone to rot.
If you find any of the cells are empty after a few weeks, simply sow another seed. You can keep sowing seeds until January if needed. I will follow up with Larkspur Petite in the next video.
Perennial Larkspur is generally not as hardy so I’d save any seeds until late Winter.
Caution: all parts of this plant are poisonous, including the seeds. Exercise extreme care around children, pets and livestock.
Grow-A-Long Larkspur Petite (follow up video from Grow-A-Long Larkspur)
Today I’m starting my Larkspur Petite, its a shorter version of Delphinium consolida, perfect for the smaller garden and does not need staking!
It’s started in the same way as the cut flower types in the previous video, but the seedlings do look a bit different, I have covered examples in this video so you know what to expect.
For the Cut Flower Video scroll down, video below
Quick facts: Hardy Annual – Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe -20°c to -15°c (-4°f to 5°f).
I overwinter in an unheated greenhouse. this is more to protect the seedlings being washed away by weather, the cold however does not bother them.
Position: full sun in free draining soil, plant spaced 15-20cm. Germination: can be slow and erratic, leave outside in a cold greenhouse to benefit from the temperature fluctuations.
No pinching required.
Don’t allow plants to become root bound. Do not overwater, this can cause plants to rot.
Height: 40cm-50cm (1 ½ ft) Larkspur Petite Mix compared to 150-170cm (5-5 ½ ft) for the cut flower types.
Larkspur Petite should not need staking.
Flowering: late May – June Larkspur Petite (earlier than Cut Flower types that bloom June – July in my garden.
WILD CARROT COMING NEXT
Sow; Malope, Scabious, Stocks, Perennial Quaking Grass (again or if not already) and Eucalyptus, which needs a couple of months chilling out in the fridge for super quick germination!
You can also 2nd sow other seed varieties which we will cover in much more detail later.
Everything is covered in great detail in nearly 60 pages of the New 2025 Autumn Jump Starter Grow-a-long handbook (eBook).
Ranunculus, Butterfly Ranunculus and Anemones will be covered separately shortly.
But in the meantime here are some videos to help you get going. More will be on the way for anything new.
Grow-A-Long = I sow, you sow, from seeds to flowers together!
I am just now adding quick links to the Videos as we start sowing: You can also search for these on the ‘resource’ page.
Snapdragon Video Hub (all the videos in one place)
Ammi visnaga daucoides
