Planting flowers in the fall - what flowers can be sown before winter. Sub-winter sowing of seeds Sub-winter sowing of flower seeds

Everyone has heard about the benefits of winter crops. First of all, this is the early germination of seeds in the spring. Consequently, earlier (two to three weeks) dates for the beginning of flowering or harvesting. Many are attracted by the fact that in the spring you do not need to run around the site with a watering can in your hands, watering the hardened soil in flower beds and gardens. The prospect of an early harvest is also tempting.

I still don’t know if the life of gardeners and flower growers who prefer to sow seeds at the very beginning of winter is simplified. Often this has to be done when it is cold, wet and gloomy. At this time, it dawns late, it gets dark early. In addition, many cases related to preparing the garden for winter, storing and processing crops have not yet been completed. Pre-winter sowing of seeds involves detailed preparation of the planting site. It is necessary to form a bed, dig and loosen the earth, fertilize it, clear it of all weeds and leaves, make grooves, prepare and remove the soil for filling the seeds for a while.

However, experienced gardeners and beginner enthusiasts are steadily promoting the winter sowing of seeds. And they get good results. I have the opinion that plants grown from seeds sown in the winter are stronger and better adapted to any adversity. Unfortunately, it also happens that in some beds there are no seedlings at all, or they are rare and unfriendly. I attribute such failures to poor seed quality.

The plot of land should be well lit, with quickly drying soil. If it is located in a lowland, where meltwater stagnates for a long time in spring, then high ridges must be prepared in advance. The earth on them will warm up faster. In spring, seeds, shoots and germinating seedlings need moisture. In early spring, they receive it in full. In winter, I throw more snow on the place where the seeds were sown before winter.

And one more note. If the site is located on a slope, then it is worth considering the natural sliding of the soil. Speed ​​depends on many factors. This is the angle of inclination, the nature of the terrain, the composition and structure of the soil, plus various other circumstances. A bed located on a steep slope is first deformed. At this stage, it can be "held" (there are many ways). It is more expedient to carry out grooves for winter crops not along, but across the beds.

What to sow?

From flower crops at the very beginning of winter, aquilegia (catchment), cornflower, godetia, delphinium (annual), iberis, calendula, clarke, feather grass, cosmos (cosmea), cochia, bathing suit, lavateru, lupine, poppy, primula (only fresh seeds) are sown ), mignonette, Drummond's phlox, escholcia, etc. This year I want to sow annual asters for the winter. I was told that they are suitable for this.

Vegetable crops are sown with coriander, watercress, onion (Strigunovsky), carrots (Dobrynya, Krasa maiden, Monastyrskaya, Nantes, Nelly, Incomparable, etc.), parsnip, parsley (Sugar and Ordinary leaf), radish (Pink-red with white tip, Ruby), turnip, arugula, lettuce, celery, dill, spinach and sorrel. You can take a chance and sow beets (I, unfortunately, had a bad experience). I plan to take the varieties "Podzimnyaya A 474", "Gribovskaya flat A 473" and "Cold-resistant", which are more suitable for pre-winter sowing. Physalis berry sprouts well and bears fruit when sown at the beginning of winter in an unheated greenhouse.

It is worth paying attention to carrots. Pre-winter crops make it possible to collect juicy root crops already in the second half of June.

For winter sowing, seeds of those crops that do not have a tendency to shoot are more suitable. Seeds must be dry. They cannot be pre-soaked or germinated. Seeds are taken more (by 25 - 50%) than with spring or summer crops.

I know one elderly experienced gardener who manages to grow not only fruits and berries, but also vegetables, which are enough for two families. In addition, he sells flowers. This gardener is greatly helped out by winter crops. In the spring, he covers the top of the beds with non-woven material or puts low arcs, on which he throws a plastic wrap.

When to sow?

It is very difficult to name the exact dates of pre-winter sowing. They are different every year. It is important that the soil has time to freeze after the onset of stable frosts and not thaw during temporary warming. If you make a mistake with the timing of pre-winter sowing and sow earlier, then the seeds will have time to germinate and, most likely, will die. For example, the seeds of Beijing cabbage, radish and some other crops are able to germinate at a soil temperature of about plus 1°C. In order not to risk, it is better to sow them in frozen ground.

I judge the timing of sowing as follows: the soil should freeze to a depth of 2 cm - 5 cm. This layer is quite enough so that short-term warming is not fatal for the seeds. The snow that has fallen on the bed is easily swept away with a broom.

Where to sow?

Small seeds are sown in pre-prepared grooves about 2.5 - 3 cm deep and about 3 cm wide. Larger seeds can be sown deeper. In order for the grooves not to swim during heavy rains, it is better to cover them from above with narrow boards.

The earth should be loose and well structured, then the seeds will germinate together. It is worse if they end up in loam, it’s really bad if they are in clay.

To fill the grooves with seeds, you need a fairly fine loose garden soil or soil mixture (peat, sand and humus). They are prepared in advance and stored in bags in a frost-free place. If there is no such room, then you can pour the soil into buckets or on the ground and insulate well to protect it from freezing.

The seeds laid out in the grooves are sprinkled with a pre-prepared unfrozen soil mixture, it is lightly tamped with a palm, and the bed (or sowing line) is mulched on top with a mixture of dry peat and humus. Then the seeds are under a blanket of sprinkled earth (2.5 - 3 cm) and a layer of mulch (3 - 4 cm), i.e. at a depth of about 5.5 - 7 cm.

Everyone wants to turn their site into a paradise, in which there are many flowers, and grow a good harvest. Winter crops are one of the options that should not be abandoned.

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As for perennials, there are even more reasons to sow in the fall. The fact is that for many types of perennial ornamental plants, stratification is necessary for seed germination - that is, cold treatment. In order to grow these flowers in seedlings, soaked seeds are kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. However, it is much easier to sow these seeds in the ground before winter, and then the stratification will take place naturally without much effort on your part.

Most perennials develop much more successfully during winter sowing. And if you cover the seedlings with a film in the spring, you can often even achieve their flowering in the first year of life.

As for the germination of perennial seeds during autumn planting, it is much higher than that of annual plants.

The first rule when planting annual crops in the autumn is to sow in already frozen ground. Otherwise, the seeds may germinate prematurely and die at the first frost.

However, it is necessary to start preparing the soil in advance - in late September - early October, before the ground freezes. It is worth carefully planning the site for planting so that in the spring the seeds are not washed away by melt water.

To prepare the soil in the selected area, it is necessary to dig, fertilize and make shallow grooves or holes. The depth of the grooves is calculated based on the selected plant species: for large seeds, a depth of about 4-5 centimeters is needed, for medium ones - about 2, for small ones - no more than 1 centimeter.

In addition, it is worth stocking up in advance with a substrate for sprinkling seeds. Since during the winter the top layer of soil can be very compacted, which makes it difficult to germinate, it is recommended to sprinkle the crops with a thin layer of peat, humus or a light soil mixture of compost, peat with sand or humus with sand.

The actual sowing can be started in two terms: in November-December, when the topsoil freezes, or in the snow, in December-January. In any case, the seeds should be sown thicker than in spring.

When sown in late autumn, the seeds are placed in grooves and sprinkled with prepared soil mixture. From above, you can additionally cover the crops with a layer of fallen leaves.

For winter (in December-January, when the snow layer is at least 25 centimeters) sowing, the soil is prepared in exactly the same way (digging, fertilizing), however, there is no need to make grooves in the ground, since the seeds are sown directly into the snow.

Snow is trampled down, grooves are made in it, seeds are placed in them. From above, the crops are sprinkled with a layer of prepared (non-frozen) soil mixture or peat and additionally with a layer of snow.

