Seed Savvy re: time

Does anyone know if seeds have little genetic timetables in them? For instance, it is still warm here and I have some dill seed from recently picked dill. Is there anything preventing it from sprouting now instead of waiting til Spring assuming the weather factors line up?

I'm not sure but I did find this in my search for info. Herb of the Year 2010

Hi,
The answer to your "do seeds have an internal timer" is mixed. Some seeds need cold or lots of wet to germinate. Those seeds will usually do just fine over wintering in the garden. Some seeds are sensitive to cold and will die. If you have plants which are tropical and do not like the cold they may sprout right away. Here are some examples... Impatient plants will over winter in a mild climate (Virginia on the coast but not in Michigan) Balsam have been sprouting left, right and center (I will let you know in the spring if they survived) Bronze fennel will wait until spring, marigolds and zinnias will wait until spring and I have had a beans and orange cosmos do both. I would guess that dill will overwinter, as herbs are pretty hardy but I do not know. It is too hot to grow dill here. I hope this helps a little bit. Happy seed collecting.

Patty in Yorktown

If you are starting them in pots, why don't you do an experiment. Plant up one and just put it outside or on the windowsill. Put the other in the fridge in a plastic bag for a week or so and then try it. I know that if dill goes to seed in the garden it comes up all over the place for years after.

GK