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Seed sowing outside of recommended sowing dates

Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
edited July 2022 in Plants
General query, really (more a musing), but what happens if you sow seed for things outside of their recommended sowing dates? For example, what would happen if I sowed something now that is recommended to sow in autumn and then overwinter (ie a perennial / a grass / a hardy annual etc)? Would they come through the winter as bigger plants than if I sowed at the recommended dates, or would they die off before I even got to that stage?

I'm not really thinking about any specific plants, but it's something I've often wondered about when looking at seed packets.

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    It would depend on the plants. Sowing as soon as the seed is ripe works very well for many hardy plants. Some will germinate quickly and others will germinate in spring. 


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    It depends on the specific plant but some might go to seed prematurely if planted too soon. Many plants will set seed and die over winter once they have put their energy into establishing the next generation. I have had this happen with chard for example which if it has not gone to flower prematurely will provide leaves over winter and in to the following spring before flowering the following summer.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
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