Starting Poppies

I'm wondering if it is too late to throw out some poppy seeds in the NE for a fall harvest? I have all my root vegetables up for the year, so I'm left with a lot of empty space in my garden. I feel like there is plenty of grow season left, but my understanding is that poppy seeds don't like high temperatures for germination.

They're spring growers and long-photoperiod bloomers. Missed the window i am afraid. cn

could always give it a try...i sowed poppies in early june and they are blooming now. I would have never though they would grow this late in the season

sonar said:

I'm wondering if it is too late to throw out some poppy seeds in the NE for a fall harvest? I have all my root vegetables up for the year, so I'm left with a lot of empty space in my garden. I feel like there is plenty of grow season left, but my understanding is that poppy seeds don't like high temperatures for germination.

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Try some "Impatiens", or "Pansies" they are good groundcover, like partial sun and some heat.
Petunias will take more sun, and are real good about letting you know when they have had enough.

cannabineer said:

They're spring growers and long-photoperiod bloomers. Missed the window i am afraid. cn

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I'm with him. You missed it, too late, but if you have one of the better varities now is a good to to plant them for next year.

when u say poppies u mean just reg ones or the opium variety?

too hot. wait until Spring, imo.

aren't they perennial. i think they are. if thats the case you can start em. mb you'll put on some nice growth between now and frost. but then they'll need protection. for lack of a lengthy root system. like a thick layer af salt hay or lots of shredded oak leaves for mulch. then you'll have a head start in spring. but be preparred for the worst case senario. which is complete fairure. in any event it'll be a learning experience. not trying to be contrary. just like to experiment and push boundaries.

Dan.......the perrenial one's don't have granpa's sleep medicine in it the somniferum are annuals. they re-seed readily, but die completely each year. if sown now, they, some of them, will germ come spring.

i have 300 seeds awaiting the melting snows of spring

oh. well ya learn sumthin new everday

Yup they are annuals. Definitely too late now. This was back in mid July when I was thinking about starting some. I have several hundred Persian White, Mammoth, and Giganteum seeds. They also threw in a free packet of Pepperbox. All of which, from my understanding, have a high alkaloid content.

It's definetly much too late to start growing Somniferum poppies not only due to the lack of the growing season being annuals. I started mine just after the last frost from the winter season! I also heard sowing P.Somniferum seeds just before the winter comes makes a good start then, sowing during the spring season will give that extra second batch of poppies while the first seeding is growing very well approx. 1'-2' feet close to bloom and the second batch will be half to 1/4 in height.
My second batch is doing well while they begin to switch to bloom flowers. I have grown and harvested afgans, tasmanians, Gigantinums, and hens & chicks so far and I let them to cross polinate giving me new different floral blooms. So far so good I've had no problems this year or the past season!

Yeah I think I am going to hold off and sow them early in the spring. Just in case I change my mind between now and then on where in the garden I want them, how much, what kind, etc. I don't know very much about breeding, but it would be interesting to see what the hybrids would look like. For example, if you would cross red ones with blue ones if they would be purple, or some all red, some all blue.

Well Im in Los Angeles and I hear its good to get them down in October? Will I be vegging a huge plant or will it not start growing till spring? I have a dog lol..but Im going to put up a fence to keep her out...I just do not want to worry about her possibly messing it up if theres no reason to plant now!? Also is it safe to order on Ebay...found some there...or pm me if Im headed in wrong direction. Thanks in advance!!

Can the somni poppy seeds be bought at local stores or is it all online?

I buy my opium poppy seeds at a variety seed selling local and garden centeres. Be aware that opium poppy seeds are named incorectly but still show opium poppy picture on the seed packet where i purchase at Zellers under the name of Venus Poppy, paeonyflorum, to hide the Papaver Somniferum name. with much experience in knowing what flower pic to look for, to identifying the real ppv somni. seeds knowing what it looks like if you have grown them before.
There are craft shops that have the opium poppy dried pods that contain seeds or asking a friend who works in a flower shop to order dried poppy pods!

don't purchase Papaver Orientale/ oriental poppy seeds no matter even if they look similar. They contain no Opium!

theePoppyMystery said:

I buy my opium poppy seeds at a variety seed selling local and garden centeres. Be aware that opium poppy seeds are named incorectly but still show opium poppy picture on the seed packet where i purchase at Zellers under the name of Venus Poppy, paeonyflorum, to hide the Papaver Somniferum name. with much experience in knowing what flower pic to look for, to identifying the real ppv somni. seeds knowing what it looks like if you have grown them before.
There are craft shops that have the opium poppy dried pods that contain seeds or asking a friend who works in a flower shop to order dried poppy pods!

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Cool thanx! I'll definately be looking for them

prospect.joe said:

Cool thanx! I'll definately be looking for them

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Once you grow poppies To get fresh seeds approx. 100 per Dried Poppy Pod plus or minus rough estimate!! Opium Poppy Plants should also be an art as you never know what ya wanna get season after season.............also growing them hydroponicly indoors to get the result in high yielding opium plants with timers for full sun for 18hrs then 6hrs to turn into bushes for higher, larger types like the Gigatenum amounts of pods with certain type of strain that is big and higher yielding plant