Flowers · annual or perennial

Poppy from seed

Papaver and Eschscholzia spp. · also searched as poppies, easy to grow poppies

Germination temperature: 60 to 75°F (16 to 24°C)
Sowing depth: surface
Days to germinate: 7 to 21 days
Light: Needs light: press onto the surface
Before sowing: Nothing needed
Sow outdoors: 4 to 0 weeks before the last frost
Spacing: 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm)

Your dates from your last frost Seed not coming up?

Sowing

Poppies dislike transplanting, so direct-sow. Corn poppy: as soon as the soil can be worked (14 to 21 days); California poppy: after the last frost (14 to 21 days). Oriental poppy seed needs light (Iowa State): press in, do not cover.

Care and transplanting

Thin to the spacing; they flower best in lean soil and sun.

Problems

Seed buried deeply fails. Cutworms eat seedlings; keep the bed weed-free.

Saving seed

Let pods dry and shake out the seed. Poppies self-sow readily.