INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOWING YOUR NATIVE SEED MIX

You'll find these instructions come with any seed mixes you purchase:

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We’ve selected a variety of species to fill many niches: heights, root systems, seasons, and time over years. You’ll find some species are quick to grow and bloom and will fade after a few years while others will take time.
 

Timing
Native seeds, for the most part, need to be sown in the fall so that they can go through winter’s freezing and thawing prior to germination in the spring.

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Choose the Right Site
Pick an area with conditions that match the mix. Remove vegetation by mowing, raking, or hand weeding to reduce competition. Scarify soil to depth of approximately ½”. Aim for at least 50% bare soil. If you have a larger project you can use solarization (temporarily laying plastic down) but this needs to be done months ahead of time. We urge you not to till the soil of where you are sowing unless your soil is usually compacted. Tilling is detrimental to soil structure and also brings up more weed seeds.

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Sow the Seed Your seeds are packaged in two parts:
A. Large seeds: Mix the larger seeds with a gallon or more of a substrate, such as compost, or packaged weed-free soil. The substrate helps to equally distribute and also acts as some covering for these seeds. Broadcast the seed evenly by hand over the prepared soil. You can use a rake lightly to spread the mix if that’s helpful.
B. Small seeds: These seeds need light to germinate next spring so should be surface sown (not covered by soil at all). Sprinkle on top of the sown area. If you prefer to use a substrate to help distribute these don’t use soil but use sand instead. This will help keep the seeds in place but the sand will allow the necessary light through. After sowing, press seeds firmly into the soil with feet, shovel back, or roller for good contact.

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Watering
No watering is needed until spring. In the spring water gently and keep soil moist (not soggy) until seedlings are established.

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Patience and Expectations
EXPECT WEEDS FROM THE SOIL SEED BANK. Learn to identify your sown seedlings and remove invaders over time. You will find quick growing and flowering species will dominate the first two years before slower growing species establish themselves. This is by plan. Many native plants take 2–3 years to fully establish. Don’t worry if germination seems slow or uneven—native seeds are genetically diverse and will sprout at different times, building a resilient planting.

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Extra Large Areas
You can mow or weed whack to 6" high every six weeks for the first year only and then every three years after that. You won't get first year blooms from annuals included in the mix but you'll favor the new species over current weeds.

Happy sowing!

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