I got my seeds sown in damp potting soil topped w/ seed starter mix in deep cell trays, ready to place outside for cold stratification, but I hesitated because it was so bitter cold (single digits F); then some non-gardening emergency stuff happened. By the time I got to them, they’d had about 3 weeks in the basement (50-55 deg. F), and some seeds had germinated. They were all nominally 60-day cold strat species. The most extreme was the dense blazing star (Liatris spicata); they really took off! I don’t have grow lights to keep them going indoors, and the neighboring species in the trays need their cold strat, so out they go! The early-bird overachievers will die (fortunately I still had some spicata seeds, so I just topped up those cells). Some other species only had a few early sprouters: zig zag goldenrod, yellow giant hyssop, prairie pussytoes, hairy beardtongue, Jacob’s ladder.

by Rambler_Joe

1 Comment

  1. amilmore

    You could get a little light/grow setup and have some ready to go plugs by the spring.

    “They were all nominally 60-day cold strat species.”

    GREAT reminder that these rules aren’t set in stone and if you’ve been putting it off its ok to try still and you don’t need to wait til next season. I’m partially speaking to myself here lol

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