Not edible
Leaves contain calcium oxalate - do not eat them raw or in quantity.
Garden Balsam
Impatiens balsamina
Start garden balsam indoors 6 weeks before your last spring frost, then plant out 1 week after your last spring frost. Space plants 12 in (30 cm) apart.
Photo: Pkgmohan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended- Start indoors6 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening offaround your last spring frost
- Plant out1 week after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after sowing
Optimal Direct Sow
From seed- Sow outdoors1 week after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after sowing
Growing garden balsam
- Spacing in the row
- 12 in (30 cm)
- Between rows
- 18 in (46 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/8 inch or less; cover only lightly
- Sun
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil
- Rich, loose, moist, well-drained
- Germination
- 8-15 days at 60-75°F
- Harvest season
- Summer to Frost
- Mature height
- 1-2.5 feet
- Life cycle
- Annual
Sow shallowly, barely covered, at about 70F and keep evenly moist; plant out after frost.
Watering. Keep the soil consistently moist - it has low drought tolerance. Water at the soil, not overhead, to limit powdery mildew.
Feeding
- How often
- Every 4 weeks during active growth. Use a balanced feed at half strength, starting a month after transplanting; in rich soil it may need little, and pots need feeding more often.
Your garden balsam, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.