You could sow this way, some people do get self-seeding from Impatiens, but you wouldn't get very good germination rates. Hybrid Impatiens like constant warmth and humidity to germinate. You shouldn't expect successful germination until soil temperatures get very warm. I would recommend not trying this unless you can afford to lose a lot of seed.

Hi, Karen!

Karen, if you're going to order from Park, and you don't want to mess with 'flats'....consider buying the Park Starts. Impatiens germinated with the little greenhouse plastic tops on these are kept warm fairly easily, and impatiens germinate and grow easily in them, then pop right out for planting. I've used them with success with a number of species. (Even campanulas!) Warmth during germination is the key.....and he price isn't bad for a set of 3 park starts. Good luck!

I direct ws impatient seeds and have very good luck. However, they do not germinate until the weather warms. I have some seedlings now from February sowing. Impatients are fairly good self sowers.

This might not be completely relevant since these are volunteers, but I have what appear to be two young impatiens growing in a left over pot. The pot was full of torenia last year, and I started watering it consistently a few weeks ago to see if another generation of torenia seedlings would spring to life (had reseeding in the second half of the season last year). Lots of little green things started growing, including some plantlets from the baskets that had been hanging above the pot last year. To my surprise, two larger plants developed, and they look just like impatiens, complete with developing flower buds. The only problem is, I have no idea where the seeds came from, lol! There is a slight possibility that this pot spent a week or two sitting under a basket of impatiens that eventually got moved to my more shaded back porch, but that would have been more than a year ago.

So I guess germination rates might not be very high or reliable with direct sowing, but these little suckers can show up in the darndest places.

Impatiens can throw seeds quite a way so they could have come from several feet away.