Seed Sowing

alexgregory46 · August 2020

Hello,
This is my first post here.
I’m an avid gardener in our garden back in the UK and have grown a few things from seed. However as an expat I move between the UK and the Middle East for work.

On my last trip home I bought a few packs of flower seeds to try and grow out here in the Middle East. (To try and resemble some sort of home)

My question is... can I sow them anytime of year out here due to the warmer climate or should I still follow the instructions on the back of the packets, and wait for late winter/early spring?

Seeds I have are -
Hollyhock
poppy
cosmos
marigold
dahlia
lavender
geranium
gerbera
phlox
sweet pea perennial

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you
Alex

maryelmhirstKV_eBSrn · August 2020

Hi, this is my first post also. I have just planted some seeds indoors (Scabious - Black Knight) after seeing Monty Don on TV saying that you can plant them any time in seed trays using seed compost and vermiculite mixed. He soaked the tray first and then planted the seeds spaced apart. He finished with a thin layer of vermiculite. He was growing them in the greenhouse and placed the trays on heated pads but said you can grow them indoors as an alternative.
Good luck and all the best
Mary

alexgregory46 · August 2020

Thanks for that. However I’m just wondering if the seeds I have got listed above will be okay to sow now rather than wait for late winter/early spring as instructed on the packets, due to the warmer climate that I find myself in.

Fairygirl · August 2020

Hi @alexgregory46 - you'd need to go by the temps you have there, and how they might fluctuate, and also general weather conditions etc
That might be difficult. If you know what the temps are likely to be in spring, it might be better to wait until then.
Many seeds can be sown here in autumn, but they will germinate more slowly at that time, and are usually the kind that don't need extra heat of any kind. That helps avoid the need for huge amounts of space [and heat] when they need potting on.
Some will need more heat than others too.
Most people wait until early spring for sowing many of the ones you have, timing it so that temps and conditions are favourable for potting on and planting out. Otherwise, any seeds sown indoors, for example, will need a heated greenhouse for the transition to the outdoors once they get bigger.
I expect you could try doing a bit of both and just see what happens.
That probably hasn't been very helpful - apologies!

alexgregory46 · August 2020

Thank you for the info. I might try sowing a few now and see how they go on. The temp here at the moment is mid 30’s during the day and around 25 at night. Come the winter it can get chilly at night but not below 5 degrees but mid 20’s in the day.
ill just see how we get on.

Grannybee · August 2020

I lived in the Middle East for a few years. The plants we grew which were successful were lavender, hibiscus, lantana, citrus trees, bougainvillea, geranium and cosmos. You may have some luck with seeds but I found the daytime temps were scorching, although temps are going down a little now. Daylight hours may have something to do with growing on and they are constant with approx 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours night time. Shade is essential unless you grow date palms! It is certainly worth a go just to learn if they will germinate. Good luck!

Fairygirl · August 2020

That's a good point @Grannybee - the daylight hours. That's important too.

JennyJ · August 2020

Plants from more temperate regions might grow better through the winter than in summer in the middle east. I've done a couple of short-ish stints working there - If I remember rightly, Oman in November was consistently like the warmest summer days here (approx 30 degrees) and Abu Dhabi in June/July was brutal, 40 degrees or more every day and dry. Day length is (if my memory isn't playing tricks) longer than ours in winter but shorter in summer. I would say sowing things now is worth a try.

Seed Sowing

Posts