How to sow fresh seed in autumn

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How to sow fresh seed in autumn

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Tuesday, 1 October 2019 at 11:11 am

Learn how to sow seeds collected from plants like foxgloves and knautia in autumn.

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Many seeds collected in autumn can be sown straightaway.

Find out how to collect and sow seeds.

Sowing seeds in autumn mimics a process called stratification, which happens naturally in nature – the seeds fall to the ground, and a period of cold weather triggers them to germinate in spring.

Seeds from native plants and plants that come from colder climes are especially suited to autumn sowing. Try angelica, bidens, foxglove, knautia, crocosmia (montbretia), Solomon's seal, spindle tree (euonymus), sweet cicely, red valerian and yarrow (achillea).

Simply follow the instructions below, then place your pots outside or in a cold frame so that they're exposed to the winter weather.

You Will Need

Ripe seeds
Pots (8cm)
John Innes seed compost
Watering can
Plant labels
Pen

Step 1

Collecting seed

Collect the seeds on a dry day, taking care not to damage them as you do so.

Step 2

Sowing seed

Sow a few seeds into an 8cm pot, filled with John Innes seed compost. Water, label and date. Place the container in a cold frame or at the side of the house so it has some shelter. Make sure that the compost does not dry out, but only water when necessary.

Step 3

Young seedling in a pot

Once the seedlings emerge in early spring, grow on until they are large enough to handle. Pot each seedling singly to allow each one space to develop.

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