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Seed mixes

elliottsargent657TQJwHXelliottsargent657TQJwHX Posts: 21
in Plants
So I’ve picked up a seed mix from my local garden centre, and it’s advertised as an annual seed mix for fragrance. It’s got sweet peas, cornflowers, stocks etc but it’s also got nicotiana, which I believe is only half-hardy? It says on the box to direct sow from late March like you would with hardy annuals, but surely the frost would kill off the HHAs like nicotiana?

Posts

  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    @elliottsargent657TQJwHX
    Sweet pea seeds need to go into the pots now, cornflowers and stocks at the beginning of March and Nicotania at the end of March. Once the weather has settled down, you can plant them out at the beginning of May or mid April depending on the weather.

    I ♥ my garden.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2022
    Is this a pack where the seeds are all mixed in together?

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





  • elliottsargent657TQJwHXelliottsargent657TQJwHX Posts: 21
    Yes they’re all mixed together 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I wouldn't have bought that if that's the case.  :/
    Sweet pea seeds are quite distinctive though, so it's worth taking them out and sowing in pots just now, in a greenhouse or cold frame if you're in a warm enough area.  Inside the house on a windowsill is fine. Sow them later if you're in a colder part of the country. I do mine mid March.
    You can do 3 in a 3 inch pot, and keep them somewhere out of the worst of the weather if outside.
    You can then leave the others till later. Again, your climate will dictate whether you can direct sow in late March. I couldn't do it here. Nicotianas would definitely be later anyway, regardless of conditions.
    I don't think cornflowers are scented either, so that seems a very strange thing altogether. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    🤔  … I’d try to identify the sweet peas and sow them now … then I’d sow the rest in late March and cross my fingers. I’ve had nicotiana sylvestris self-seed for a few years, surviving the Norfolk weather so it’s hardier than some folk think … it takes a while to appear here so it probably doesn’t germinate until the soil warms up … that way it avoids being damaged by all but the most unusually late frosts. 

    However I do think that some mixes are a bit hit and miss … I’d rather look at the selection of seeds they contain and buy them separately… that way you can give them the best chance to do well. 😊 🌱 

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





  • elliottsargent657TQJwHXelliottsargent657TQJwHX Posts: 21
    Yes it was a bit of an impulse buy on my part. I’ll try and take the sweet peas out and hope for the best!
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    We still have nicotiana alive from last year so they can survive some frosts in norwich. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's the usual problem with many plants though. Dry and frosty soil is much easier for seed than cold and wet. It's why many plants don't self seed successfully here.  :)

    The OP's location is a major factor with sowing direct.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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