Wintersowing 2009-2010

Janet, did you see the photo above of Han and his brother Luke? Lukie came to play last weekend. It was fun - we had two others so four collies in the backyard. Will Dmail you soon!
Cynthia

I use a wood burning tool to cut the jugs in half & to make the holes in the bottom. Super fast & easy.

ants

if you are sowing a smaller amount of seeds, you can use plastic bags. i read it in the WS thread last year and it worked pretty well. Also, Dave did a video a few years ago about using newspaper as container and you can just plant that right into the ground. very cool.

Can I join in on this thread,please.

I hoping it warms up enough today so I can start WS my poppies,larkspurs and a few others. I'm using paper mache egg cartoons for the poppies,larkspurs and other that don't like root disturbance. They work just as well as peat pots for plants that don't need a long growing period and can be planted just like the peat pots.

Peggy...I get mistaken for a guy too because of the screen name.

The Starbucks in Nutley, NJ bags the grounds up in big bags to give away. He grabs them when takes his mother there, her favorite treat. I suspect that a worker at your Starbucks is a gardener!

can anyone tell me what to ws in my zone thanks for any help

sissy... you really should have trouble winter sowing anything.

browse this site for more information.

http://wintersown.org/

Sissy, I think tcs meant you shouldn't have trouble winter sowing anything.

LOL....thanks Neil... good catch.

sissy you would NOT have any troubles.

LOL

thank you guys sure have been a big help
sissy

Sissy: Also be sure to read the sticky notes at the top of this forum. Great information there for first timers, which is what I was last year. I love winter sowing! It really works.

I'm ready...when do we start? :)

dennist
Yesterday*S*...at least I did.

I'll be starting in Jan. Last year I started some in Dec. and it was too much to deal with until after Christmas, so I'm waiting 'til later this year. Think I'll try throwing a few Meconopsis directly on the ground where they're to grow and see how they do. I tried WSing them last year. They sprouted but then fizzled out. I think I didn't get them transplanted quickly enough and they got too hot. Also going to do some larkspur like this.

I'd loved to do the blue poppies but it gets hot to soon for them here. Tried seeds once ...nothing.

I tried Meconopsis a couple of times, but I'm thinking we southerners may have to content ourselves with the gorgeous pics from northern gardens. Its one of the few plants that makes me envy colder regions, LOL.

Sissy, I live in the same zone as you and also have a lot of questions.

One I have is when to do it? I'm thinking in February ,especially for hardy annuals.But should I do perennials sooner?Is this even right for annuals?

Viola... you and I are almost in the same zone. Perennials you can do anytime - after the holidays. I do mine Mid-Jan to Mid-Feb... or when ever i have time.

tenders a bit later than that. March or so.
I've done hardy annuals in Feb... some got 'nipped' one year when we had warmer weather then a month later we had a hard frost in April. so you have to be careful ...i just covered them with a heavy blanket to protect the seedlings.

the annuals would be things like snapdragons, zinnias?

yes... marigolds, cosmos too. Cosmos were some of the babies i lost that frost we had. OH and morning glories.. but i had so many of those, that losing a few didnt effect me.

I haven't gotten to the point where i divide my tender annuals and hardy annuals... I dont think i'm that knowledgeable yet. I just treat the Perennials and annuals as such.. and do the annuals later.

Would sweet peas benefit from being winter sown or would they do better just sown where they are to grow?

I am collecting soda bottles and asked the neighbor to save soda bottles and milk jugs. I have been baking batches of potting soil after my cookies - odd but energy efficient-and filling my containers. