Free Native Seed Packs: Planting Instructions

~ Local Leaf
Native flower mixes packaged by the kids and given out at various markets in Aylmer.

It has made my heart happy reaching so many people with our free native seed packs this year.

Here is the list of all the native flower seeds included in each of our free packs.

We get a lot of questions on how to plant them. Here’s a step by step guide with pictures for those of you who still like reading on the internet.

When should I plant them?

NOW! Or really, any time this winter, the sooner the better. Native seeds thrive in our winters, and many actually need a long period of cold to wake up and sprout at the right time in spring. Read below for an easy way to plant these seeds now, protect them from birds and squirrels and chipmunks and other critters over winter, and watch them start sprouting in spring.

What you’ll need:

  1. 1. Seed pack
Our seed packs this year. Don’t have one yet? Message us on Facebook or Instagram, come by and grab one, or we will be happy to come drop one off for you for free
  1. 2. Any sort of container with holes in it, ideally with a cover
Examples of some of the containers I collect throughout the year
My favourite are old strawberry containers, they are a perfect size with perfect amount of holes in them
  1. 3. Water
You’ll want to soak the soil well before adding seeds, so that it stays moist and doesn’t dry out in the spring
  1. 4. A few cups of any type of soil
I make my own mix with a little help from my worm compost, but a cheap bag of soil works just fine

How to put it all together

Add soil and water to the container, and mix it up to be sure the soil is nice and wet. I aim for about 3″ of soil when winter sowing, to give the roots lots of space to develop in the spring

Once the soil is ready, open the seed pack, and carefully scatter the seeds on top of the soil.

Press the seeds into the soil gently, but leave them on top, as many of them need light to germinate

There is a large variety in each pack, and some are so tiny they are hard to see. Don’t miss adding those

Flower seeds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are so small they are almost invisible to the naked eye.

That’s pretty much it, you’re done. If I were planting single species I would be sure to include a waterproof label of some sort, to remember what I planted, but since this is our mix pack, take advantage of the reusable stickers, peel them off the packet and put them back on the container.

The QR code will likely get soaked and distorted over winter, so for a reminder of what seeds are in each pack, click here.

Now close the containers and put them outside (wear better shoes than I did)

Location, location, location

Native flowers are pretty relaxed. Put these anywhere you have space. They prefer a sunny spot but will still sprout in shade. Leave them somewhere to be snowed and rained on all winter and spring, not covered.

I will leave mine where they are and post an update in spring, when I see signs of life.

I hope that’s helpful to see visually. Message with any questions, anytime, or let us know if you want more packets. We still have loads.

Discover more from LocaLeaf

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Unknown's avatar

Published by Local Leaf

Read it? Leave a reply and let us know your thoughts...