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Seed packets are widely available at local garden centers, national garden store chains and online seed distributors. To ensure you are purchasing fresh seeds, check the date stamp on each seed packet. Buy seeds in bulk. Some garden centers offer seeds in bulk, which can be less expensive than seed packets. Before purchasing bulk seeds, be sure you have a large area to plant all of the seeds because they cannot be stored for future growing seasons. The category of the annual will determine when and where to start the seeds. Some annuals can be seeded directly into garden soil, while others should be started indoors. Consult the seed packets or seed catalogs to determine how hardy the annual is.  Select hardy annual seeds that can be sown directly in an outdoor garden. Plant hardy annual seeds in early- to mid- spring, as soon as the soil is ready for planting. Hardy annuals include spider flower, bachelor's buttons, pinks, calendula, larkspur, nigella, snapdragons, baby's breath, pincushion flower and heliotrope. Choose half-hardy annual seeds than can be planted outdoors after the threat of hard frost has passed. Half-hardy annuals can withstand a light frost, but temperatures should not dip below 25 degrees F (3.89 degrees C). Some examples of half-hardy annuals include painted tongue, statice, China aster, nicotiana, chrysanthemum and salvia. Start tender annuals indoors or after the threat of all frost. If starting the seeds indoors, start the seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Otherwise, seeds can be sown directly into the ground in late spring or early summer when the nighttime temperature stays above 40 degrees F (4.44 degrees C). Tender annuals include cosmos, morning glories, marigold, zinnias, celosia, sunflowers and amaranth. Many annual seeds germinate in 4 to 7 days, but some can take 3 to 4 weeks. Most annual seeds germinate in darkness, but others may require special lighting. Some seeds, such as morning glories and lupines, have hard seed coats that need to be soaked prior to planting. Research the germination requirements for your annual seeds before planting them. Some annual seeds need stratification or pre chilling to germinate. These have a mechanism that keeps the seed from sprouting in winter by accident. Place seeds in plastic Ziploc bag add damp soil or peat moss and place in a refrigerator for 1 week to 3 months depending on species then plant. These can also be planted fall or early spring to let nature do this.     {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Grow-Annuals-From-Seed-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Annuals-From-Seed-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Grow-Annuals-From-Seed-Step-4.jpg\/aid2005375-v4-728px-Grow-Annuals-From-Seed-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

Summary:
Purchase seeds at a garden store. Determine whether the seeds are hardy annuals, half-hardy annuals or tender annuals. Determine the germination requirements.