Forum home› Tools and techniques
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Indoor, outdoor & cold frame distinction and sowing period

LatimerLatimer Posts: 1,068
in Tools and techniques
Hi all

I have a couple of questions regarding sowing seeds.

I picked up a couple of packets of flower seeds the last time i was out, one of nasturtiums and one of lupins. Both of these i had hoped to use in containers to brighten up the garden while it is in its early stages. 

This is the instructions on the Nasturtiums:



My plan had been to plant them in small seed pots in the cold frame then plant them out into 9cm pots and eventually into larger containers for display. But I don't know where that falls in terms of the instructions. Firstly, am I too late to plant in seed trays or pots? And/or is it too early to try starting them in an unheated cold frame?
Or, is it too late to still start them indoors?

The lupins have similar instructions but if i were to start them this year outdoors, they wouldn't flower until next year.

I've never grown from seed before so this is all getting a bit confusing!
I’ve no idea what I’m doing. 

Posts

  • LatimerLatimer Posts: 1,068
    Bump
    I’ve no idea what I’m doing. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2020
    I would pop a couple of nasturtium seeds in each small pot and they’ll be fine in the cold frame.  If both germinate,  gently remove the smaller. They are annuals so they’ll  flower this summer but only last one year.  Don’t give them fertiliser or rich compost ... they flower better in poor soil. 

    Lupins are perennials so they take two growing seasons to reach flowering stage, but they’ll continue to grow year after year for several years so are worth the wait.  You can start them off just the same as the nasturtiums but watch out for slugs and snails ... they love them.  As they grow you can pot them on into bigger pots ... they’ll benefit from better compost than you give the nasturtiums. 
    They’ll die down in the winter but keep them in the cold-frame and they’ll reappear in the spring. 

    Hope that helps 😊 





    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LatimerLatimer Posts: 1,068
    Dovefromabove said:
    I would pop a couple of nasturtium seeds in each small pot and they’ll be fine in the cold frame.  If both germinate,  gently remove the smaller. They are annuals so they’ll  flower this summer but only last one year.  Don’t give them fertiliser or rich compost ... they flower better in poor soil. 

    Lupins are perennials so they take two growing seasons to reach flowering stage, but they’ll continue to grow year after year for several years so are worth the wait.  You can start them off just the same as the nasturtiums but watch out for slugs and snails ... they love them.  As they grow you can pot them on into bigger pots ... they’ll benefit from better compost than you give the nasturtiums. 
    They’ll die down in the winter but keep them in the cold-frame and they’ll reappear in the spring. 

    Hope that helps 😊 




    Thanks @Dovefromabove that definitely helps and gives me a bit of confidence! 

    Does starting stuff in a cold frame equate to an indoor or outdoor start? Or is it just somewhere in-between?
    I’ve no idea what I’m doing. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    In between 👍 
    Fine for those particular plants mid April. 
    Some other seeds will need more warmth to germinate but those will be ok with lower temps as long as they’re not frosted. 

    If we get a frost forecast put some fleece or a few sheets of newspaper over the pots inside the cold frame to be on the safe side. 😊 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LatimerLatimer Posts: 1,068
    Dovefromabove said:
    In between 👍 
    Fine for those particular plants mid April. 
    Some other seeds will need more warmth to germinate but those will be ok with lower temps as long as they’re not frosted. 

    If we get a frost forecast put some fleece or a few sheets of newspaper over the pots inside the cold frame to be on the safe side. 😊 

    You're a star, thank you!
    I’ve no idea what I’m doing. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Awww shucks! 😉 👍 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





Sign In or Register to comment.