Why you should be starting Stock (matthiola) earlier than you think! 

Lisa Mason Ziegler of The Garden Workshop said cool flowers, which stock are, should be transplanted 6-8 weeks before last frost. That mean the seeds would be started indoors 6-8 weeks before the transplanting date. Your idea of starting them earlier is right on. So many seed packets don’t take into consideration that cold loving flowers should be planted out much earlier.

I live in the desert of Arizona. I planted, for the first time, stock in October. They grew nice and full all winter in mostly shade. Now the sun hits them about a couple to three hours a day and full blooms. Our weather currently is between 40 at night and 60’s during the day. We are below average currently. The smell is amazing.

Excellent video for providing specific info!! Thank you!

Great video on stock! I’m growing the Anytime Mix from Baker Creek for the first time and I sowed them early as well (partially because I didn’t want to wait anymore lol). I’m excited to see all of yours bloom!

I started stock here in Australia last spring and they pretty much did nothing for months. This year i'm planting them out shortly here (about to go into autumn) so they can overwinter. Therefore while the soil is still warm in autumn, they should get a bit of growth under their belts. Soil temperature is everything. The soil is stone cold for the first half of spring and the seedlings just sat there 🥶. I hope you have better luck than me. They're one of my favourite flowers. Great video!

Absolutely love stock!!!

So glad I found this video! I was worried about starting mine too early last year, so I waited too long and really they just didn’t do anything, so disappointing. End of February now, zone 6B and I’m starting mine today! Can’t wait to see the results. :)

This video was helpful. My stock was so disappointing this year. It barely bloomed and took up allot of space where I had them. I wish I had journaled my seed starting for them. For some reason I thought here in 4a ... I started them in Feb. But I don't know for sure. Anyways they where lots of green and very little bloom. I should try again. They did smell great. Maybe my expectations where too big, or it was the start time. Have an amazing end of year and Christmas.

It's been in the 80's here in north central Florida zone 8b! I want to try this one this season.

I grow stock here in the UK we generally have 2to3 months of lovely cool weather in spring so that really suits them .

I did try stock last year and yes, I goofed- planted out too late and the warm weather came in and nothing bloomed. I’m in 6b but we got extremely warm in May so my ranunculus ended early as well

Thanks for the tips about starting these seeds, I want to try growing these in pots this year. I live in a zone 8b area and hoping I can grow some on the patio, we don't have any decent in ground area with much sun around our house. I know the squirrels will want to dig into the pots, so I am going to have to put netting over the pots until they are big enough to survive on their own. :)

I’m growing it for the first time for summer 2023!!

Really good video thank u im in 9b starting stock iron rose

I’ve grown stock for two years now… just experimental small batches… last year, at the first of august, I germinated them in jiffy pods… then planted some in pots and some in the ground at the beginning of October… the ones in pots never bloomed but the foliage makes a nice filler for ornamental beds… and they are still looking good at end of may, They will die in our summer heat I’m sure, but I’m seeing how long I can keep them, just so I know… but the ones that bloomed are done … I got seeds from one plant and i just checked the seeds, they look ready on that one, which is still in the ground … I do landscape design so at this point I just need to know how to use them within planter arrangements vs for cut flowers, however, I would like to get set up for cut flowers and design cut flower beds for clients personal use … eventually… I live in the desert, zone 9b… Phoenix… October is actually our big planting season, and the stock does very well here.. we have two months of chill time with an avg of ten nights where a frost might occur… stock seems chiefly unbothered by those here… but, they seem to do best in the ground and it’s good to get them planted out in the last week of September or first week of October… I’d like to set up a succession bed and try different germination times and planting times and varieties etc… to get all this worked out for max bloom times for cut flowers … hopefully this fall I can be more on top of that. Oh, and the blooms started in late february here, from the ones i planted in the ground at the first of October… and they looked long and full and amazing toward the last weeks of march… so it would be nice to try to get a succession … the ‘plugs’ were 7-8 weeks old. The first year I did Katz stock which was shorter, but respectable and with amazing scent… last fall I did column blend and whoa nelly, super tall and full… but scent wasn’t as strong as Katz… I have iron seeds… will try all three next time around with succession germinating/planting and see how they all do here in our climate. Lots of factors to consider to get max cut flowers on these beauties. But I do appreciate how nice the foliage looks as a filler in a bed with other flowers until they bloom and become the star of the show.

I am trying both stock & winter sowing (outside in a jug) for the first time. I have never thought to try fertilizing any seedlings before at least 2 sets of true leaves. Glad you tried it and it’s working! What fertilizer do you use?

I have total.failure with this...we can grow it thru the winter and bloom in winter..i.cant even get them started good but they always fail. Im thinking of continuing to do transplants.

This explains why mine fizzled last year....! What fertilizer for your seedlings?

Why did you decide to go with plugs for the column variety? Also, stock can be spaced 4x4, so you can fit a lot in which is awesome!

My first tray of stock, the cotyledons…blanched? They just kinda turned white-ish and have kinda done nothing 🙁 I fertilized them a few days ago so we’ll see. BUT, the second tray I started the exact same way and location are doing FABULOUS! 🤷‍♀️ can’t decide if I should abandon that first tray or keep at em?

Very useful video, growing my seedlings in UK, may I ask, what do u ferilise them with? U mention Neptune's harvest, is this fish meal? Do u know the NPK?

Great content. 24' will be my first time growing Stock. What do you fertilize with?

Can I ask what you use to fertilize your seedlings?

First Time growing them this year here in the UK. They’ve flowered but only just a small section on the top and not all down the stem like they should ☹️ what did I do wrong? 🌸

Are they cut and come again or just one hitter quitters? Nice video 💜

What did you fertilize with?

No plans for stock past or present.

You are very methodical are far as flower farming goes. I’m hoping some of this rubs off on me.

No flower smells better