Direct-Sowing Flower Seeds

Direct-sowing flower seeds is an inexpensive, easy way to add plants to your flower bed. But you must plant at the correct time, prepare the soil, space seeds properly, and know whether or not they need to be covered with dirt.
When Should You Plant Flower Seeds?
When you plant your seeds depends on the types of flowers you are growing and whether they are cold-tolerant.
What Flowers Tolerate a Light Frost?
Some flowers tolerate cooler temperatures and may even survive a light frost after germination. You can sow these seeds earlier, perhaps before the spring frost-free date for your area. If it does drop to colder temperatures or frosts, the seedlings should survive without needing to be covered or protected.
Flowers that tolerate a light frost include pansies, violas, primrose, cyclamen, phlox, geraniums, petunias, sweet alyssum, sweet peas, snapdragons, and lily-of-the-valley.
What Flowers Must Be Planted Later?
On the other hand, some flowers are not cold-tolerant, so you can’t plant them until any threat of frost has passed. If it does get cold after planting, you will need to cover the seedlings to protect them from dying.
Flowers that cannot tolerate a light frost include begonias, marigolds, and impatiens.
The Basic Steps of Direct-Sowing Seeds
  1. Prepare the soil in the flower bed.
  1. Scatter seeds across the soil or place them at the recommended spacing distance.
  1. Cover seeds with a little bit of soil or press them gently into the soil surface.
  1. Water well, taking care not to disturb or move the seeds.
Prepping the Flower Bed Before Planting
Before you sow seeds, you must take some time and prepare the soil in the flower bed. Pull out branches, trash, and large rocks, and dispose of them. Then dig down using a shovel or garden hoe, working the top six to eight inches of soil, breaking up the large clumps. Spread a couple of inches of organic matter like finished compost across the top of the flower bed and mix it into the soil well.
Now you’re ready to plant!
Why Is Proper Seed Spacing Important?
The back of every seed packet has a recommended spacing for plants within a row and the distance between rows. Each plant has a different spacing based on its mature size and nutritional needs.
While it is tempting to space them closer together to create a full, lush flower bed, it’s important to follow the recommended spacing. Plants grown too close together compete with one another for water, sunlight, and nutrients, and may grow poorly.
Do the Seeds Need to Be Covered?
The back of each seed packet also states a recommended planting depth. Some flower seeds need sunlight to germinate, so you scatter them on top of the soil and gently press them down to create good contact between the soil and the seeds. Other seeds do not need sunlight for germination, so you bury them in the soil, usually only a small amount of soil to top them. Burying them keeps them from getting dislodged or eaten by birds and other animals.