Starting Seeds in Warm Weather
A quick blog post about direct sowing seeds in mid summer. Here in zone 7 the majority of seeds dislike being sown in hot summer months, especially when the rainfall is scarce. Here is one method we use when we are direct sowing sunflowers, zinnia, celosia, cosmos and other heat resistant flower in mid summer.
It's mid July and our first spring run of sunflowers are spent. We have removed the old stalks, root balls, and any weeds left behind. We then recharge our flower bed with compost, or some commercial fertilizer, and tilled 6" deep until our soil is the consistency of brown sugar.
We sow our sunflower seeds, or any other warm weather seed, per the sowing instructions. We then use a row cover call Agribon, or you can use an old sheet, and secure with landscape pins to cover our row. Be sure your material light colored and is permeable so water can enter your bed. Don't use plastic.
This cover helps keep moisture in your seed bed any torrential rainfall from washing away any seeds. This is also helpful in keeping squirrels, birds, and other animals from eating your seeds.
We hold our cover in place with our landscape pins and water through the top of the fabric. This germination cloth will only stay in place for a week or so until our seedlings are 1"-2" tall.