Winter Planting of Poppy Seeds

Dianna's Purple Poppies

Just an update...

Planting annual poppy seeds in the milder areas of the Pacific Northwest or similar climates should be done in "batches'.  Sow 1/3 of your packet in either December or early January, then another third in another location about Mid February, and the remainder of the packet (or packets) in Early March.

Your goal is to spread out the bloom through June to August, plus should the early seeds be washed away by heavy rainfall - not unheard of in Western WA or OR - you will not have bloom for this summer.  Seedlings can still be transplanted when they have their first leaves.  More precise information on sowing seeds and culture can be found on our previous post:  How to Plant Poppy Seeds

We'll have fresh seed from September's harvest at the  Tacoma, Portland, Seattle and San Francisco Garden Shows (January - March) or you can order on our website for delivery ASAP.  Bear in mind that seed sown during warm spring days will require watering, but seed sown during cold and wet weather pretty much takes care of itself - just provide a prepared bed to scatter the tiny seeds and do not cover - they need light to germinate.   Sowing in pots is more specialized, see the link above for instructions.