In the spring, seedlings will need to be thinned out.

Some of the annuals suitable for winter sowing: summer adonis, sea alissum, Chinese aster, annual cornflower, Chinese carnation, large-flowered godetia, graceful gypsophila, annual delphinium, notched and rain dimorphotheca, bitter and umbrella iberis, calendula officinalis, clarkia marigold, echscholzia california, variegated collinsia, double-pinnate and sulfur-yellow cosmea, keeled chrysanthemum, sowing and crowned, three-month-old lavatera, antirrinum, poppy self-seed, seaside malcolmia, mattiola bicorn, fragrant mignonette, scabiosa dark purple, Drummond's phlox, nigella.

The soil for the autumn sowing of perennial flowers is prepared in the same way as for annuals: they dig up, fertilize and make grooves. Sowing begins from mid-October to early November. Seeds are also sprinkled with a thin layer of prepared soil mixture.

In the spring, after the snow melts, it is advisable to cover the seed bed with a film. Thus, you will accelerate the flowering of perennials, and at the same time protect the seeds from birds and spring rains. After the shoots appear, the film should be removed.

After the appearance of two or three true leaves, the plant dives to the distance recommended for this species.

Many perennials are suitable for autumn crops - for example, aconite, aster alpine and new Belgian, buzulnik, geykhera, gypsophila paniculata, dicentra, oriental poppy, euphorbia, rudbeckia, non-double varieties of popovnik. Seeds of aquilegia, perennial delphinium, gentian, winter-hardy cyclamen, hellebore, lavender, and primrose require mandatory stratification (which means they prefer winter sowing). Both in spring and autumn, you can sow gaillardia, arabis alpine, small-flowered, yarrow, matrikaria, shaving, lupine, lychnis, doronicum, peach-leaved and Carpathian bells.

Values ​​​​of sowing seeds before winter

Many gardeners prefer winter sowing, because this method has a high chance of growing strong, hardy crops. Painstaking work in the fall is justified in the spring, when cornflowers, chrysanthemums, marigolds, carnations, bluebells and many other garden inhabitants adorn the flower beds.

Benefits of sowing seeds before winter:

1. Seeds germinate in a familiar, natural habitat, reproduction occurs autonomously from human efforts.
2. Grown plants are endowed with endurance, they are not afraid of frost and are less susceptible to diseases. Healthy and deep roots are endowed with the ability to feed on moisture deep underground, so dry weather and weeds are not terrible for such flowers.
3. Earlier flowering.
4. In the spring, you don’t have to worry about seedlings; additional space is freed up on the windowsills for non-frost-resistant crops.
5. Flowers that are sown before winter germinate without human participation, you don’t have to worry about sufficient warming of the earth.
6. Natural selection - stronger seeds germinate, and flowers grow stronger and healthier.
7. With the help of natural selection, growing flowers in this way from year to year, you can achieve an improved own variety.
8. The absence of pests in the initial stages of growth.

How to sow seeds before winter

Winter sowing of seeds can be carried out in a school - a special garden bed, where all the comfortable conditions for the development of plants are created. Sowing in containers is also widespread, to prevent the plant from being washed off by melt water.

Sowing seeds in school

The bed should be located in the southern elevated space. The optimal height of the school is 20 cm. With such sizes of the beds, the possibility of washing out the plants with melt water is excluded, and the soil warms up faster. The soil begins to be prepared long before sowing from mid-September. The soil is deeply loosened, complex fertilizers enriched with minerals, potassium, and phosphorus are applied. Coarse-grained river sand with humus is added to clay soils, then the earth is leveled, compacted and grooves are made. The holes should vary in depth according to the size of the seeds. Small seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm, medium - 2 cm, large - 4 cm. The school is covered with a film, since snow may fall before sowing the seeds. Seeds must be dried before sowing.

In late October - early November, you can start sowing. To do this, remove the film and lay the seeds in several pieces in the wells. Large seeds are placed in a smaller amount in each hole, small seeds in a larger one. It is necessary to prepare the soil mixture in advance. To do this, mix humus, peat and sand. The wells are covered with prepared substrate. They collect fallen leaves, dried grass and cover the ground for warming. Watering is not necessary.

In the spring, when the snow melts, the mulch is removed and the seedlings wait. When two true leaves appear, the plant needs to be thinned out as much as possible. After half a month, when the flowers get stronger, you need to remove the interfering shoots again. When weeding, it is recommended to carefully loosen the ground near the flowers, without touching the roots.

Sowing seeds in a container

Before starting work in the garden, they stock up on suitable pots, prepare a soil mixture, coarse and fine sand, markings with the name of flowers, and drainage.

Suitable containers for sowing before winter:

1. Pots should be small 7-10 cm.
2. Be sure to have drainage holes.
3. Sowing containers should not bend easily so as not to damage the root system of flowers, it is better to choose plastic or wooden cups with dense walls.

For winter sowing, it is recommended to use a special substrate. It should be loose enough for the germination of small roots and not let in moisture and air. To obtain a soil mixture, three parts of peat and sand and one part of earth are mixed. Before planting, you need to slightly moisten the substrate.

Expanded clay, small stones, small pieces of bricks are suitable for drainage. In order not to get confused in plants, markings are used. They indicate the name of the culture, the date of sowing.

Winter sowing flower seeds in pots

Technology of sowing seeds in a container:

1. Drainage is poured at the bottom of the container by 2 cm.
2. Then you need to pour the soil mixture. There should be a distance of 2 cm between the substrate and the top of the pot.
3. Lightly compact the substrate.
4. Planting seeds. Small seeds can be mixed with sand.
5. Water containers with contents.

After the necessary preparation, you can begin to place the containers on the garden plot. A place for future flowers is desirable to choose a well-lit, closed from the wind. Dig holes to a depth of about 30 cm. Drainage is laid at the bottom, and on top of the tank. The edges of the pots should be at ground level. The space between the containers is covered with dry grass, leaves. Then the pots placed in the trenches are covered with mulch.

In early spring, after the snow melts, the mulch is removed, and thinned out when shoots appear. Planting plants in a permanent place in flower beds is carried out in late May - early June, depending on the region.

Winter sowing is available to every flower lover.

What flowers to sow before winter

You can sow before winter both perennial and annual flowers.

Perennial flowers that can overwinter in open ground:

Lavender seeds need stratification, sowing it under winter guarantees higher germination

• delphinium,
• bell,
• yarrow,
• carnation,
• doronicum,
• gaillardia,
• gentian,
• primrose,
• lavender,
• aquilegia,
• aconite,
• aster Alpine,
• arabis alpine,
• aster New Belgian,
• buzulnik,
• spurge,
• geuchera,
• gypsophila.

Annual flowers:

• clarkia marigold,
• lupine,
• nasturtium,
• mignonette,
• hop,
• escholzia california,
• cornflower,
• nigella,
• calendula,
• lavater,
• sea ​​lobularia,
• agrostemma ordinary.
• asters

All these flowers can be grown even by an inexperienced gardener, following the rules for planting seeds before winter. The main thing is not to sow the seeds ahead of time, to prepare the soil in advance, to apply the necessary fertilizers. On summer evenings, it will be so pleasant to admire the garden full of fragrant flowers grown by one's own hands.

Before winter, not every gardener dares to plant flowers on the site. But those who have already tried it know for sure that it is profitable and convenient. One of the reasons is good soil moisture, which significantly reduces watering and care after sowing. It is also worth considering that at the end of autumn there is much less trouble in the garden, so it's time to pay attention to flower beds and flower beds in order to enjoy the first flowering already on the first warm days. In October-November, you can plant both perennial and annual flowers, it is better to choose varieties that are most adapted to frost or require stratification.

