I have sowed poppies using cloches.

Since its still not too late to winter sow and there is some curiosity about how to do it.

Here are some threads to a few ways it's done.

http://garden.org/search/index...
and
http://garden.org/search/index....

This is my method for sowing annual poppy seeds ( somnifariums )


Sowing Annual Poppies
In January when there is a good day.
Scrape away any leaves or mulch to make a bare spot..where you want poppies to grow.
Seeds sown on mulch or anything but bare ground ,wont germinate.
Sprinkle the seeds and press into the ground.I just step where they are or use a board to press.Buried seeds wont germinate.

I have sown them and covered with screen held down with rocks.This protects the seeds from birds or washing away with rain.




I also made “milk bottle greenhouses”




Cut the bottoms off of plastic milk bottles and place the bottle over the sown seeds.I put 2 plant supports into the green house so it wouldnt blow away.
One support wont work because the wind will twirrel the bottle around and scatter the seeds who knows were.
A 1 gallon jug with plant supports for anchors.



These are the new poppies. DONT WEED THEM OUT.I have done that more times than I want to admit.




Also poppies dont need to be sown this thick. This picture was taken in March but we had a weird spring.I usually see new shoots in April.


In April check your sites for germination. Dont be discouraged if you dont see anything,I have seen poppies emerge in late May.


I also sow poppies on the bare ground and lay screen over the seeds,anchored down with stones.
These new sprouts were under screen.
I buy storm door replacement screen at HD it comes in rolls.




The half gallon jugs with poppies.



I only sow poppies this way. I usually buy annuals from a garden center.
SOME PIX OF GERMINATED pppies a couple of weeks old


This is a too thickly sown clump,it has a May 21 date


Really moving along

What a good idea! Joanne!
That protects the seeds from the critters and gives the seeds--- a slightly warmer atmosphere.
I think I will copy you for the poppies anyway.

Thanks so much, Jo Ann!

I'd often wondered how to anchor the jug to keep it stable in the wind.




Once we're out of this blizzard-like weather we're having right now, I'm going to try this out. I'm hoping the jugs will deter the local wildlife as well.

Good luck everyone.Once you have germinated like this you will never go back.

I am not positive about this method for ALL plants

Carolyn: Yes I always thought of them as a mini greenhouse.

Great idea Joanne! I did something similar last spring. I used a 3-Gallon water jug, cut the bottom off and direct sowed cucumbers in the veggie garden. It worked extremely well since out May & June nights are quite cold.

Thanks for sharing that Joanne.I wondered if other seeds could be started that way.
I am going to try coreopsis if the snow ever melts.

I sowed 2 more cloches with coreopsis red from DD's garden

My Bad!!!!! I WS'd cosmos not coreopsis..
More geezer moments .AFTER I sowed I checked to see if it was OK.Google says yes.Darnd good thing too.I dont want to go into that mud pit again.Besides all my gardens are on slopes.

Good. Then they'll bloom this year for sure.

I hope.They are annuals.Extreemly red orange

Oroud to say all poppies germinated.Teeny 2 leaf swaths. I will thin them in a week.

Did you remove the covers yet, Jo Ann?

Yes I did it this AM when I saw the sprouts. In another week I wont be able to get into the places where the clouches are.Toooooo many lilies.
And some people say it doesnt take any planning to grow a garden.

Its a month later and I am over-run with poppies.I must have missed whole plants last year and they self sowed. Many will need removal,sad but if I do it before they bloom it wont hurt so much.

Here, too, Jo Ann, and I feel the same way.

My Spigelia marilandica was trying to grow through the hole in the jug so I finally took it off yesterday. I sure do hope the rabbits don't eat it!

I remove jugs when plants are fairly small so they dont melt on a hot day.