Takes a light frost. Start indoors 6 to 10 weeks before your last frost; plant out up to 3 weeks before your last frost. First blooms 91 to 105 days from sowing.
Full sun to part shadeSome afternoon shade is fine
4–12 in apartRows 8 in
91–105 daysTo first bloom
1–2 in a weekEven watering
Half-hardyTakes a light frost
Your dates
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest snapdragons where you live, from your own frost dates.
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From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–3
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 6–8
BudsFlower buds showWeek 10–12
BloomIn full flowerWeek 13–15
Keep cuttingCut often for moreWeek 13–16
How to plant and grow
Start seeds indoors
Sow 6 to 10 weeks before your last frost. Press seed onto the mix without covering, since it needs light. Seedlings appear in one to three weeks.
Plant out early
Snapdragons take a light frost and like cool weather. Harden off and set plants out in early spring while the soil is still cool.
Pinch for more stems
When plants have 5 or 6 sets of leaves, pinch back to 3 or 4. Pinched plants bloom a little later but give many more stems.
Space and trellis
Set pinched plants about 9 inches apart and single-stem plants about 4 inches apart. A taut mesh trellis over the bed keeps tall stems straight.
Water steadily
Give 1 to 2 inches of water a week. Drip lines keep water off leaves and flowers, which helps hold off disease.
Cut a third open
Harvest in the cool of the day when the lowest third of the florets are open. Keep cut stems upright, or the tips bend upward.
Sow again for more
Sow a new tray every three weeks for a steady supply. Plants slow in midsummer heat and pick up again as fall cools.
Common problems
Photo: “Puccinia menthae a1 (2)” by Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
RustDisease
What you'll see: Orange to rusty-brown powdery bumps on leaves and stems, turning black late in the season. Badly hit plants yellow and drop leaves.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties.
Clear and destroy infected tops and debris after harvest, including asparagus ferns in fall, and remove wild asparagus nearby.
Water at the base and avoid crowding.
Organic options
Sulfur, started when rust first shows.
Conventional options
Myclobutanil or propiconazole, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Powdery mildew 9” by Dmitry Brant, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Powdery mildewDisease
What you'll see: White, powdery patches on the tops of leaves and on stems. Leaves yellow and dry, and fruit may ripen poorly.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties.
Give plants sun and space for air flow.
Remove badly infected leaves, and clear debris after harvest.
Organic options
Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate, from the first spots. Sulfur can burn some vine crops in heat, and never use it near an oil spray.
Neem oil. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Myclobutanil or propiconazole, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Root rotDiseaseNo spray helps
What you'll see: Plants yellow, wilt and die back even though the soil is wet. Roots are brown, soft and few, and bean seedlings may rot at the soil line.
Prevent
Plant in well-drained soil; grow raspberries on beds raised about a foot.
Do not overwater.
Plant beans and peas in a new spot each year, and sow them only once the soil has warmed.
Start with healthy plants, and do not move soil from a sick bed to a healthy one.
Organic options
Remove and dispose of dying plants and clear crop debris after harvest.
Conventional options
None. Fungicides have not proven effective in home gardens; drainage is the fix.
Avoid broad insecticides; they kill mite predators and can start an outbreak.
Organic options
Hose leaf undersides hard, often.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Release predatory mites once pest mites are present.
Conventional options
Same as organic. Broad insecticides often make mites worse.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
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Sow
Sprout
Thin or plant out
Buds
Bloom
Keep cutting
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