There’s a craze taking place in the poppy planting world right now. And it’s aimed at a plant with all the punctuality and temperament of Mariah Carey. Enter the craze: embedding poppy seeds into ice cubes.
Poppies: move them and they'll die just to make a point. Try to arrange them and they squiggle their way to wherever they want to be. They don't care what you want. They're poppies.
I'm not exactly a stranger to strong-willed plants. I'm quite famous for having tamed the luffah plant in Zone 6. I go for old time methods over new hacks and tricks. But I've always had a hard time being the boss of poppies.
I successfully grew them once but never again. These are all poppies that have reseeded themselves year after year. In my potato bed.
When I noticed the poppy planting portion of the Internet blathering about this technique I thought it at least seemed kind of fun even if it didn't work. But I think it might because ... it makes sense.
Why Ice Cubes Might Actually Work
- Natural stratification shortcut. Poppies like cold to germinate well. This method tricks them into thinking they've had a proper winter nap.
- Tiny seeds, big drama. Poppy seeds need light to germinate. Freezing them into the top layer of ice keeps them surface-sown without accidentally burying them.
- Precise seed spacing. Ice cubes act like pre-measured plant pills. You won’t end up with one square inch of garden housing 478 seedlings.
- Slow melt = better contact. As the cube melts, it gently pulls the seeds into the soil.
I stomped my poppysicles into the ground on March 26th. Here's how I did it and how you can too.
The Step-by-Step: Freezing Poppies into Ice Cubes
STEP 1
STEP 2
Fill your tray with water & freeze.
Just regular tap water. You're not making glacial cocktails.
Sprinkle seeds onto each cube.
I used: Iceland, white breadseed, Shirley grey, and double poppies.
STEP 3
STEP 4
Add a few drops of water on top.
Use an eyedropper to just coat the seeds.
Refreeze.
The seed layer gets locked in like botanical fossils. It doesn't matter how long they stay in the freezer.*
STEP 5
STEP 6
Planting
When the ground is still cold but not frozen you can plant. Use your foot to press them into the ground until the top of the ice cube is level with the soil.
Sprouting
Poppies germinate in 7–30 days depending on soil temp. Thin seedlings once they look like tiny umbrellas. ☂ Mine look less like umbrellas than they do alyssum seedlings that are sprouting up. I'll keep you updated over the next few weeks.
COLD STRATIFICATION
Some seeds benefit from a period of cold before planting. When you bring them into the warmth again it tells the seeds “Hey, winter’s over. You may proceed.” And then they sprout. Poppies don't need cold stratification but they benefit from it.
* Freezing the poppy seeds in ice cubes gets you stronger sprouts and more synchronized germination. Because cold isn't required for poppies to sprout it doesn't matter how long they sit around in the freezer. Overnight is fine. A week is fine. A month is fine. 3 months is fine. It doesn't matter.
For poppies, any cold stratification helps with even, predictable germination and sprouting.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
You can browse this list of the most popular plants that either need or benefit from cold stratification.
I'll update you on how things go with the ice cube plantings. Poppies really are the Mariah Carey, full sequin-glam, 5-octave-range, late arriving (if they arrive at all) diva of the flower world. If this technique turns them into more of a devil-may-care Billie Eilish bloom then we have won.
Silly question?
Plant the ice cube seed side up or down? Thanks.
Seed side up Beth! :) ~ karen!
Would this work for other seeds that need stratification? Or is it only for tiny seeds?
Hi Mary, Near the end of the post there's a link to my post that lists other seeds that work well with cold stratification.
Hi Karen. What a great idea. I finally got poppies to grow after buying them potted up. But only for 2 years - & that was years ago. As hard as I tried to grow them by seed - it didn't work. This year I found some roots at Wal Mart & bought them but I also bought a package of seeds too. Even the seeds are hard to find in the stores. I think I'm going to order some of the Mother of Pearl seeds. I'll be trying all of the seeds this way. Good luck to all of us Poppy lovers. Thanks for all your great ideas.
Fingers crossed it actually works! ~ karen
Brilliant. Hoping this works with my stubborn Lupines as well. Did you happen to post a link to where you buy your seeds? I have had success watching my eyelashes grow, if not as much enticing owls to the lovely home I have provided, so I like to shop where you endorse.
I am excited to stomp some ice cubes into our barely unfrozen New Hampshire soil - It snowed yesterday 😒 Bean is hibernating under my desk in solidarity with Philip until Spring springs.
Philip's favourite spot is under the desk while I work but he hasn't really fit under there since he was a puppy so it's a bit squished. I actually buy/get my seeds from all over the place. Not a single place.Plus I buy mostly from Canadian suppliers, but in the US I sometimes use Johnny's Select Seeds and Baker Creek. Floret for flower seeds when she's selling. ~ karen!
Genius. I can say no more. OK, I can. I have some gifted (from the local Library) blue bread poppies , “that only sprout in the dark”, now not sprouting. How is it possible that it’s 2025 and such differing instructions exist about a plant that occasionally but unpredictably self-seeds.
I love this new approach.
How’s Philip? Cold paws? And the owls?
Over and out. Hope this is the last hard frost, but the sun is shining so all’s good (a lie).
Hi Terry! Don't get too excited until I see that it actually works. Seems promising though! Philip is sick of winter as am I. So we're both hibernating until it's safe to come out. The owls!! In true owl form, the owls have not been back since I announced The Snack Snack was live. I have a feeling that owl eggs are hatching nearby and Mr. Snacks is with Mrs. Snacks full time. He'll be back (hopefully) eventually. ~ karen!
Do you think this method would also work for lupine?
Hi Sue. Lupine seeds would be a great choice to try. They should work well with this method. :) ~ karen!
What a relief to find out I am not the only person in the world that cannot grow poppies from seed!
I am definitely going to try this at home.
Thank you so much:-)
I can't wait to see how successful it is (or isn't). ~ karen!
Hi Karen,
Do you think this method would using big pots, instead of putting the cubes directly in the ground? I live in the high desert of SE Arizona and the soil sucks, plus I have to put down landscape fabric in my courtyard to keep things out that want to poke you to death 🤣!
Thank you, Anne
Hi Anne! The method itself should work fine in pots! But it's gardening so you never know until you try. So try it! I've never done it, but technically there's no reason it shouldn't work. Poppies like to grow in cool weather so get them planted when it's still relatively cool out. I'd like to see photos of this experiment later please. :) ~ karen!
Brilliant! I wonder what other seeds would work using the same technique? Time for the mad garden scientist to experiment 🧐
I am going to experiment with carrots. Same issue as poppies for getting 437/inch. This method might work for them and help with “watering in”
Hi Allyson. When carrots don't germinate it's because they haven't had consistent moisture while trying to sprout. And that happens a LOT. What you can do is start carrot seeds in a big pot or bucket so you can really monitor the moisture every day until they sprout. Then you carefully transplant them making sure the roots are not bent at all when planting. OR you can water your growing bed so it's damp, plant the carrot seeds, then cover the bed with wood or burlap to trap the moisture inside and keep the sun away (which dries out the soil). In about 7 days check under the boards. As soon as you see sprouting you can remove the boards and give your new carrots some sun. ~ karen!