A. Annual poppies such as California or Shirley poppies are simple to grow. Scatter the seeds over bare soil in full sun in late fall. Dragging a rake over the seed bed will provide adequate preparation for the seed. When seeding a large area, mix the tiny seeds with sand to facilitate even sowing. Keep the seed bed moist.
Germination occurs in about a week.
Poppies will self sow if allowed to go to seed, so you may only have to plant them once. On the other hand, they will bloom more profusely and for a longer period if you remove old flowers when they drop their petals. Volunteers can be transplanted to suitable locations if you dig them carefully when they are small, taking a full spade of soil to protect their roots. Space them about one foot apart.