Foxglove: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow foxgloves outdoors?
Sow foxgloves in late spring or early summer, according to your climate and the seed packet. A drained tray outdoors in a bright, sheltered position makes the tiny seeds easier to monitor. Fill it with free draining seed compost and moisten it before sowing. For a soil seedbed, prepare a small weed-free area with a finely crumbled surface.
Scatter the seeds thinly on the surface and press them gently into contact. They need light to germinate: do not bury them one or two centimetres deep or cover them with compost. Water with a mist or a very fine rose without moving the seeds.
Keep the surface moist without saturation, and protect the sowing from heavy rain and drying out. Watch for emergence without expecting every batch to follow the same timetable. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, pot them individually or space them out, keeping their roots intact.
Later allow about 30 to 35 cm between young plants, adjusted to the cultivar; this is not the spacing for individual seeds. Biennial types usually flower after their rosette stage. Wear gloves and keep seeds and compost away from food, because foxgloves are toxic.
How do you plant foxgloves?
When do foxgloves flower?
