Propagation: Starting seeds, Part 4, 0 by Pfg

Pfg wrote:
I did exactly that year before last with 2 types of Aquilegia and Eryngium Miss Willmott's Ghost. Nothing came up. I even left the box out in the garden all year, and this spring there is still nothing. I thought maybe it dried out at some point after germination and seedlings died, but since we're not there for 4 months there's no way to know.

I used the type of box in the pic, the same ones I use for spring sowing. About 2 or 3" of potting soil, then another inch or 2 of seed starting soil on top, and left it on the north side of the house in shelter but open to the elements. The box has plenty of drainage holes (I use a soldering iron) and holes for venting on top. Both top and bottom are lined with Reemay to keep out slugs and other undesirables.

I thought I'd try sowing in containers in the stand, then plant the seedlings in the cold frame for the winter. I wouldn't leave anything in the stand once we leave. There would be no way to make sure of watering, for one thing. BTW, the pots don't disintegrate over the winter. I leave lots of things in them in a back area of the garden, usually small divisions of plants I don't want to lose track of, like single daylily or iris fans for instance.