Question
Is it OK to plant my Purple Cone Flower Seeds this fall instead of waiting till spring?  Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Thanks for your time.

Answer
 If you want to get a headstart on spring, plant your seeds indoors starting in February. Use a mixture of 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 vermiculite in a small seeding tray.  Put 1 or 2 seeds per planting space.  If you are lucky enough to have 2 plants take form-gently take one and transplant it into another space.  Let them get a good amount of roots before transplanting them into 2"-3" pots.  Keep them in either south exposure or east exposure or under a grow light for 6 hours a day. Keep them at a steady 65-70 degree temp. and water from the bottom-allow the water to be sucked up into the planting space.

  Seeds will not germinate in your zone in the fall (unless they are a weed!!).  Cone flower seeds need heat to germinate and spring is the best time.

 If you can find those plants you want at a nursery you still have a very little time to plant them.  By the end of Oct. it's really getting a little late.  You may have a friend who wants to divide a plant--now is a good time also.

  I always like to share my "Super soil" Recipe:
 The soil is 80% of good gardening!!!

First though you MUST prepare your soil. It may be pains-taking but you will see such better results from your garden, sun or shade. You can do this in the fall in preparation for the spring planting

for every 6' x 6'sq. area:
1 bag peat moss(If you get the  3.cu.ft bags-use only 1/2)
1 bag sand-play sand
1 bag gypsum-for aeration
1/3 bad Millorganite (an organic fertilizer found at Nurseries--and I SWEAR by it for flower beds and lawns, for lawns, put it on heavy like any fertilizer in spring and fall!) Not available in all states.
1 bag cedar or cypress mulch(smallest particles are the best)-this gets tilled into the soil with all the other stuff. Good for aeration
If you compost yourself-or if you have to purchase it, add a good amount (2-3 bags) to the area and work into soil.

Roto-til or turn into soil with shovel-at least 8-10" in depth-more if possible, before planting. You will be AMAZED!!


Then and only then are you ready to plant.

Sijka