So I decided to plant some lily of the valley seeds this year because they look so dang pretty in my neighbor’s yard. Totally winged it at first – big mistake. Grabbed a packet from the gardening store last summer and just shoved ’em in dirt right then. Nothing happened for weeks. Just dead dirt. Felt like an idiot watering bare soil.
My First Disaster Attempt
After that flop, I actually bothered to ask around. My grandma laughed at me when I told her I planted in July. She’s been gardening since the dinosaurs roamed or something. Said these stubborn little seeds need cold to wake up, like a winter nap. Who knew?
The Do-Over Plan
Decided to try again properly this time. Here’s exactly what I did:
- Step 1: Waited till late fall when temps dropped near freezing. Picked a nasty rainy November day because I read damp helps.
- Step 2: Chucked seeds in a plastic bag with damp sand, threw it in the back of my fridge. Forgot about it for like 2 months – accidentally perfect.
- Step 3: Dug up my crappy summer patch in early March. Mixed in a bunch of compost that smelled like a swamp. Didn’t measure anything, just dumped it in.
- Step 4: Scattered the fridge seeds over the dirt like birdseed. Covered ’em with like half an inch of soil cause I’m paranoid after last time.
The Waiting Game (Again)
Watered it whenever I remembered. Honestly expected nothing. Then boom – around late April these tiny green spikes started poking through. Felt like winning the lottery when the first bell-shaped flower showed up in May. Whole area smells like a perfume counter now.
What Actually Works
Turns out timing’s everything with these suckers:
- Plant seeds late fall to early winter right before freeze hits
- Or fake winter in your fridge for 60+ days if you miss the window
- Don’t bury seeds deep – they’re lazy little jerks
- Stop stressing if nothing happens till spring – mine took 7 months!
Seriously thought I killed ’em twice. Now they’re growing like weeds near my compost heap. Moral of the story? Don’t be like me – plant when it’s freezing cold outside or trick ’em in your fridge.