Propagation: Has anyone started their Winter Sowing?, 1 by PVick

PVick wrote:
Hi, Julie! Found your post in the coleus thread .....

This will be my fourth year of wintersowing - and yes, it has been tremendously successful for me! To say that the whole process has become an obsession might be putting it lightly (that's another thread. LOL!).

I've used all kinds of containers through the years: reusable plastic food containers, yogurt cups, cell packs, aluminum pans, plastic cups, etc., etc., etc. - anything that could hold at least 2"-3" of soil, and handle a cover or be slipped into a plastic bag. Everything gets drainage slits on the bottoms, air holes in the tops (plastic bags, too); sow the flats/containers, cover them, sit them outside and basically forget them.

Lots of folks like the milk jugs and they work fine. I just don't use them; mainly because I don't buy them, but also because I'm gardening on a much smaller scale than most. My garden is a 20'x6' urban aerie - an 11th floor balcony. ALL my gardening is done in containers.

Doesn't stop me from trying to grow every seed I can get my mitts on!

I use packaged soil mixes - like Miracle-Gro, Schultz, Scott's, etc. But some people do mix their own. I think the important thing is that the soil mix be well-draining; you'd want to stay away from any kind of soil that becomes concrete as it dries.

Julie - if I told you how many different seeds I have used, you would think I was absolutely out of my mind! I will try to grow anything - anything at all. Most of the stuff I cannot possibly keep, but I have a network of friends who are more than happy to take the excess. They've now taken to giving me their "orders", since they know I start sowing in January. No problem by me - that way I get to sow seeds to my heart's content, knowing that the plants will have homes. This is what I've sown so far this year:

Coneflower - "White Swan", "Hula Skirts", purple
Johnny-Jump-Ups
Clematis - "Duchess of Edinburgh", unknown burgundy
Columbine - "Nora Barlow", purple "Double Pleat"
Lupines - Russell Mix
Jacob's Ladder
Helleborus Niger

I'm not really sure what I want to sow this year - I got serious about perennials for myself the last couple of years, and I'm hoping to overwinter them more successfully this year. So I'm looking forward to some repeat performers and I won't *need* that much (yeah, right). It's all still a learning process for me.

Everything I sow is an experiment. I've been a houseplant grower forever, but I only started gardening on the balcony in 2001. Found the Winter Sowing forum over at GardenWeb that fall, and I've been a seed-growing freak since then. If it strikes my eye, I want to grow it - and a LOT of plants strike my eye! There are sooooo many different plants!

You should check out the WS forum at GW - very busy now and lots of good info: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/wtrsow/

There is also a thread started here at Dave's about winter sowing of annuals: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/475946/

And (to crow a bit) take a look at this "retrospective" of my pre- and post-WS gardens: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wtrsow/gal011125301...

Below is a small sampling of what I've used for containers; nowadays, I use mostly 4" transplant pots and 12-16 oz. plastic drink cups.

I'd say you are going to love this winter sowing thing - and believe me, you will have an over-over-abundance of plants come spring!!

Looking forward to see what you are going to sow ....

PV