Pros and cons of winter crops

Winter sowing has many advantages, although when starting planting, it is worth knowing the disadvantages in order to be prepared for the unexpected. There are several advantages, because of which gardeners sow flowers before winter:

1. If you don’t plant in the ground in the fall, then with the onset of heat, you will have to prepare the soil, fertilize, moisten, and wait for the temperature to reach zero so that the frosts do not damage the sprouts. In addition to flowers, gardeners devote a lot of time to vegetables, shrubs, trees, because they all require care, so things may not come to beauty in a flower bed.
2. Seeds that have overwintered in the ground become more hardened, so some varieties are able to cope with the spring cold snap without loss. Many crops need stratification, so it’s easier to plant them in the ground than to keep them in the refrigerator all winter, artificially maintaining “natural” conditions.
3. When sowing in autumn, you will not need to plant seedlings on windowsills and then plant them in the ground (there is a category of amateurs who are not difficult to do this, but some would gladly refuse this process).
4. Early shoots. Sometimes this is 2-3 weeks earlier than spring plantings. And when the heat is just beginning, everyone is tired of the cold, dampness, grayness, a bright flower bed will be an excellent occasion for joy and good mood.

Note! If you have seeds left that are nearing the end of their useful life, winter sowing is a great reason to keep them viable. If you leave them until spring, during the winter they will lose some of their properties, and in the spring they will be unsuitable for landing.

The disadvantages include:

• the likelihood of germination in the event of sudden warming in autumn or winter with a positive temperature (if the seeds have time to germinate, then they will die when it gets cold);
• not all seed will sprout, so you will have to sow 20-30% more than in spring;
• some perennials bloom only in the second year.

What flowers can be sown before winter

Starting from the end of August until the first days of December, you can plant seeds, bulbs, or plant bushes. It can be both annual and perennial varieties, the main thing is that they can tolerate the cold. It is better for bulb lovers to take care of the preparation in advance, selecting and drying the strongest bulbs. Before starting, it is worth properly preparing the soil, taking into account the location of the flower bed and choosing the optimal time so that the seeds do not die due to early planting. It is better not to delay the bushes, they need time to take root, so September is great for this. For most seeds, the best period is October. With bulbous plants, everything is individual, for example, muscari can be planted in the ground as early as the end of August. Winter sowing of asters is carried out in late October or early November.

The criterion for the optimal time for sowing seeds is when the temperature does not rise above zero day or night. In some regions, this occurs already in mid-November, in the south - in December. The main thing is to take into account the peculiarities of the climate so that shoots do not appear at the time of warming if they are planted too early. If the beds are prepared in advance, then seeds can be applied in December, and even in January. If the soil is already frozen, use either a shkolka or pre-prepared containers and beds for sowing.

Note! You can use folk signs to determine the right time. It comes when the leaves fall from the cherries.

Autumn sowing of annuals

Annual crops must be planted in frozen ground, otherwise they may germinate and die during the onset of cold weather. Seeds are placed in grooves prepared in advance, sprinkled with substrate, leaves, peat. After the emergence of seedlings, they must be thinned out.

You can sow in the snow in December, in January, with a snow cover of at least 25 cm. Then they don’t make grooves anymore, they just throw seeds into the snow. So that they are not blown away by the wind, birds do not peck, or they do not freeze, they trample the snow, put a layer of soil mixture or peat on top, and additionally sprinkle with snow. The soil must be prepared in advance - when it is still warm, it is dug up and fertilized.

Annual varieties are not so often sown before winter, because they sprout well in spring, and immediately bloom profusely. If you choose those that will sprout well in the spring, then these are cornflowers, marigolds, marigolds, fragrant tobacco, mattiola, chrysanthemums, annual asters, scabiosa, poppy, mignonette. In order for the flowering to be earlier, after the snow melts, arcs are placed and the film is stretched so that they rise faster. It is better to choose a permanent place right away, annuals do not need to be transplanted. Even in flower beds you can sow before winter:

• agrostemma;
• Adonis;
• year;
• kochia;
• dimorphotheque;
• nigella Damascus;
• lavater;
• sea ​​alissum;
• Chinese cloves;
• cosmea;
• clarkia marigold;
• antirrinum;
• seaside malcolmia;
• phlox Drumond;
• escholcia.

Note! Planting dates should be chosen based on their climate and weather, even if they are very different from the recommended ones. With snow cover, it is permissible to plant seeds if the soil is loose and soft. In slightly frozen ground, you can add purchased mixtures or warm soil, heated indoors, to the hole.

Autumn sowing of perennials

Of perennials, first of all, bulbs should be planted, during the winter some small bulbs dry out and by spring they are no longer suitable for sowing. If you still didn’t have time in time, you can leave them for distillation or organize suitable storage conditions until spring.

In autumn, perennial shrubs with a closed root system take root better, they are able to withstand frost if they are covered. Open root systems take longer to adapt, so it's best to plant them early. In some cases, it is better to dig seedlings, covering them with foil or branches, in order to determine a permanent place for them in the spring.

When the snow melts, it is best to cover the beds with foil to speed up growth and protect from birds, spring rains, and sudden night frosts. When shoots appear, the film is removed and after 15 days the shoots dive, depending on the species.

In the fall, the following perennials are planted:

• arabis;
• gaillardia;
• doronicum;
• shaving;
• lavender;
• aconite;
• buzulnik;
• geyher;
• dicenter;
• rudbeckia;
• daisy;
• aquilegia;
• primrose;
• doronicum;
• spurge;
• yarrow.

Note! No need to use stimulants in the fall. It is important for plants to winter at rest, and not to start growing and die from the cold.

In addition to the usual method of planting in open ground, you can use two more - in a school and in a container. Which one to choose for yourself depends on the climate, term, variety, readiness of the flower beds. In some summer cottages, free space is not entirely suitable for winter sowing. Usually this happens where there are small slopes, along which melt water flows in spring. If the snow cover is high, then these streams will wash away the fragile seeds, nullifying all efforts.

In open ground

Flowers for winter sowing, which do not tolerate transplantation, are best planted immediately in open ground. This is especially true for crops with a tap root system. These include magnolias, star anise, California poppy, purple sarracenia, wild begonia, sea armeria, oleander, bindweed, medicinal lavender, Tuscan bellflower, calendula, European aster, Korean chrysanthemum, dahlia.

It is better to plant seedlings with roots in warm weather so that the roots have time to strengthen, but the seeds are thrown into the already frozen ground so that they do not sprout ahead of time. From above, it is imperative to cover with a layer of humus, peat or the top layer of earth, which is removed a little earlier and stored until sowing in a warm place. The bulbs are deepened by about 2 lengths of their size, the seeds should not be left deep, otherwise in the spring they will sprout for a very long time.

It is better to prepare a flower bed in advance - in spring or summer. The site is dug up, fertilized with phosphate and potash fertilizers. There is no need to make nitrogen supplements that provoke activity, helping rapid growth, winter planting does not imply germination before spring.

Note! Before sowing, it is imperative to clean the beds from old tops, leaves, weed residues so that they do not rot and do not complicate planting.

Shkolka is a separate small bed for seedlings, growing cuttings, supporting plants with different germination times and conditions. For its arrangement, the southern site on a hill is better suited. Height - 20 cm, then the soil warms up faster and is not in danger of washing out the seeds with melt water when the snow melts. Land preparation begins in mid-September - they fertilize, loosen, if necessary, add river sand, humus, crushed stone. The top layer is leveled, compacted, grooves are made, depending on the size of the seed. The larger the seeds or bulbs, the deeper the grooves are made, usually it is not deeper than 4 cm. After that, they cover it with a film so that the snow that has fallen does not disturb the structure of the bed, and it can be planted even under the snow.

By the end of October, you can start sowing. The film is removed, seeds are placed in the wells several at a time, in case not all germinate. Small ones are put a little more, large ones are enough 2-3, it all depends on the variety and their size. From above they fall asleep with a soil mixture, which is prepared in advance and kept in a warm place. To do this, mix humus, peat, sand. You can also add fallen leaves, dry grass to insulate. Autumn sowing does not need watering, otherwise the plants will begin to develop ahead of time.

After the snow melts, the top layer of mulch is removed and shoots are waiting. As soon as strong sprouts with two leaves appear, you can thin out the planting if the seedlings are plentiful. After 14 days, you can repeat the procedure if the sprouts interfere with each other.

Note! During weeding, the ground around must be loosened carefully so as not to touch the roots.

Pots of different diameters from 7 to 10 cm with drainage holes are most often used as containers. They should not easily deform and bend, otherwise the roots may be damaged.

It is better to take a loose substrate that will not allow moisture and air to pass through, but will allow small roots to germinate. To do this, mix peat, sand, earth in a ratio of 3:3:1. Before making seeds, it is slightly moistened.

Drainage is laid at the bottom - expanded clay, small fragments of bricks, small stones with a layer of 2 cm, then the prepared mixture is poured, leaving about 1.5-2 cm of free space on top, compacted. Plant seeds, water.

Ready-made containers with seed are placed on the site in well-lit places protected from the wind. They are installed in pits 30 cm deep, in which drainage is also laid on the bottom. The edges should neither protrude nor go deep. Dry grass, leaves are poured between the pots, covered with mulch.

When the snow finally melts, the top layer of the shelter is removed, after the emergence of shoots it is thinned out. Plants are transferred to flower beds only by the end of May, beginning of June, depending on the climate.

Note! In order to understand where something is planted, you should prepare stickers or inscriptions in advance with marking the names, and the date of sowing, you can apply it with a waterproof marker directly on the container.

What is important to do in the spring

In spring, the ground must be moistened so that the seeds do not dry out, the less snow there is, the more abundant watering will be required. After the snow cover melts, a film is laid on the beds or stretched over arcs. This will speed up the emergence of seedlings and protect from wind, birds and cold weather.

After the appearance of sprouts, the shelter is removed, thinned out, and seated if necessary. If some of the seeds have not germinated, they are additionally sown so that there are no empty spaces in the flower beds or too wide gaps between the bushes. Every 15 days, the density of the shoots is checked, removing the extra ones, taking into account the size of the stem and the distance between the flowers. When using shkolok and containers, the grown seedlings are transferred to a permanent place as soon as they get stronger, and the weather becomes warm.

Place for winter sowing of flowers

It is very important to choose a good place for flowers so that adverse factors minimally affect germination and development. Melt water, strong wind, scorching sun - all this can interfere with seedlings, therefore, based on the selected varieties, you need to choose the site with the most successful location, taking into account all the interference.

Too acidic or clayey soils become very compact during the winter, so in the spring the sprouts will not be able to break through the dense top layer. To fix this, in the fall you need to add sand, gravel or peat, loosen it to lighten the soil a little. Fertilizers are applied with potassium and phosphorus. The mulch, which is covered on top and the top layer of the earth, must be kept in a warm place so that they are not frozen by the time of sowing.

Preparing the beds for the winter sowing of flowers

Sowing sown in autumn is best placed where early work is not carried out in spring. Before starting, the remnants of weeds are carefully removed so that they do not germinate and do not interfere with young shoots. Compost is not brought in, because of the likelihood of residues in it of the roots of harmful plants that have not yet rotted. The earth is leveled, grooves or holes are made 1-1.5 cm deep. Stakes with labels can be placed on the sides of the rows, on which the sowing date and variety name are written. It is better to dig them in in advance, because it will no longer be possible to stick them into the frozen ground.

You can install arcs on which a film is stretched or a piece of linoleum is placed. This will come in handy before sowing, if suddenly the snow falls early, and in the spring, in case of early frosts.

Note! Labels on stakes or planks are needed to mark the place of crops, otherwise, after frost and snow melting, you may not find the beds, trample them or dig them up.

Soil for the winter sowing of flowers

It is ideal to use a ready mix from horticulture prepared with the varieties that will grow there. If this is not possible, or the soil on the site is suitable, you need to collect the top layer in advance in a bag and put it in a barn or house so that it does not freeze. It is enough to use it only for powdering, even if the ground is frozen, the seeds are thrown from above, and then covered with a prepared warm substrate.

For autumn sowing, you need to carefully choose crops so as not to waste time and not be upset in the spring when the flower bed does not bloom, remaining empty. It is better to take those seeds that endure cold or must undergo stratification. It is also worth planting those varieties that have a short shelf life, if they are stored for a long time, then germination is greatly reduced. Before planting, you can check all your stocks so as not to forget about those that have been lying for more than one season, it is also better to sow these before winter, so that in the spring you can add fresh ones if they do not sprout.

Some varieties of perennials will bloom only in the second year, this should be taken into account before sowing, and when choosing a place, so that there is no empty space in a flower bed or rock garden. Such plants are planted either separately, or with those that bloom their flowers at the same time as them.

Planting dates can even be the latest - the main thing is to ensure that warming does not begin in the coming days after planting. The beds are prepared in advance, leaving the top layer of earth and mulch in a warm place, which will be sprinkled on top. A little more seeds are put in the holes than in spring, in case some do not endure the cold.

Do you want your garden or patio to light up with bright colors in early spring? Do you want to mess around in the beds, occasionally glancing at a chic flower bed full of flowering plants when the neighbors are just planting seedlings of flowers? Do you want to get strong flower plants with maximum immunity? Then you definitely need to read this article and make winter crops of flower crops. About how to do it, what crops to use, when to sow - now we'll tell you everything!

Chinese Callistephus (Callistephus chinensis)

But, before we start a fascinating story about how to correctly and when it is most correct to lower the grains into the soil, let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages, the pros and cons of winter crops of flower crops.

When there are two pieces of news, I always prefer to start with a good one, so let's start with the benefits of planting flowers in the fall.

• Well, of course, this is the very first, earliest spring flowering, days or even weeks earlier than the “neighbors”, and if you build a small greenhouse and cover the seedlings, it will be absolutely great!
• The second plus is the full use of spring melt water accumulated in the soil from melting snow, so that a dry spring will not threaten you for sure, especially those who break up the most luxurious flower beds in summer cottages.
• Plus the third - natural stratification, or hardening. “If you want to be healthy, temper yourself,” this also applies to seeds. During the winter, a kind of natural selection will take place, and the strongest and strongest seeds will give powerful shoots, which will not be afraid of either the vagaries of the weather or diseases with pests.
• Plus, the fourth - since the plants are powerful and strong, which means they are resistant to frost and return cold, and this cannot but be to our advantage.
• Fifth plus. Suppose every year we sow only seeds collected by our caring hands - thus, using winter crops, we ourselves, without knowing it, can get elite seed material, simply ideally adapted to local climate conditions. And each year will be better than the previous one, both in strength of growth and in the degree of flowering, coupled with duration.
• The sixth plus is a small head start, a drop of time that can be spent in the spring not on sowing seeds, but on something else.
• Well, a couple of not pluses, but pluses - this is an opportunity for plants to form more developed roots, and, consequently, we should pay less attention to them in the future in terms of care; and cats will bask in the sun on our window sills, and not seedlings will stand (although this is an amateur).

But there is also bad news, or rather, the disadvantages or risks of winter sowing of flower crops. There are significantly fewer of them, but, nevertheless, there is always a risk that you will incorrectly determine the timing of sowing, it will get warmer, the seeds will sprout and die.

Phlox Drummond (Phlox drummondii) Joy

Early thaws - the same picture, a provocation, the seeds "think" that it is spring, but no, then a serious frost and again a bunch of attacks.

Well, it’s a sin to hide, annuals during the winter sowing sprout much worse than if you dispersed the cats from the windowsills and started growing seedlings, like this ...

But we are residents of the 21st century, and therefore we need to somehow change the usual foundations, boldly sow annuals before winter.

Sowing annuals

The very first and most important rule is that the seeds of annual crops should only be sown in already frozen soil, otherwise they will sprout and die. Around the beginning of October, prepare the soil well, select a site such that meltwater cannot wash away the seeds, and so that it is more convenient for you to contemplate future beauty, and for future beauty to contemplate the world around.

Dig up the soil, add 300 g of wood ash per sq. meter and make holes or grooves. As for the depth of these same holes or grooves, it must be calculated based on the size of the seeds, but usually the largest seeds are not immersed by more than 4 cm, and the small ones by less than a centimeter (winter is ahead).

Next, stock up on loose and fertile soil so that the holes or grooves are properly sprinkled later. To do this, it is ideal to use humus or a mixture of compost and river sand in equal proportions, or the same from river sand and humus.

Alyssum, or Lobularia maritima (Lobularia maritima) in the fields NK-Russian Garden

Around November, you can safely start sowing annual flowers. At the same time, you can sow both in November and at the very beginning of December, trying to sow twice as thick as usual in spring.

After sowing, the seeds are sprinkled with the prepared mixture, and leaf litter is thrown on top, and so that it is not blown by the wind throughout the area, they are also covered with spruce paws (they chic hold the snow).

How to plant in the snow, you ask? But it’s simple - they trample it down well, crush it and place the seeds, and then sprinkle it with one of those mixtures that are described above, they are stored in our heat. From above you can sketch a snowball.

Proven annual flower crops that will definitely sprout in the spring are: summer adonis, sea alissum, Chinese aster, blue cornflower, Chinese carnation, large-flowered godetia, graceful gypsophila, annual delphinium, notched dimorphotheca, rain dimorphotheca, Iberis bitter, Iberis umbrella, calendula officinalis, clarkia marigold, escholcia Californian, collinsia variegated, double-pinnate kosmeya and sulfur-yellow kosmeya, keeled chrysanthemum, sowing chrysanthemum and crowned chrysanthemum, three-month-old lavatera, antirrinum, poppy self-seed, malcolmia maritime, mattiola bicornu, fragrant mignonette, scabiosa phlox dark purple, dark purple, .

Sowing and perennials

The principle is the same: we prepare the soil well, dig a shovel on a full bayonet, remove all plant debris, weed rhizomes, add 350-400 g of wood ash or a teaspoon of potassium sulfate per square meter. Next, we make holes or grooves, in fact, as for annual flowering plants. Perennials are usually sown from the first decade of October to the beginning of November. The mixture needed to cover the sown seeds can be used the same as we described above. Choose the option you like and sprinkle, and most importantly, keep it warm so that it does not freeze by the time of sowing.

In autumn, you can safely sow such perennial flowering plants as aconite, alpine aster and New Belgian aster, buzulniki, species geyher, panicled gypsophila, dicenter, oriental poppy, euphorbia, rudbeckia, non-double varieties of nivyanik.

Biologically, stratification is required (and, therefore, winter crops are only a plus for them), such crops as aquilegia, perennial delphinium, gentian, winter-hardy cyclamens, hellebore, lavender and primrose.

Both in autumn and in spring, you can safely sow gaillardia, alpine arabis, small-flowered, yarrow, matrikaria, shaving, lupine, lychnis, doronicum, peach-leaved bell and Carpathian bell.

>things to do in spring

Podzimny sowing flowers

In the conditions of unpredictable climatic and weather cataclysms of recent years, gardeners should take a closer look at new agricultural practices or, conversely, recall long-forgotten "grandfather" methods. Pay attention to winter crops! Even if the spring is suddenly dry, the seeds sown before winter use the winter moisture, swell faster and give early friendly shoots. And when the spring turns cold and rainy, you will be freed from the hassle of complex seed processing, soil and seed sowing. After all, free time in the spring is very necessary for every gardener.

What to sow before winter? Most often, carrots, parsley, beets, radishes, lettuce, dill, spinach, garlic, onions (nigella) and small sets (no more than 1 cm in diameter) are sown. You can just sow, or you can pre-dream the seeds. To do this, sorted disinfected seeds are moistened in a solution of mullein diluted with water (1 tsp of mullein per 10 tsp of water) and filtered through a sieve. The seeds are moistened in such a way that they are easily separated from each other during stirring, and placed for drageeing in any glass jar.

The mixture for drageeing consists of 600 g of non-acid sieved peat, 300 g of humus, 100 g of well-ground dry mullein. For 1 kg of such a mixture, add no more than 15 g of powdered superphosphate.

The process of drageeing is very simple: the mixture is added in small portions to a jar of seeds and shaken. Particles of the mixture stick to the seeds. In shape, the resulting balls resemble dragees - hence the name. The size of the dragee depends on the culture: for carrots and parsley - 2.5-3 mm in diameter, onions, beets - 4-5 mm. You should not get carried away with fine-tuning - too large a dragee size delays germination and reduces seed germination.

The varieties of the following crops are most often used in pelleted form for winter crops: Nantes carrots, Podzimnyaya A-474 beets, Pink-red radish with a white tip, Moscow greenhouse lettuce, Strigunovsky and Svirsky onions. Dragee seeds winter better and germinate more amicably.

The timing of sowing before winter is of great importance. If sown too early, the seeds may germinate, and the seedlings are unlikely to withstand frost, if any. With late sowing, the soil will freeze - and then you simply will not be able to sow the seeds correctly. But this does not mean that it is necessary to remember about winter sowing when the first frosts begin. Then it will be too late to grab a shovel - the site should be ready no later than the end of October.

The soil is dug up, fertilized, leveled, ridges are made or grooves are cut 4 cm deep. Sowing is carried out in late autumn, when the soil temperature drops to 2 ... 3 ° C (this usually coincides with the beginning of morning frosts).

But for each crop, and sometimes even a variety, the sowing time for winter is its own, and you need to clearly follow the instructions in each individual case. In a small area, seeds can also be sown in frozen ground, but they must be covered with warm, dry soil prepared in advance.

The sowing rate of seeds during sowing before winter is usually not increased, since with good seed germination, thickened seedlings oppress each other. But if you are not sure about the germination and winter hardiness of seeds (and maybe even in your experience of winter crops), it is better to make the sowing denser by 15%, and in the spring, depending on the results, thin out the seedlings.

To protect crops from the formation of a soil crust and retain moisture accumulated over the winter, the beds are mulched with peat or humus. They also need to be stocked in advance, hiding from frost in a warm room.

S. Gorbunov

(Gardener No. 39, 2010)

Winter sowing of vegetables

Podzimnie crops gardeners today use little, but in vain. In fact, winter sowing is an old way of getting early production. Its essence is that the seeds lie in the soil before winter, and in early spring, as soon as the temperature becomes sufficient, they germinate.

Such seeds, swollen and hardened during the winter, sprout earlier than those sown in the spring. Thus, at the beginning of growth, the plants receive more spring moisture. This allows you to get an earlier and higher harvest.

In addition, in the spring, as soon as the snow melts and the soil warms up a little, the gardener is torn apart by numerous chores and worries. There is so much to sow and plant, feed and live, but there is not enough time at all. Yes, and moisture leaves the soil - it evaporates under the rays of the warm spring sun with catastrophic speed.

And, most importantly, such sowing allows you to transfer part of the work on sowing vegetables to late autumn, that is, to greatly facilitate your work during the spring sowing campaign.

Benefits of winter sowing

Significant savings of such precious May time. Having sown part of the crops in the fall, in the spring you can pay more attention to caring for, for example, fruit trees and berry bushes.

Podzimny sowing is especially effective in those areas where the earth warms up slowly in spring (a classic version of late spring for the Urals) or spring droughts occur. Plant seeds sown before winter make good use of spring moisture and the first heat, germinate quickly and give friendly shoots.

Crops sown before winter sprout earlier and develop faster. Thus, the harvest of a number of vegetable crops and the first flowers can be obtained 1-2 or even 3 weeks earlier than those sown in spring.

In addition, the seeds undergo winter hardening, and vegetable crops grown from them tolerate frosts better.

And, finally, on the same area there is a possibility of repeated crops.

Preparing the garden bed and seeds

Winter crops are especially effective in those areas where the soil warms up slowly in spring and does not dry out for a long time, as well as where there is often a dry or cold spring.

Beds for winter crops should be prepared as early as October. They are best placed in elevated areas with loose, fertile soil, with a slight slope to the south or southwest, protected from cold winds. In such areas, the earth quickly dries out and warms up in spring.

In areas with close standing groundwater, as well as in lowlands, it is necessary to arrange ridges 15-20 cm high to prevent the plants from getting wet in the spring. In addition, the soil on such beds warms up faster in spring, which helps to accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

The soil for autumn sowing must be prepared more carefully than usual in spring. It is deeply dug up and seasoned with fertilizers - 1 bucket of humus or aged compost, 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate, 1 teaspoon of potash fertilizers and 1 glass of ash per 1 sq. m beds. Depending on the quality of the soil, if necessary, mineral additives must be added - peat, clay, coarse-grained river sand.

The surface of the beds is well cut with a rake, then grooves 3-4 cm deep are made across the beds with a distance of 12-15 cm between them. After the soil has settled, the depth of the groove will be 1.5-2 cm.

When should you sow?

The most important role is played by the timing of winter sowing. With sowing before winter, it is better to be a little late than to hurry. The main condition for such sowing is that the plants do not germinate in the fall. If you hurry, the seeds will begin to germinate already in the autumn period and will die with the onset of cold weather. Therefore, the seeds are sown at the onset of stable cold weather, when the soil temperature drops to 0-1 degrees.

This usually coincides with the onset of severe morning frosts. At this time, a frozen crust usually forms on the very surface of the earth. Depending on the air temperature, winter crops are carried out in late October - early November.

At this temperature, the seeds only swell, but do not germinate and do not even hatch. But in the spring they immediately start growing. Seeds are sown dry in the furrows, then the furrows are covered with sand or peat and then leveled with humus.

But at the same time, it is extremely important to prepare and sow the seeds on time and well. This should be done in such a way that the seeds only swell in the fall, but do not have time to peck and germinate.

Seedlings of vegetables planted in late autumn develop in spring regardless of the weather. Their advantage is especially noticeable in years with a dry spring, because the seeds make full use of winter moisture, swell quickly and give early and friendly shoots.

In addition, gardeners are relieved of this laborious work during the most intense spring period, when every hour is precious. Therefore, let's try together to understand and answer the traditional Russian questions (what, where, when).

But not all crops and varieties are suitable for winter sowing. Firstly, ripening earlier, vegetables are worse stored in winter. Therefore, vegetables for laying for the winter are sown only in the spring. And secondly, under adverse weather conditions, instead of dense spring shoots, you can get an empty garden bed.

Before winter, carrots, onions, turnips, parsley, dill, lettuce, salad mustard, borage, spinach, sorrel, celery and other cold-resistant crops are sown.

At the same time, for winter sowing, it is necessary to select domestic varieties specially designed for autumn sowing and resistant to bolting: for carrots - Nantskaya 4, Incomparable, Kolorit, Moscow Late, Rogneda, Tushon, Shantane; in parsley - Astra, Ordinary leaf, Weather, Sugar root, Bordovician; for beets - Cold-resistant 19, for parsnips - Student and Round; at leaf lettuce - Moscow greenhouse.

Often such varieties have the word “podzimnaya” in their names (for example, beetroot Podzimnyaya A-17, Podzimnyaya A-474, Podzimnyaya incomparable, etc.). Or you can choose varieties of early ripening.

How should you sow?

For winter sowing, large, full-weight seeds with a germination rate of 70-80% are selected. In this case, soaked, swollen, and even more germinated seeds should not be used.

Winter sowing of carrots can also be carried out “on paper”, gluing carrot seeds with starch paste to narrow strips of paper (preferably toilet paper) at the rate of up to 100 seeds per 1 m strip. With this method, the seeds, as it were, are “lay out” in advance in the garden. But at the same time, it is advisable to check the seeds for germination before sowing, and at the same time disinfect them. To do this, dip them for 20-25 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. Remove the floating seeds, as they will not sprout. And sunken seeds dry well in the sun and sow.

Seeds in the furrows are sown only dry (this is the main condition for winter crops), then the furrows are covered with sand or peat and then leveled with humus. At this temperature, the seeds only swell, but do not germinate and do not even hatch. But in the spring they immediately start growing.

V. G. Shafransky

Flowers are tender and beautiful children of the earth, spring and summer. Who doesn't love children and beauty! It is even difficult to imagine a garden or vegetable garden where there is not a single or at least blooming bunch of the most unpretentious flowers, pleasing with bright spots of summer colors and thus unconsciously affecting our mood and even physical fatigue. There is no rose without thorns, just as there are no flowers on the site without difficulty. It is about these works that it is worth talking and clarifying which of them bring benefit and aesthetic pleasure to garden workers.

Planting flowers is not difficult if you know everything about it. They are bred with seedlings, which is very expensive and sometimes you get “surprises” at the exit. In addition, there are natural losses of seedlings for various reasons. It is cheaper to sow flower seeds, but it also happens that they either do not germinate, or we allow violations in the sowing technology, or we simply do not know which flowers can be sown for the winter. It is about such a crop that will be discussed in our article. It will hopefully be a useful read for beginner growers and even those who definitely consider themselves experienced.

Well, the hot summer gardening season has passed, giving way to the cool days of autumn, when working on the site is one pleasure in the form of physical activity in the fresh healing air. The general autumn harvesting of plant remains, fallen leaves, weeds lingering in growth, autumn pruning of shrubs and fruit trees, which in special devices still need to be burned for potash (ash), has begun. The flower garden has been cleared and a plan for sowing and planting perennial flowers for the next season has been drawn up.

Before winter, seedlings are planted with perennial and annual flower crops with their special properties. First of all, their cold-resistant species And then, those that are distinguished by a short growing season from germination to flowering. For the climatic zone with a short and cool summer - unpretentious to heat and sunlight. Speaking about the advantages of winter sowing of flower seeds, we emphasize that it provides a practical opportunity in the spring to obtain viable seedlings of annuals, the seeds of which have a short shelf life, for example, delphinium, or those flowers whose seedlings do not tolerate transplantation well due to the tap root system - give large losses of planting material.

What is winter sowing?

This is not just a point of the season - it is a technology that allows you to get the expected result in the spring. I personally had to be convinced through the failures of such sowing that it is more expensive to neglect the basic requirement of pre-winter sowing.

So its main condition is that it is necessary to sow only when stable cold degrees come, close to zero: from +1-2 to -1 C, which will not allow the seeds to hatch before the spring heat. During the winter period, they will go through all the necessary stages of proper vegetation and hardening in order to grow full-fledged for growth and lush flowering.

In central Russia, it is advisable to carry out winter sowing of annual flowers in late October or early November, taking into account weather conditions. The southern regions will have to wait until late November - early December, otherwise warm and humid weather will cause seedlings doomed to death with the onset of sub-zero temperatures.

Planting flowers in autumn - the benefits of sowing them before winter

Sowing seeds before winter makes it possible for annual flower crops to bloom 2-3 weeks later than seedling planting, but they are a week ahead of their relatives sown in the spring way in open ground.

The autumn period of sowing annuals saves time and nerves of flower growers - sowed according to the rules - and off your shoulders - the seeds know better the optimal terms for germination and growth of seedlings. And in the spring you need to apply to the vagaries of spring weather, correlate with your employment in such a busy and responsible sowing period.

In addition, winter sowing is extremely necessary in those regions where weather conditions do not favor spring sowing due to late spring and lack of moisture. Seeds will have enough winter moisture recharge and snow melting.

Sowing before winter frees you from the hassle of selecting seeds and seedlings on the windowsills, highlighting with a phyto lamp. Such a responsible event as the stratification of seeds, for example, Adonis, will take place in a natural way under the conditions of winter vernalization.

In addition, winter vernalization itself selects seeds for survival, in which only the strongest and able to overcome all kinds of weather difficulties and resistant to diseases will germinate.

What to consider when planting flowers in the fall?

• before winter, only seeds of cold-resistant plants are suitable for sowing, which can normally survive spring frosts in the germination stage;
• early thaws can provoke premature awakening of seeds, which will inevitably lead to their death;
• it can damage the seeds and the condition of prolonged waterlogging, and therefore you need to take care of the drainage capabilities of the flower bed to evacuate excess moisture;
• it should also be taken into account that during natural selection in the winter and difficult autumn period, a significant number of seeds will die and seedlings may be less than you expected. For this reason, the rate in milligrams or grams, indicated on the bag of seeds, must be increased by 30 percent;
• in spring, winter entries of flower crops must be carefully thinned out so as not to damage the tap root system of neighboring shoots, which, having gained space, will give a deep tap root system that provides plants with drought resistance.

For flowering plants, planting in a permanent place in the flower garden is the best option for their successful growth and flowering, because their taproot suffers in seedlings and does not have the ability to "pee" unlike other plants. These include, for example, poppy, delphinium, escholcia.

Only those annuals that can be propagated by seedlings are sown in shkolka before winter. With the onset of spring, the shkolka can be covered with a non-woven material in the form of a greenhouse using a frame. This will create comfortable conditions for the development of flower seedlings. An indication for sowing in shkolka before winter is the fact that it is impossible to provide suitable conditions (no drainage).

The school should be equipped as a high bed at least 20 centimeters in height, so that groundwater does not penetrate into it in excess, and in the snowy season it would be insulated with snow. In the spring, it will warm up faster in the sun and the seeds will not get wet - they will sprout together. It is better to have such a school in the wind, on the southwestern or southern side.

For winter sowing, the flower garden must be prepared in advance, starting from the second half of September - early October, from the fact that they deeply dig the soil with the introduction of a mixture of complex mineral (potassium, phosphorus) and organic fertilizers. If necessary (in the case of heavy soils), coarse river sand can be added to improve the structure. When the soil of the shkolka is completely ready, leveled and compacted, grooves of different depths are outlined depending on the variety of seed.

The depth of the grooves for small seeds is 0.5-1 cm; for medium - about 2 centimeters; for large ones - about 4 centimeters. A fully prepared shkolka is covered (in case of snowfall) with a film before sowing, which is started at stable zero temperatures.

It is necessary to prepare in September a mixture of peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1 to fill the furrows or holes with sowing, and so that it remains dry and free-flowing, pack it in plastic waterproof bags and store it under a canopy or in a frost-free room.

During sowing, the film is removed, and dry seeds are placed in prepared grooves or nests. In the nest-holes of small seeds, you need to put 7-10 pieces, medium - 3-5, large - 2-3. Fill the grooves with a preserved mixture of peat and sand, do not water and cover with mulch, which is at hand (leaf litter, straw, spruce branches). Suddenly the winter will be little snowy.

In the spring, the mulch should be removed and seedlings at the stage of the first pair of true leaves thinned out, repeating this procedure after two weeks with control thinning at the interval provided for a particular type of flowering plants. The third thinning is necessary only for thickened seedlings and when sowing in nests where 1-2 seedlings can be left. It is also advisable to carry out light loosening of row spacings.

How to sow seeds of annual flowers in a container before winter?

The technology of sowing in a container differs from sowing in a shkolka only in the feature of the containers themselves, which should be no deeper than 7-10 centimeters with drainage holes in the bottom. Planting soil should be moderately nutritious and loose, accessible to moisture and air. The composition of such a soil mixture includes garden soil, peat and coarse river sand or vermiculite in the proportions: 1:1:3. The drainage layer is at least 2 centimeters, the prepared soil mixture is laid out with compaction in a layer of 4-6 centimeters, leaving the required amount of substrate in a frost-free room for filling the sown seeds.

Before sowing, containers with soil mixture are placed in trenches prepared in open ground 15-20 centimeters deeper than the height of the planting containers. A drainage layer is covered at the bottom of the trench, and the gaps between the walls of the containers are compacted with fallen leaves and left until the time of sowing, the technology of which is described in sowing in shkolka. In the spring, at the end of May - beginning of June, the seedlings are transplanted into a flower garden.

What annual flowers are sown before winter?

Annual flowering plants with a tap root system:

• Delphinium Ajax
• Clarkia marigold
• Large-flowered flax
• Lupine hybrid
• poppy
• Mattiola gray-haired
• big
• Mignonette fragrant
• Hops climbing or Japanese
• Eschscholzia Californian

Popular varieties of annual flowers for sowing before winter:

• Agrostemma
• Adonis summer, Adonis annual or autumn
• Alyssum marine (lobularia marine)
• Cornflower blue
• Gaillardia is beautiful
• Gypsophila graceful
• Iberis umbrella
• Calendula officinalis
• Chinese calistefus (aster annual)
• Lavatera three months old
• Nigella sativa

As an option for winter sowing flowers:

• Chinese carnation, hybrid carnation
• Cosmea twice pinnate, cosmea sulfur-yellow
• Pyrethrum maiden (matricaria exceptional, chrysanthemum maiden)
• Scabiosa dark purple
• barley maned

Annual flower crops of winter sowing for the southern regions of Russia:

• Antirrinum large (snapdragon)
• Bidens ferulifolia
• Godetia grandiflora
• Tobacco Sander
• keeled, chrysanthemum sowing
• marsh chrysanthemum

Self-seeding annual flower crops - under favorable conditions, some annuals can also reproduce through abundant self-seeding, but their offspring bloom later or do not even have time under the conditions of a short northern summer. In addition, in such flowers, parental characteristics are split, which affect the quality of flowering. Now, we hope you will definitely be able to make a choice when and how best to sow your favorite flowers in country beds and front gardens in order to successfully grow them without annoying mistakes, saving time and effort.

Traditionally, in our climate zone, most crops are sown mainly in the spring, although winter sowing often gives much better results than spring sowing. After all, no one is surprised by the winter planting of bulbous (tulips, daffodils) and small-bulbous plants (muscari, blueberries, pushkinia, etc.). But they are not the only ones that are so strong! Even experienced flower growers are surprised when stronger plants are obtained from seeds sown before winter, which bloom earlier and more intensively. Thus, cold-resistant species of annuals are grown, the shoots of which are not afraid of recurrent frosts.

