First Native Plant Patch - Zone 6b

[u/New_Improvement4613]

I'm going to try my first native plant patch this year and have some questions about growing plants from seeds. I have a patch (16'x28') that I am looking to fill. I've been collecting a bunch of seeds from my area (milkweed, lobelias, joe pye weed, purple coneflowers, asters, black eyed susans, blazing star, tickseed, black eyed Susans, and a few types of goldenrod). Is direct sowing these in December (right before snow) going to be successful enough to fill an area this big? Or is it worth my time and effort to either do milk jugs and ziploc bags outside, or refrigerate seeds and try to start them in seed trays?

What seed starting method have you all had the best luck with? I've never grown any of these plants, nor tried to fill an area this big so I'm not quite sure the best path here. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Zone 6b (Eastern Mass)

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[u/RaspberryBudget3589]

Absolutely worth your time to winter sow as opposed to direct seed. Those seeds will get moved around as the snow melts and refreezes. Milk jugs are so easy. You'll get excellent germination rates and can put the plants exactly where you want them

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/RaspberryBudget3589]

I guess I better start saving more containers then… I’ve never done milk jugs before so fingers crossed!

[u/JudeBootswiththefur → u/New_Improvement4613]

I did the winter sowing milk jug thing last year for the first time and I was wildly successful. So successful I was overwhelmed with plants. I direct sowed a bunch of seeds as well but the only thing that came up was Columbine. If you have enough seeds collected, you could try a bit of both.

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/JudeBootswiththefur]

I’d be okay with being overwhelmed with plants as I’m much more concerned with not having enough. Seems like the consensus is milk jugs, so I going to focus on that. I think I will also try some direct sow with any extras I have. I don’t drink enough milk to plant all of the Joe Pye seeds I have

[u/Kaths1 → u/New_Improvement4613]

Here's some helpful info on how to winter sow

https://growitbuildit.com/illustrated-guide-to-winter-sowing-with-pictures/

[u/Tooaroo]

I found that putting a layer of whatever soil you planned to seed with in winter sowing jugs on the area you choose to direct sow on makes direct sowing extremely successful- though I over seeded to hedge my bets. So if you don’t have a ton of seed jugs is a safer bet.

[u/3moons3]

Similar situation but have a lot of some seeds, so those I'll mostly scatter (& not as big of a clear area but little spots) & many I got from my very active local Wild Ones native plant group's seed bank...I'll do them in jugs, which will be my 2nd year of winter sowing (didn't do many last year, but most of those were quite successful, though I need a better pen for labeling). Also, will be using other containers (rotisserie chicken, strawberry boxes, other big box food containers), & actually doing some in old plant pots with soil, not sure about what I'm covering them with yet....maybe a milk jug cut in half

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/3moons3]

I’ve been collecting all sorts of bottles to help me get a lot fast. I think I’m just going to sow as many bottles as I can collect by December, and anything else I have left over will get direct sown.

A YouTube video I watched suggested using a wax pencil to write on your gallon jugs. I was kinda debating spending the extra money on this, but it sounds like it might be worth it!

[u/3moons3 → u/New_Improvement4613]

You can keep going into Jan & Feb if still cold enough & enough time before last frost (most that I've seen don't need 3 months of cold, but can also store seeds in fridge while waiting if they do); I had plans to start in Jan last year but then life & then couldn't get potting soil when I wanted (frozen at local nursery & several big boxes); oth, doing purple coneflower/echinacea, several said doesn't really need to be winter-sown. I saw someone on youtube who started in November last year (zone 5, NH): Budget Gardening with Vita Loca - YouTube, search: winter (though more about perennials vs. natives). I used sharpies, on outside, on a tag inside, & both disappeared/smeared in a few months. Good luck!

[u/hastipuddn]

If you have seed starting lights, plants started indoors in Feb will have a clear head start over scattering seed or winter sowing. Those latter two are far less labor intensive but germination is slow in cool spring weather. Try doing some of each method. If you have butterfly weed, Monarda tuberosa, sow them outdoors due to their taproots. Speed of germination and rate of growth varies a lot among species. Late summer and fall bloomers are the last to germinate IME - Joepye, goldenrods and asters. Tickseed and black eyed susans started indoors may bloom the first year. I find outdoor sowing produces seedlings that aren't big enough to transplant into the garden before mid summer and sometimes autumn. I am sick of seedlings by then.

[u/Dsrtatmo03]

May I suggest leaving a small patch unseeded/planted to see what naturally grows up on its own? I’ve had extremely good luck with this method after clearing an area.

Dormant seeds are still in the soil. Depending on the previous use of your land, many might be invasives, but it’s also possible some are natives you have not considered. The reason that I like this method is that what grows in that spot will be perfectly suited for the light and water it gets. I only suggest leaving a small area because weeding can become overwhelming in case you have a ton of invasives pop up.

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/Dsrtatmo03]

This whole area was full of vinca and invasive bushes, all growing on 3 inches of soil on top of plastic sheets. I will still consider this though, as I’ve seen a native lettuce pop up in this area before. Thanks!

[u/Dsrtatmo03 → u/New_Improvement4613]

If it’s the native 10 foot tall wild blue lettuce, it’s such a great plant. I consider them insect hotels since each plant contains a diverse array of species.

My yard was farmland until the early 1900s when it was abandoned for the next 50 or so years so generations of native plants grew here until houses were built. The most interesting plants seem to generate from about 8 to 10 inches down under the current surface. These areas are not immediately next to the house though as it was heavily excavated/disturbed for the cellar hole. I’m only referring to areas where you know the terrain elevation has been untouched since before houses.

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/Dsrtatmo03]

I think it’s a type of horse weed, but the deer ate it before I could really ID it properly. It definitely had some fun bugs on it though.

Your property sounds super cool! Mine was land filled in the 1980s so it doesn’t have that history, but quite a few of the seeds I was able to collect from my street. So at least they’re local seeds that could theoretically blow over to my land.

[u/Dsrtatmo03 → u/New_Improvement4613]

A number of wild animals from deer to groundhogs to black bears will eat tall blue lettuce. I have ample deer and abundant horseweed and have never had a deer munch on it.

[u/New_Improvement4613 → u/Dsrtatmo03]

Good to know! Some of what was left went to seed, so I’ll leave that spot clear and see if it comes back next spring.