Help With Growing Seeds

I wouldn't sow at the moment unless you have lights, wait at least a month.

They are better grown cool after the initial germination.

They only do well around here in summer if its a washout, mostly you never see them other than spring.

 

If I waited until March then that would July to have a full flowering plant, I could start now indoors but it’s lot of effort to get some plants or would I be better off treating pansies/viola as bi-annuals and sow with foxglove/wallflowers and put them out of mind until August?

 

I'd always go for overwintering and a spring show, they dont like heat or dryness

 

Okay so I guess you plant these late summer and stick them in a greenhouse?

My Wallflowers and Foxglove was just left outside in the garden all winter, as they were the year before and survived are pansies less hardy than these?

 

Well pansies do suffer if its really cold, but the rain can also allow some rot to get going, so a protected position is best but not too much codling.

If going in the ground I'd time it to plant out in late Feb/Mar, then rip them out in late June and put in something more interesting
You can tell I'm not a fan.

 

There is no prettier plant than the pansy (imho) when in spring with the range of colours, but when it grows hot and bolt, they turn ugly and need to be ripped out. The first real colour from annuals of the year.

Last year I learnt a big lesson that light was everything in growing spring seeds. So reading a couple of articles in Gardeners World on seed growing they both mention growing seeds is simple, which maybe correct and if you haven’t got a greenhouse, put them on a windowsill which is also correct but there is no explanation why you need to put them on the windowsill. Also with the compost it doesn’t go into explanation what kind of compost is best for growing conditions. They assume that seed growers will know this which is incorrect.

Hence why in another thread I bought shelving to go on my windowsill for the best possible light use. Not going to put any seeds in for at least a month.