When, where and how to plant your seeds for your dye garden

i've been waiting all year for this moment- the moment i can finally start thinking about what seeds i'm going to plant in the greenhouse, and when i need to start planting them. This year, the greenhouse needs a little extra TLC, and the soil needs to be replaced, so that's the first big step, but in the mean time i'm going to begin placing seed orders and figuring out when to pop em in the ground. I'm writing a little list with the sowing times, water quantities, soil conditions, and when to harvest. We'll go alphabetically, starting with:

Coreopsis

Coreopsis, also known as tickseed is a wild flower that gives wonderful yellows and oranges. It is native to North America and grows up to 100cm tall. Flowers will often appear from June onwards. You can cut the flower heads off to encourage more blooms before they begin to seed. Coreopsis works well on animal fibres but not so much on cellulose. When dyeing with this plant you should leave the flowers to soak overnight first. It is also ph sensitive, acid will give more yellows, and soda ash will bring out the reds.

Soil type: Fertile, well drained

Position: Full sun

Sow: moist seed starting mix indoors, or wait till last frost.

Blooms: Late summer and autumn. They will re-seed themselves.

Dahlias (red)

Dahlias are some of the lowest maintenance, highest production cut flowers you can grow. They need to be started off under cover in early spring and planted out after the frosts. March or April is good to pot them up. They flower from late June to early December. Tubers should not be planted when frost is still around. Red Dahlias give beautiful deep red colours

Dyers Chamomile

dyers chamomile is a very easy and quick plant to grow, You can sow indoors in March/April, and when large enough transplant outdoors to a sunny spot. Alternatively you can sow in May-July, plant out in september and they will flower the next summer. They should be harvested just as they are beginning to wilt to promote more flowering. Adding chalk to your dye bath also gives a much stronger yellow. Chamomile gives lighter more lemony yellows and was a popular dye in medieval times, but not as popular as weld. Early April is a good time to sow

Ladys Mantle

Lady's mantle is an easy plant to grow and requires little to no attention. It does not like to be waterlogged so requires little watering. dead heading is vital to prevent this flower from aggressively spreading. It can be planted from autumn to early spring, in a sunny or partially shaded location, in moist but well drained soil. best in partial shade. Self seeds easily in spring.

Flowering period: June-August

Marigolds

Marigolds germinate quickly, sprouting within a few days and blooming in about 8 weeks making them easy to grow from seed. To grow, sprinkle marigold seeds over potting mix, and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite. Cover with plastic wrap and pop in a warm spot- they do not need light the germinate. They should take 3-4 days to germinate, this is when you remove the plastic wrap and give them some sunlight. It is recommended that they are planted from March to May and they will flower from Summer to Autumn. Marigolds give beautiful yellows, and can be overdyed with indigo to give greens.

St Johns Wort

StJohns wort requires well drained soil that is slightly acidic. It is recomendded that you soak the seeds overnight using the paper towel method. Do not sow deeply into the soil only very lightly as they require sunlight to germinate. This is a very fuss free plant! It also has some awesome medicinal properties and can help fight depression and anxiety. You can get lovely shades of green from this dyeplant.

Weld

Also known as dyers rocket, seeds should be sown in early April . Do not cover seeds with compost. It can be tough to grow, and you do not get much of a harvest the first year, however the plant can grow very tall in it's second year and produce a wonderful harvest. Harvest from July onwards. The stalks do not contain much dye, discard these and use the leaves and flowers.

Woad

Woad has a huge taproot making it very hard to be rid of, in many parts of the world it is considered too invasive to be planted. Sow seeds thinly in March , cover lightly with soil and keep moist. Woad likes nitrogen so needs fertilizing. Harvest from July- September. Old leaves that have more of a blueish tinge will not dye well, so discard these and only use fresh leaves. Once ready to dye with, you need to add boiling water and alkali to extract the dye- it will go from green to blue once exposed to oxygen.