Sowing Stock Flower Seed and Selecting For Doubles

It's time to get my stock seeds started and this year I am going to be selecting for doubles to ensure the best blooms come spring. This year I have upped my game with new containers and lessons learned from the past two years to hopefully guarantee a full garden come summer.
I'm Pheigi at From The Witch's Garden, a Scottish girl trying to grow cut flowers on my allotment in Kanagawa prefecture in Japan. Remember to subscribe if you want to follow along and see if we actually get any flowers at the end of the season or if it is all a crispy burnt mess.
If you want to see what I do with the flowers I grow check out ‪@fromthewitchsgarden‬ on instagram.

[@mhubertcfi]

That was a really clear example of something that is pretty confusing! Last year I planted everything but this year will be taking the time to rogue out the singles. Thanks

[@fromthewitchsgarden]

I'm glad I took the time to do it this year as last year I only got one single so was wondering if it was necessary but seeing that almost 50% were singles this time I would have been really disappointed come spring. Good luck with your growing.

[@sheelaghomalley5459]

I really really need to sow my stock. Great reminder thank you x I have not had much success with stock so far but have been spring sowing. We are frozen here for the next week. Brrrrr

[@fromthewitchsgarden]

My stock is doing so well but now I am terrified that I have to keep it alive all Winter. We are down to 2 degrees C at night this week so I am starting to get a bit panicky that we are going to have a really cold Winter (for zone 9b). Good luck with your growing.

[@alisonburgess345]

It's the most frustrating flower...! My autumn plants in the greenhouse just resulted in tall leggy plants and about 3 doubles out of 30. I've tried a spring planting outside under crop netting (they're a brassica) which might suit it better. Good luck with yours - they're absolutely beautiful flowers and the fragrance is out of this world 🎉

[@fromthewitchsgarden]

mine got really leggy last year and super twisty at the base to the point where I had to stake them with little yakitori sticks but they straightened out in the end. Im hoping these ones will be straighter and bigger for me. Good luck with your growing.

[@jenelle152]

I’m feeling wild and trying to grow stocks in Florida this winter. I know, crazy, but I miss them so much it’s worth attempting

[@fromthewitchsgarden]

I really hope it works for you. We get really hot really fast but I got my fall planted ones to bloom last year so hoping they will work this year too. If it gets hot before they bloom you can try using shade cloth to keep them cool for a bit longer and mulch around them to keep the roots cool. Good luck with your growing.

[@heatherfoley4945]

A tip I saw once was to leave one seed module empty (no soil) so you can then use that as a receptacle for watering. Of course then you have one less for seed sowing so it's a compromise. Wow...that is fantastic germination! I was just sitting here thinking if it was worth all the effort to clear off my kitchen counters (it's the only space I have) for starting my seeds in January and seeing all those wee baby plants kinda touched my dark heart. It really is magical as seeds sprout into life. Showing the difference between the single and doubles was cool too...Thanks!

[@alisonburgess345]

Haha - the empty cell tip is clever 🎉

[@fromthewitchsgarden]

That is a really great tip! I was just thinking that it's a bit fiddly to lift the tray while holding my little watering jug. I will definitely be doing this going forward. Thank you.