Hoop House Zinnias

For the past four or five years we have grown a crop of zinnias in a hoop house. We plant in April, allowing the plants to get a head start.  I planted three rows of sunbows, which is a miniature zinnia (on right) and three rows of Johnny's giant dahlias (on left). The zinnias are starting to take off! 

The key to picking zinnias is making sure they a have strong stem, otherwise they will bend if you are not careful with handling. Before I pick a zinnia, I always wiggle the stem close to the flower head. If it is sturdy I pick it, if not, I wait a few more days.