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Post by blueadzuki on Oct 20, 2012 21:26:12 GMT -5
I'm not 100% sure this is the right forum for this thread (in fact since pansies while edible, are not exactly a food crop, I'm not sure that there IS a correct forum here, i.e. that I shoud be asking this question here at all. But I have to try.
Does anyome know when one sows pansy seeds indoors in order to get plants mature enough for transplant in the appropriate season. last year I tried March 1, but that proved WAY too late, the plants were still tiny seedlings at plating time, and literally dissapeared overnight once planted) So when do I start, Januarary? November? right now? I tried using the "standard" sowing instructions i.e. the ones printed on the backs of packets of pansy seeds, but those are for direct sowing, which doesn't work for me. And I am just that little bit too cold in the winter to get away with sowing seed in the fall and hoping it will pop up in the spring. (we can get an overwinterer on rare ocssions, but the emphasis here is on rare and that's usually confined to the smaller wilder pansies (johnny jump-ups and hearteases, and of course wild pansy)
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Post by MikeH on Oct 21, 2012 9:48:48 GMT -5
I'm not 100% sure this is the right forum for this thread (in fact since pansies while edible, are not exactly a food crop, I'm not sure that there IS a correct forum here, i.e. that I shoud be asking this question here at all. But I have to try. Does anyome know when one sows pansy seeds indoors in order to get plants mature enough for transplant in the appropriate season. last year I tried March 1, but that proved WAY too late, the plants were still tiny seedlings at plating time, and literally dissapeared overnight once planted) So when do I start, Januarary? November? right now? I tried using the "standard" sowing instructions i.e. the ones printed on the backs of packets of pansy seeds, but those are for direct sowing, which doesn't work for me. And I am just that little bit too cold in the winter to get away with sowing seed in the fall and hoping it will pop up in the spring. (we can get an overwinterer on rare ocssions, but the emphasis here is on rare and that's usually confined to the smaller wilder pansies (johnny jump-ups and hearteases, and of course wild pansy) We have a pansy - Corsican pansy Viola corsica, that overwinters here in USZone4a. It's one tough pansy, with flower buds often emerging while there is still snow on the ground. We did grow from seed and, if I recall correctly, we started them about 6 weeks before last frost which is anecdotally May 24. I don't recall if we planted out or not but I'm absolutely certain that if it appeared that they were too small to fend for themselves, I would have potted them up and potted them again until I felt they were of a survivable size. That usually means a fall planting. BTW, I think they are a food crop - lavender coloured flowers (none of the web images really capture the colour) are a feast for the eyes and definitely feed the soul as one emerges from a long, cold winter. I'm not sure that I have seeds but I may if you'd like some. If I don't have seeds, I bought them from The Cottage Gardener. I'll probably be putting in a small order with Mary this year and could add Viola corsica to it and then send them along to you. Let me know. |
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Post by blueadzuki on Oct 21, 2012 12:57:10 GMT -5
I'm not 100% sure this is the right forum for this thread (in fact since pansies while edible, are not exactly a food crop, I'm not sure that there IS a correct forum here, i.e. that I shoud be asking this question here at all. But I have to try. Does anyome know when one sows pansy seeds indoors in order to get plants mature enough for transplant in the appropriate season. last year I tried March 1, but that proved WAY too late, the plants were still tiny seedlings at plating time, and literally dissapeared overnight once planted) So when do I start, Januarary? November? right now? I tried using the "standard" sowing instructions i.e. the ones printed on the backs of packets of pansy seeds, but those are for direct sowing, which doesn't work for me. And I am just that little bit too cold in the winter to get away with sowing seed in the fall and hoping it will pop up in the spring. (we can get an overwinterer on rare ocssions, but the emphasis here is on rare and that's usually confined to the smaller wilder pansies (johnny jump-ups and hearteases, and of course wild pansy) We have a pansy - Corsican pansy Viola corsica, that overwinters here in USZone4a. It's one tough pansy, with flower buds often emerging while there is still snow on the ground. We did grow from seed and, if I recall correctly, we started them about 6 weeks before last frost which is anecdotally May 24. I don't recall if we planted out or not but I'm absolutely certain that if it appeared that they were too small to fend for themselves, I would have potted them up and potted them again until I felt they were of a survivable size. That usually means a fall planting. BTW, I think they are a food crop - lavender coloured flowers (none of the web images really capture the colour) are a feast for the eyes and definitely feed the soul as one emerges from a long, cold winter. I'm not sure that I have seeds but I may if you'd like some. If I don't have seeds, I bought them from The Cottage Gardener. I'll probably be putting in a small order with Mary this year and could add Viola corsica to it and then send them along to you. Let me know. I might think about it, but I still want to know how to grow the seed I banked myself as well; I spent too long twisting my back collecting seed pods to toss them all out. Plus of course, I am sort of interested in what color schemes I can pull out as the varios flowers I selected initially cross with henselves and each other. I actually sort of envy you. Out trouble getting permanent pansies also extends to the rest of the Violacae. The only permanent violets we have are the blue violet in both the normal form and the purple eyed white form (i.e. the "confederate" violet) every other one either never comes up (seed) or dies after one season (plants) this even includes white and "delft blue" (white with little purple speckles) examples which are actually the same species as the blue (so conditions for one should be the same as for the other) Labrador's lasted one season (which are actually supposed to be tougher than blues) We've never tried parmas (i.e. the one that actually smells), even I know we're too cold for those. And the New Guniea voilet seed I bought on ebay to round out a tropical order never sprouted one seed (actually NO seed I bought from that seller ever came up, that was the last time I used that seller.) |
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Post by littleminnie on Oct 21, 2012 22:23:27 GMT -5
I have always started pansies in mid January. They take stratification too which adds time.
I think direct sowing in fall is worth a shot. They are very hardy. I have had them live without mulch in some snowy winters before and come back like crazy. They were a weed in my field for a while.
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