Calendula "Snow Queen"

* Winter sowing has some advantages over spring sowing, as it saves valuable spring time - the seeds germinate earlier, using spring moisture and the first warmth for growth.
However, winter sowing is only possible on light, well-cultivated structural soils. Heavy, unstructured soils become heavily "silted" and compacted over the winter, and seeds on them sprout unevenly, and plants develop poorly. It is better to sow on soils of this type after spring digging and the introduction of humus or sand.
The place for winter sowing must be prepared in advance, before the soil freezes. Organic (humus, compost) and mineral (potash and phosphorus) fertilizers should be applied to it, dug up, harrowed and grooves made. In addition, you need to prepare a little peat, humus or the same soil in a non-freezing place to fill the grooves (bring it into the room or pour it next to the garden bed and cover it well).
Seeds should not be sown until stable frosts occur and the soil freezes. The seeds are sown in grooves in the same way as in spring, and sprinkled with prepared soil or peat.
The main difficulty in winter sowing is to choose the sowing time so that there is no prolonged warming after it. Otherwise, the seeds may germinate and then die from frost.
From annuals, the following are sown before winter: lavatera, annual delphinium, dimorphotheca, iberis, calendula, cornflower, godetia, clarkia, kosmeya, poppies, mignonette, Drummond phlox, escholzia, annual chrysanthemums.
In spring film greenhouses, you can sow kochia, then in the spring you will have enough seedlings of this crop (use them for picking). When sowing before winter, it is important to put labels and mark the place so as not to accidentally trample or dig it up in the spring.