Growing Your Own Cutting Garden

Seed Bombs

Want to try your own cutting garden in a small space? Try our Seed Bombs - a fun, simple way to grow a garden full of blooms perfect for picking. Each handmade, eco-friendly bomb is packed with a custom blend of carefully selected flower seeds chosen for their long stems, continuous blooms, and vase-worthy beauty. Choose from 3 varieties of true cutting flowers or from our Nebraska Natives mix. 

Why you'll love them: 

  • No green thumb needed - just toss onto bare soil, water, and let nature do its thing. 
  • Grows into a living bouquet you can harvest again and again.
  • Great for garden beds, borders, or even large containers.
  • Made with love and natural clay and compost - safe for pollinators and the planet.

Perfect for gifting or starting your own cut flower journey. One toss and you're on your way to homegrown beauty, one bouquet at a time. 

Directions for your Seed Bombs:

Planting your Seed Bombs is simple and a fun way to support pollinators, green up a neglected areas, or add a touch of wildflower flare to your garden. Here's how to do it: 

What You Need: 

  • Seed Bombs (from us)
  • A location with bare, worked soil that has access to all day sun

How To Plant: 

1. Choose the right time: The best time to plant your Seed Bombs is just before a rain - but hey, this is Nebraska, so sometimes we have to make rain. Spring is ideal for our Cosmos, Orange Sherbet, and Jellybeans mixes, while fall might be better for the Nebraska Natives mix. 

2. Choose a suitable spot: Look for a place with minimal to no foot traffic. Bare soil is best with all day sunshine exposure. Avoid areas with heavy weed or turf.

3. Toss or Press: Toss your Seed Bomb onto the soil in your chosen area or press it gently into the ground if you want to ensure the best chance for good seed-to-soil contact.

4. Let Mother Nature Get to Work: Rain (or water) will gently break down the clay and compost, allowing seeds to germinate. Be sure to keep the soil moist while your seeds establish themselves. 

5. Be Patient: Germination can take a few days to even a few weeks (Nebraska Natives Mix, we're looking at you, girl.)

How to Harvest: 

Harvesting your cupflowers (if you chose) at the right time and with the right technique helps extend their vase life and encourages more blooms. Here's how: 

1. Time of Day: Harvest early in the morning or in the evening when the plants are cooler, hydrated, and the sun isn't beating down on them. 

2. Tools: Use clean, sharp scissors or garden snips to avoid crushing stems (you should NEVER crush a stem).

3. Water: Immediately place stems in cool, clean water after cutting.

Zinnia Seeds 

To grow zinnias from seed, plant them directly outdoors after the last frost or start them indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Zinnias thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep and 6-18 inches apart, depending on the variety. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy, especially during germination. 

Detailed Steps:
1. Timing: Sow seeds outdoors after the last frost or when the soil has warmed up. 

2. Soil Preparation: Zinnias prefer well-drained soil. But they don't mind poorer quality soils - so don't worry.

 
3. Planting: Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep. Loosen the soil down to about 1" and sprinkle in your seeds. Do your best to spread them out a bit, since the variety I have gets pretty big.
4. Spacing: Space seeds or seedlings 6-18 inches apart, depending on the variety. 
5. Watering and Sunlight: Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, especially during germination. Water the BASE of the plants. Do your best to avoid wetting the leaves too much to keep them healthy. (Plants don't drink from their leaves anyway.)
6. Sunlight: Zinnias need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily and if its hot - good. They like that. Just make sure they don't get too dried out.
7. Harvest: You should have blooms starting in 60-70 days from the time you planted them, but sometimes the weather can affect that. Remove spent flowers to encourage more blooms OR harvest for a bouquet of your very own:

  • Timing: Harvest when the flower is fully open and the stem is stiff. Use the "wiggle test" to ensure the stem is ready. A stiff stem that doesn't bend when shaken means it's ready. 

     
  • Cutting: Cut the stem at a diagonal angle, as far down the stem as possible, to promote side shoots. Make the cut right above any new stems or side branches to encourage new growth. 
     
  • Foliage Removal: Remove the foliage on the lower part of the stem. 
     
  • Side Shoot Removal: Consider cutting off side shoots to prioritize the main bloom. 
     
  • Water: Place the cut zinnias in fresh, cool water immediately after harvesting to prevent wilting.