Cut Flower Seeds to Start In Michigan in July, Zone 6a

Are you looking for a bit of help to grow a successful seasonal garden where your plants thrive and you get to enjoy your hard work for longer, making you feel like a professional gardener?

When I first started growing flowers, I was completely overwhelmed by all the info out there. Everyone had different zones, and each flower had a different start date. I started my seeds too early and some to late. It was a hot mess overall.

If you are in Zone 6a, West Michigan, or a very similar climate, then this post is for you. I will give you seed starting dates, and tell you whether it should be directly sowed or started as a transplant.

Think of it as a grow-along. You can feel like a professional gardener and enjoy a seasonal garden too.

One of the best ways to extend your gardening season is to start seeds all season.

But, I am used to planting everything in May and being done. What do you mean I should start seeds in July??

This is part of our succession planting schedule. Planting small amounts over the whole season extends your flower and vegetable season. It spreads out your gardening tasks over the summer in little chunks rather than one sizeable overwhelming bulk planting. This is a trick to feeling like a professional gardener. Note the word, feel like one. You don’t have to be a professional gardener to succession plant. You need a little bit of knowledge and some seeds.

I have a post on succession planting HERE.

What should I start my seeds in?

I have experimented with a couple of methods of starting seeds this summer. It might take a little experimenting on your part to figure out what works best for you, but get out there and get dirty! You can do this. You can extend your gardening season and feel like a professional gardener.

In the winter and early spring, we are forced to start our seeds inside under grow lights, but now that the sun is high in the sky and the weather is warm, we can skip that business. Start your seeds outside in the shade in a sheltered place, like a warm barn or garage, or in a west-facing window in your house. You can use milk jugs, lettuce containers, or a standard seed tray which you can buy at Debruyn’s Seed in Zeeland, MI. Sometimes I even save old containers from flats I bought at the greenhouse. Those work well; actually, they work really well.

Now that you know what you are planting your seeds into, you are well on your way to being a seasonal gardener and feeling quite good about yourself.

Check out this post here with my seed-starting tips to help you successfully start your seeds.

Planting dates are listed by weeks in each month. Week 1, 2,3 or 4.

Flowers to Direct Sow in July: For a late summer/ fall harvest.

1. Ammi select white and green mist - week 2

2. Dill - bouquet - week 2

3. Stock - my favorite Katz -week 1

4. Zinnia - Benary’s giant, in fall colors - week 2

5. Sunflowers - Procut red, orange excel, and plum ( I plant new seeds every 1 to 2 weeks all of July)

6. Amaranth - ruby, hot biscuits, and love-lies-bleeding - week 3

Flowers to Direct Sow in July: For spring/ early summer harvest

1. Lunaria - beautiful biennial. The first year you get a purple flower, and the second year you get a beautiful, fun shiny pod. - week 2

2. Echinacea (Coneflower) - an easy perennial to start from seed. Direct sow it where you want it to stay. It might take a year or 2 to flower, but it’s so easy to grow it’s worth the wait. - week 3

3. Holly Hocks - another easy beautiful cottage garden perennial. Direct sow into its “permanent” home. - week 3

Flower to Start From Seed in July: For Fall Harvest

1. Snapdragons - Rocket is my go-to variety, but finding a variety that doesn’t mind lower light levels and cooler weather is the key to growing these successfully in the late summer/ fall. - week 1

2. Stock - Katz is my favorite variety. Stock loves cooler weather and is one of my favorite flowers. - week 1

3. Flowering Cabbage - Watch out because the bugs love this one, but it gets better after colder weather. It can handle frost and is so fun to add to fall bouquets. - week 1

Flower to Start From Seed in July: For Spring/ Early Summer Harvest

1. Feverfew - Blooms in June and has little daisy-like flowers. It is a tender perennial meaning it will likely return but must be replaced after a few years. - week 2

2. Yarrow - Summer Berries and Summer Pastels are my favorite, but another good one that is very easy to grow is Colorado Mix. It has beautiful colors. Yarrow is a perennial, but to get the best colors each year, it seems to need to be replanted. - week 2

3. Foxglove - Camelot series is my favorite. They can be slow to sprout. Foxglove blooms in June as well. One word of caution, it is poisonous, so keep that in mind. - week 1

4. Rudbeckia (Black Eye Susan) - Don’t think only the classic. There are orange rustic colors, red, and browns as well. Easy to grow and a significant bang for your buck. - week 2

5. Dianthus (Sweet William) - Blooms end of May, early June. This flower lasts weeks in the vase, is easy to grow, easy to harvest, and a must-have for the garden. - week 1

6. Canterbury Bells ( Campanula) - Champion Mix. I have never grown this flower. This year is my first year, and I am excited. - week 1

Vegetables to Direct Sow in July

I tend to direct sow all my later vegetables. I put five or more seeds per spot, and so far, I have had excellent germination.

1. Carrots - week 1 and 3

2. Radishes - Weeks 1 and 3

3. Beets - Weeks 1 and 3

4. Rutabaga- week 2

5. Lettuce - Weeks 1 and 3

6. Beans - week 1

7. Cauliflower - week 2

8. Broccoli - week 2

9. Cabbage - week 2

10. Bok Choy - week 3

11. Tastoi - week 3

12. cucumbers - week 1

13. zucchini and summer squash - if you’re not drowning in them already - week 1

Are you feeling good or feeling overwhelmed?

I don’t want you to be overwhelmed. You can totally do this and I encourage you to try.

• Look at the list of seeds and pick three to five to try.

• Pick out your favorites, and once you get them under your belt, add a few more.

In no time, you will be an expert at extending your gardening season, and your friends will call you a professional, but most important, you will feel confident.

Click the button below to get a list of my favorite seed suppliers.