Seeds sprouting in fall! Help!

[Chicken❤️er]

So I uhm..think I made a rookie mistake and planted my wildflower seeds too early. My grandmother told me about two weeks ago that it was the prime season for planting. It was just getting cold, but then we had a heat wave with temps in the 80s a couple of days ago, as well as frequent rains. My seeds have sprouted before frost and winter, and I don’t know what to do! Is there anything I can do to save them, or do I just have to let nature run its course? I’d hate to waste so much seed and effort!

Here are some photos of how far along they are:

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It depends on what species of plants are sprouting and at what stage of growth they are in.
Your grandmother is right that wildflowers normally should be planted in the fall and they may go dormant only to return in the spring.
Most wildflowers will drop their seeds after flowers mature and dry out. They then return the next year.
Where are you located?

 

[Chicken❤️er]

I’m in mid to north Virginia, so the winters are usually from January to March. There hasn’t been a frost yet, but this spring’s wildflowers have already pooped out and dropped their seeds. I planted the same exact mix (zinnia, African marigold, cosmos, Chinese forget-me-nots) but we got hit with a unpredicted heat wave (thanks, climate change) so then the sprouts came up.

 

[Chicken❤️er]

My family suggested mulching the beds, would that just kill them? I’m trying to find a way to make them go back into the ground, but don’t know if that’s possible.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

They probably won’t make it all of those sound like frost tender annuals.... It would probably be best to wait and replant in spring. If you are in zone 8b or higher you could try covering when there’s a frost or freeze.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

My family suggested mulching the beds, would that just kill them? I’m trying to find a way to make them go back into the ground, but don’t know if that’s possible.

Nope once they have sprouted there isn’t anything to do they will grow or die but they can’t unsprout.

 

[Trisseh]

Floating row covers or a cold frame maybe? They’ll still grow though, no matter what you do at this point... I know around here, if I planted anything on this timeline I would for sure kill it, even if I covered it, but I’m in zone 3b so probably a bit colder than where you are. Lol.

*ETA: autocorrect fail said I was in “some 3b” haha.