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Poppies are a cold-hardy flowering annual that blooms from late spring to mid-summer. Learn how to grow poppies from seed in this tutorial!
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For culinary purposes, poppy seeds retain their flavor for a long time. However, when planting, always use fresh seeds that are no more than one year old because viability rapidly declines after a year.
Starting seeds indoors
Sow the seeds in a sterilized seed tray filled with seed starting mix and keep the containers in direct light or under grow lights at a temperature of about 60°F.
Sowing seeds outside
Poppies need a garden site with full sun exposure and fertile soil to produce the best flowers and seed crops. It’s best to prepare the ground in advance so you can direct sow the seeds in late fall or early spring.
Harvesting poppy flowers
You can cut long-stemmed poppies for cut flowers. Harvest the flower stalks near ground level just as the blooms open.
Harvesting poppy seeds
Harvest the pods when they are dry, and you can hear the seeds rattling. Just shake the loose seeds out of pods into a container once per week as they dry until you get them all.
Learn more about growing poppies by clicking the link below!