Winter crops: pros and cons

Winter crops have their own pros and cons. Firstly, they seem to imitate natural self-sowing, which always give strong, strong, tall, healthy offspring, resistant to diseases and adverse weather conditions. Secondly, allow you to save precious spring time, eliminate the need to grow seedlings that occupy all our window sills. Thirdly, since they use spring moisture and the first heat for germination, seedlings appear two weeks earlier than during spring sowing, respectively, and the flowering of summers occurs 1-3 weeks earlier. Fourth, with winter sowing, there is no need to stratify the seeds of those crops that need it. But for this, the wetted seeds must be kept for 1-3 months in the refrigerator or on the balcony, and success is not guaranteed, since it is quite difficult to imitate natural conditions.

In late autumn, you can sow seeds whose expiration date is coming to an end, as well as those that you doubt the quality of.

Why does it make sense to sow "suspicious" seeds in the garden before winter? Because when stored in a warm apartment in dry air conditions, they will lose their germination much faster, and in the spring they will simply have to be thrown away. And winter sowing will allow you to find out in early spring whether the seeds are suitable, and if seedlings have not appeared, without wasting time, sow the bed again.

disadvantages winter crops have only two. Due to the vagaries of the weather, the seeds can germinate during the thaw in February-March, and then die from low temperatures. At the same time, some of the seeds may sprout later, therefore, when sowing in winter, it is recommended to take more seeds and sow twice as thick as in spring.

If you are planting perennial flowers, be prepared for the fact that they will bloom only in the second year.

Although when grown in seedlings, perennials most often bloom in the same summer.

Favorable timing for the winter sowing of flower seeds

The right choice of time is the main condition for successful sowing before winter. It is very important that shoots do not appear before frost. Most seeds do not germinate at soil temperatures below 5°C. That is why it is necessary to start sowing after the air temperature is set within 1-3 ° C (about a week before the soil freezes). Keep an eye on the long term weather forecast.

After sowing, prolonged warming should not occur, otherwise the seeds may germinate and die from frost.

If you follow folk signs, then you need to sow when the leaves fall from the cherries.

In the middle lane before winter, seeds can be sown either in November (with the establishment of stable cold weather) - autumn sowing, or in December-January (with freezing of the topsoil and the appearance of permanent snow cover) - winter sowing.

For seeds, freezing of the soil is not terrible (they do not freeze), but it is not easy for flower growers to prepare beds for sowing in such conditions, so try to do this in advance, before a steady cold snap sets in.

Place for winter sowing of flowers

For winter sowing, only well-cultivated areas with light soil that do not swim during thaws are suitable. Heavy clay soils strongly swim, compacted, so shoots on them are often unfriendly, plants develop poorly.

The site must be planned in such a way that in spring the seeds are not washed away by melt water.

Lighting is also important: try to choose a flower bed where there will be no scorching sun in the spring. Before freezing, the soil should be dug up, fertilized (organic - humus or compost and mineral - potash and phosphorus), loosen and make grooves or nests of the desired depth (according to the size of the seeds). To protect the substrate (peat, humus, sand) from freezing, with which you will fill the grooves with the sown seeds, remove it into the room in advance.

Technology of winter sowing of flowers

With winter sowing, the seeding rate is increased for annual species by 50-100%, for perennial species by 20-25%. Seeds are sown dry, close them smaller than during spring sowing. Small seeds (snapdragons) are planted to a depth of 0.5-1 cm, medium ones (Chinese aster, sea alissum) - 2 cm, large (calendula) - 4-5 cm. The onset of cold will not allow the sown seeds to germinate ahead of time. Over the winter, the topsoil can become very compacted, so it can be difficult for seeds to break through the resulting crust in spring. In order to avoid such a situation, crops are mulched with soil mixture in autumn (compost, humus and sand or peat with sand in equal proportions).

Our advice:

Do not forget to put labels and mark the places for winter sowing so as not to accidentally trample them or dig them up in the spring.

Watering autumn crops is completely unnecessary and even harmful, since unexpected autumn warming can cause premature germination of swollen seeds. And in the spring they will have enough moisture from the melted snow.

It is much easier to carry out winter sowing, when at least 25-30 cm of snow falls, it is trampled down, grooves are made and seeds are sown directly in the snow.

Mulch the sown rows with unfrozen soil mixture. And for protection from birds, the site is covered with snow.

In order not to confuse seedlings of crops with weeds in spring, some practitioners recommend sowing seeds in containers (for example, wooden or plastic boxes) and digging them in a bed flush with the ground. Containers with crops can be installed on a non-woven material spread on the ground in a place protected from wind and sun, covered with the same non-woven material from above and covered with snow.

As soon as the snow melts in the spring, beds and flower beds with crops should be covered with a film or lutrasil to protect them from birds and spring rains, which can wash away the seeds.

After seed germination, the film is removed.

In the spring, the seedlings should not be allowed to dry out, so they are regularly watered, especially if there was little snow. When the shoots that have appeared give the 2-3rd leaf, the plants are thinned out. Repeated thinning is done after 2 weeks, taking into account the optimal distance for certain types of flowers. Grown seedlings of plants that tolerate transplanting well can be picked up and transplanted to a permanent place.

Assortment of flower varieties for winter sowing

The list of flower and ornamental plants for winter sowing is quite extensive. Surely, more than once in the spring you found shoots of marigolds, cosmea, lavater and other unpretentious plants that grew in you last year that appeared in the most inappropriate places on the site. Almost all flowers can reproduce by self-sowing. But the sprouts of only sufficiently frost-resistant plants do not die from spring frosts.

Can be sown before winter seeds only winter-hardy plants.

We list only the most popular of them: annual adonis, Chinese aster, blue cornflower, viscaria, annual delphinium, notched dimorphotheca and rain dimorphotheca, Chinese carnation, graceful gypsophila, graceful godetia, officinalis calendula, graceful clarkia, double-feathered cosmea and sulfur-yellow cosmea, coreopsis dye, broom cochia, three-month-old lavatera, sea lobularia, large-flowered flax and its other species, garden quinoa, snapdragon, bicorn matthiola and gray matthiola (levkoy), bordered euphorbia, large nasturtium, dark purple scabiosa, Drummond's phlox, Californian echscholzia , annual species of Iberis, lupine, poppy, nemesia, nigella, mignonette, chrysanthemum and zinnia.

sown before winter and perennials whose seeds require stratification(freezing): decorative bows, aquilegia, aconite, alpine arabis, alpine and new Belgian aster, buzulnik, beetroot (alissum), cornflower, speedwell, columbine, gaillardia, geyhera, geranium, carnation, gypsophila paniculata, gentian, dicentra, delphinium, kandyk , bellflower, swimsuit, lavender, meadowsweet, liatris, lychnis, perennial lupine, oriental poppy, mallow, matrikaria, small-petal, hellebore, perennial euphorbia, foxglove, nivyanik, obrieta, liverwort, primrose, chamomile, rudbeckia, eryngium, yarrow, cephalophora, garden cyclamen, corydalis, echinacea, etc.

As practice shows, perennials develop much better during autumn-winter crops.

However, unlike perennials, perennials grown from seeds usually bloom only in the second year. But there are no hopeless situations: if you sow perennials before winter, and cover them with foil in the spring, then you can admire their flowering by the end of the first summer! Most of these flowers do not like transplants, so it is better to sow them immediately to a permanent place in the flower bed. If the spring seedlings are too dense, they can be thinned out.

Try winter sowing. There is still time for this. You will succeed! And if not, then in the spring it will not be too late to fix everything. Good luck planting!

Svetlana MASHKOVSKAYA,
candidate of biological sciences,
National Botanical Garden. N. N. Grishko NAS of Ukraine
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