Planting Stock
Stock is a cool season flower in the Brassicaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
Stock is started indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost date, giving seedlings a head start before they move outside.
Transplant young plants outdoors 1–3 weeks before your last frost — Stock tolerates cool conditions and benefits from an early start.
Stock can be grown by starting indoors and transplanting. Starting indoors gives the longest, most controlled season, while direct sowing is simplest where the season is long enough.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Stock room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 6 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 8 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 3 |
| Planting depth | 0.125 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Days to Maturity
Stock reaches maturity in 90–110 days from transplant.
Stock is ready to harvest after about 100 days. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.
Conditions and Care
As a cool-season flower, Stock does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is half-hardy — it withstands light frost but should be protected from a hard freeze.
Stock needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 0.125 inches deep — small seed is sown shallow and barely covered, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Stock belongs to the Brassicaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Stock is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.
Growing Notes
Fragrant cool-season cut flower.