How to grow summer bedding from seed

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 28 April 2019 at 3:30 pm

Brighten up your borders by growing summer bedding from seed. We show you how.

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Nothing beats summer bedding for creating a splash of vibrant colour that lasts for months. You can buy bedding plants ready grown in late spring, but it’s much more satisfying and fun to grow bedding from seed – you’ll get a bigger choice of flowers and even save money. Most bedding varieties can be started off in a propagator in January or February in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill – the earlier you sow the seeds, the better, because bedding takes a few months to get to the flowering stage.

The secret of germinating summer bedding seeds is a good supply of warmth and light. Most seeds need a steady heat of 18-21°C to germinate, so consider investing in a heated propagator to maintain a constant temperature. You may benefit from using a grow lamp, particularly if you’re sowing in January.

Learn how to grow summer bedding from seed, below.

You Will Need

Peat-free seed compost
10cm pots
Summer bedding seeds
Vermiculite

Step 1

Growing bedding from seed – sowing seed

Fill pots with seed compost, tap to settle, and lightly press the surface with the base of a pot. Space your seeds evenly over the compost.

Step 2

Growing bedding from seed – covering the seed with vermiculite

Cover seeds thinly with fine, sieved compost, or use a layer of vermiculite, a sterile material perfect for covering seeds.

Step 3

Growing bedding from seed – labelling your pots

Make a label that will last until autumn and insert it into each pot. Water well.

Step 4

Grow bedding from seed – beeding seedlings growing in a propagator

Place the pots in a heated propagator to arm the compost ready for germination. Open occasionally to release condensation.

Step 5

Grow bedding from seed – pricking out seedlings

Prick out the biggest seedlings and pot them on into individul pots, where they can grow without competition.

Water seedlings regularly in order to avoid compost drying out and after 4-6 weeks add a weekly liquid feed using a general fertiliser to promote strong and healthy growth.

Red watering can

portulaca-2

Summer bedding plants to sow

Zinnias
Petunias
Salvia splendens
Begonias
Marigolds
Nicotiana
Nemesias
Portulaca
Pelargoniums

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