Seed Starting Chart For
Growing Annual Flowers

This seed starting chart will help you plan when to start your annual seeds. If you have annuals planted in your garden this year, you can gather seeds from them for planting next year.

A picture of a marigold and just a small batch of seeds that I've collected from one plant. There are plenty of annual flowers still on the plant and more seeds could be collected if needed. As you can see the amount here is huge compared to the amount in a seed packet. It won't be hard to turn this single pile into a full flat or two of marigolds next spring as long as the seeds are kept dry during the winter.

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Annual Flowers Seed Starting Chart

Name Of Annual Flowers and Annual Herbs	Days Seed Takes To Germinate	Start Seeds INDOORS # of weeks before last frost	Start Seeds OUTDOORS # of weeks before last frost
African Daisy	21-35	6-8	4
Ageratum	5-10	6-8	last frost
Amaranthus	10-15	3-4	last frost
Anchusa	14-21	6-8	last frost
Aster, China	10-14	6-8	last frost
Baby-blue-eyes	7-12	NR	6-8
Baby's-breath	10-15	4-6	6
Balsam	8-14	6-8	last frost
Basil	7-10	6-8	last frost
Bells-of-Ireland	25-35	NR	6-8
Black-eyed-Susan Vine	10-15	6-8	last frost
Blue Daisy	25-35	10-12	6
Blue lace flower	15-20	6-8	last frost
Browallia	14-21	6-8	NR
Calendula	10-14	4-6	6
California Poppy	10-12	NR	4-6
Calliopsis	5-10	6-8	last frost
Campanula	10-14	6-8	4
Candytuft	10-15	6-8	last frost
Cape Marigold	10-15	4-5	last frost
Castor Bean	15-20	6-8	last frost
Celosia	10-15	4-6	last frost
Chrysanthemum	10-18	8-10	last frost
Cineria	10-15	24-26	NR
Clarkia	5-10	NR	last frost
Coleus	10-15	6-8	NR
Cornflower	7-14	4-6	6
Cosmos	5-10	5-7	last frost
Creeping Zinnia	10-15	NR	last frost
Dahlberg Daisy	10-15	6-8	NR
Dahlia	5-10	4-6	last frost
Dianthus	5-10	8-10	last frost
Dusty Miller	10-15	8-10	NR
English Daisy	10-15	6-8	6
Flowering Cabbage and Kale	10-18	6-8	NR
Forget-me-not	8-14	6-8	6
Four-o'clock	7-10	4-6	last frost
Fuchsia	21-26	24-26	NR
Gaillardia	15-20	4-6	last frost
Gazania	8-14	4-6	last frost
Geranium	5-15	12-15	NR
Gerbera	12-25	8-10	NR
Globe Amaranth	12-20	6-8	last frost
Gloriosa Daisy	5-10	6-8	2
Hibiscus	15-20	6-8	last frost
Hollyhock	10-14	6-8	NR
Ice Plant	15-20	10-12	NR
Impatiens	15-20	10-12	NR
Ivy Geranium	5-15	12-16	NR
Kingfisher Daisy	25-35	10-12	6
Kochia	10-15	4-6	last frost
Lantana	40-45	12-14	NR
Larkspur	8-15	6-8	4-6
Lavatera	15-20	NR	4-6
Linaria	10-15	4-6	6
Lisianthus	12-20	28-32	NR
Lobelia	15-20	10-12	NR
Love-in-a-mist	10-15	4-6	6
Marigold, African	5-7	4-6	NR
Marigold, French	5-7	4-6	last frost
Mexican Sunflower	5-10	6-8	last frost
Mignonette	5-10	NR	4-6
Money Plant	10-14	6-8	4
Monkey Flower	8-12	10-12	NR
Morning-glory	5-7	4-6	last frost
Nasturtium	7-12	NR	last frost
Nemesia	7-14	4-6	last
New Guinea Impatiens	14-28	10-12	NR
Nicotiana	10-20	6-8	last frost
Nierembergia	15-20	10-12	NR
Nolana	7-10	4-6	last frost
Ornamental Pepper	21-25	6-8	NR
Pansy	10-20	6-8	NR
Parsley	14-21	6-8	2-4
Penstemon	10-15	6-8	6-8
Petunia	10-12	10-12	NR
Phlox	10-15	NR	6-8
Pincushion Flower	10-15	4-5	last frost
Poor-man's Orchid	20-25	10-12	NR
Poppy	10-15	NR	6-8
Portulaca	10-15	4-6	last frost
Salpiglossis	15-20	6-8	NR
Salvia	12-15	6-8	NR
Scarlet Runner Bean	6-10	NR	last frost
Snapdragon	10-14	6-8	2
Spider Flower	10-14	4-6	last frost
Spurge	10-15	6-8	last frost
Statice	15-20	8-10	last frost
Stock	7-10	6-8	last frost
Strawflower	7-10	4-6	last frost
Sunflower	10-14	NR	last frost
Swan River Daisy	10-18	4-6	NR
Sweet Alyssum	8-15	4-6	4
Sweet Pea	20-30	NR	6-8
Tohoka Daisy	25-30	6-8	4-6
Verbena	20-25	12-14	NR
Wishbone Flower	15-20	10-12	NR
Zinnia	5-7	4-6	last frost

NR on the seed starting chart means Not Recommended
Last frost means to plant after danger of frost has passed

When the seed starting chart shows a NR it may be the plant doesn't transplant well or that the growing time isn't long enough for seed starting.
California poppies and Sunflowers don't transplant well so they are marked with a NR on the seed starting chart. This doesn't mean that transplanting can't be done, just that it's difficult.
I've transplanted sunflowers with very few casualties, but wiped out most of the poppy seedlings I grew.

You'll need to have a calendar and the last expected frost date for you area before setting up your planting schedule.

For my gardening zone the last frost date is around May 15th. Lets say I wanted to plant Zinnia seed which should be started indoors 4-6 weeks before they're ready to go outdoors. I would go to the May calendar page and count backwards 4-6 weeks to end up with April 3rd -17th as the time to begin my seeds indoors. If I wanted to plant them outdoors in the soil, I'd plant them after May 15th.

Return to Annual Flowers from Seed Starting Chart
Annuals From Seed has tips to get your annuals growing.
Self Seeding Annuals are a great way to buy plants once but get two or more years from them.