I started a bunch of Zinnias from seed this year and wonder when to plent them out. Here in 7b on the west coast it's still very cool at night and I worry that they won't thrive and the slugs will eat them. Anyone have a lot of experience growing Zinnias from seed?

Chris

In my experience in Texas, nice leafy annuals like Zinnias and Pansies won't "take off" until they get warmed up. Especially if you're starting from seeds. So when you plant them out in cool soil, they just sit there and are a ready meal for slugs. My advice is to wait a bit until the soil warms up and even better, buy established plants.

- Love to Garden

Hey Chris,

 You really need to "Harden Off" annuals before you put them in the ground. This is basically where you place the starters outside near where they will be planted, but you don't take them out of the pots. They need some time to acclimate without the shock of having their roots disturbed.

Jen