Winter planting - milkweed and perennial seed

Thanks to Nancy Mast for the photo.

Many of our members collect milkweed seeds from a variety of milkweed as well as seeds from native perennial plants that provide nectar for monarch butterflies and other insects (such as new england aster, liatris, coneflowers, bee balm, ironweed, etc.).  They also save seed from beneficial annual plants to replant in the spring.

Milkweed and many perennial seeds can be directly planted in the ground in late October or November, after the soil temperature is below 50 degrees. The Iowa State Extension publishes soil temperatures at
http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/soiltemphistory.html

Ground temperatures in Iowa are now (October 12th) under or near 50 degrees, so it is time to think about winter planting either in the ground or in containers.

In the spring when conditions are right, the seeds should sprout and grow. What could be easier? There is no need to cold-stratify the seed.  Mother Nature does it for you!

Please click to read more about winter planting!
https://monarchsineasterniowa.blogspot.com/2016/11/winter-sowing.html

STRATIFICATION

If you don't winter-plant your milkweed or perennial seed and are saving it for spring, or saving it to share with others, you will need to cold-stratify them (put them through a period of cold).  Click on this link from Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin for a good explanation of various methods of stratification as well as a chart showing many plants and what treatment they need.
https://www.prairienursery.com/resources-and-guides/seeds-and-seed-mixes/documents/seed-propagation.pdf

For a list of Monarch Nectar Plants, see the Xerces Society chart (scroll down)
http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Midwest_Monarch_Plant_List_spread.pdf