Can someone please tell me if it's too late to wintersow annual poppies in zone 6?

thanks!!

I'm not exactly sure. But I would give it a shot

I'm always confused about when to sow poppies. Some say 2 weeks before last frost, others say they don't need the cold. I'm going to try no cold treatment and see what happens and will sow them in paper pots so that I won't disturb the roots (too much) when planting out. I'm sure there are other folks who know waaaay more than me that can help.

Which annual poppies are you going to sow?
The peony type like to start in cold weather.
They don't need cold for germination, but they do like cooler growing conditions.
The Shirley type are best started after frost, especially the doubles.

I have started the P. somniferum in peat pots in my GH (i.e. no cold treatment) and they grew just fine. So you should be able to go ahead and sow them now. I tossed out some seeds a couple of weeks ago, but the little beggars never seem to grow where I want them. Which is why I sometimes start them indoors, so I can stuff them where I want them!

thanks everyone for your input, but maybe I didn't make myself clear. I didn't mean direct sowing them in the garden--I meant sowing them in milk jugs and setting the jugs outside till they sprout

pinkruffles said:thanks everyone for your input, but maybe I didn't make myself clear. I didn't mean direct sowing them in the garden--I meant sowing them in milk jugs and setting the jugs outside till they sprout :)

Sure! They should do just fine, but transplant the clump when the seedlings are tiny because the long taproots grow much faster than the tops, and they don't like to be disturbed.

Here is another method that might interest you. The thread "WINTER SOWING with CLOCHES" in Cottage Gardening forum Same basic idea, but no disturbance is necessary.

Chelle is right. They really don't like having their roots disturbed. They generally sprout pretty quickly, too.