Zinnias: The Etudes of Flower Farming
- Kim Felcher
- Mar 5
- 2 min read
When I was learning to play the violin, I had a book of etudes with each one designed to help you master a different skill or skills. I really hated that book and just wanted to play beautiful pieces of music. The problem with skipping the etudes was that I had didn’t have the necessary skills to play the hard pieces. The result? Frustration, the inefficiency of making the same mistake again and again and the embarrassment of showing up to a lesson and fumbling my way through an assigned piece of music. Flower farming presented the same challenge for me but I didn’t want to make that same mistake. Trust me when I tell you that I wanted to grow all the amazing varieties I saw in catalogs and on Instagram. Unfortunately, many of those come with demanding germination protocols, complicated timings for planting, unique growing requirements or massive pest/disease issues. So, I found my etudes…easy growers that helped me hone the necessary skills for a successful flower farm. At the top of that list is the Zinnia.
Zinnias are the first flower I ever planted, tended and cut for arrangements. If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ll remember that I grew up on a 40 acre hobby farm with a giant vegetable garden flanked by a full row of zinnias. They weren’t any specialty variety but they were tall, colorful and gave a never-ending parade of blooms all summer. At the end of the season, my mom would collect the dry flowerheads, store them in a brown paper grocery bag and the next spring I would grab a handful and crush them into the waiting trench in the garden. No fuss, no special requirements. They’re EASY to grow and great for beginners—give them a try! Below I’ve detailed how to start zinnias from seed (either directly sown in the garden or started indoors and transplanted outside) and a link to Johnny’s Selected Seeds (this is where I source my seeds) if you want to see lots of different Zinnia varieties or buy seeds. Happy growing!
Direct sow: Wait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up to plant seeds. Select a site that gets full sun and plant seeds ¼” deep in loose, well-draining soil. Do not let the soil dry out during germination. Seedlings should emerge in 5-7 days.
Transplant: Sow seeds into a container of your choice filled with moist seed starting mix (ensure good drainage). Cover seeds lightly (no more than ¼”) and place the container in a warm space (70-75°F). Heat mats will speed up germination. Ensure that the soil stays moist but not wet. Once seedlings emerge place them under grow-lights (if you don’t have grow lights, find the sunniest spot you can to prevent the seedlings from getting “leggy” (tall, weak stems). Harden off seedlings prior to transplanting.
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