How to start and grow Snapdragons

Ah, the beautiful Snapdragon. We have grown them for a few seasons, and have learned a thing or two on how to produce this beautiful, constant blooming flower. We will outline how to grow Snapdragons through a tried and true method. First off, for best success, you have to start them indoors. So find a nice south facing window, or get a grow light and heat mat to get started. Here are some steps.

Growing snapdragon seedlings.

• Sow your snapdragon seeds indoors 8-12 weeks before the last frost using seeds procured from a reputable seed provider (Johnny’s is my preferred seed provider).
• Sow the seeds thinly and press them into the top of the soil (they need light to germinate)
• Keep the soil moist and at around 65 degrees F
• The seedlings will pop in one or two weeks.
• The seedlings need plenty of light at this stage to grow, so insure a nice window setting or a grow light. Note: they need rest, so don’t leave your light on 24 hours a day. 16 hours is fine.
• Once they have 2 set of leaves, thin them out to one plant per cell in your growing tray or pots.
• To encourage better branching and more flowers, pinch the tops off when the seedlings reach 3-4 inches tall.
• Feed them some fertilizer at 3-4 weeks.
• Harden off your seedlings by slowly exposing them to the outdoors over a week.
• Transplant the hardened-off plants to the garden after the last heavy frost. Snapdragons can tolerate light frost.

That’s it! A quick to guid to growing snapdragons, one of our favorites. Enjoy your flowers in a bed or for cutting throughout the growing season.