Allotments 4 All

Hi everyone,

I know the above species do not like to be transplanted, but has anyone had any luck starting these off indoors singly in pots and planting out when big enough? thanks in advance!

Hi, started zinnia off in modules and transplanted them. They were fine, if a little slow at first after being transplanted.

I've started Zinnia indoors and transplanted for a few years now. It was only last year that I read that they don't like it. For nigella, it hardly seems worth the effort - it grows so easily?

Nigellas grow like weeds in my garden. I sowed some four years ago - just broadcast them - and now they self seed themselves everywhere!

There some of the few plants i dont start off at home and it makes life so much easier to sow them direct :) but if you have to start them at home make sure you use something like loo roll or root trainers so the roots dont get disturbed to much :)

i grow everything in modules for my allotment (so the wildlife dont get the seed!!)
except nigella and corn marigolds which seed themselves and grow everywhere
no matter how hard i try to get rid of them ( i do like to grow some veg you  know!) /angle shades x

thanks everyone for the responses - r they okay to sow out now despite the cold weather, or should I be waiting a bit longer?

Nigella is hardy and self-sows from seeds in the autumn very readily, so no need to worry about the weather.

Corn marigold is not so hardy, but should be fine if sown outside now

Zinnia will be killed by frost, so either sow indoors, as you suggested (and transplant carefully in May), or wait a bit and sow direct. Depends upon whereabouts you are, of course.

The RHS did a trial of sowing zinnia direct into open ground, which  describes how and when they did it - looks like they had quite a bit of trouble with mildew.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/documents/Zinnia2002.pdf.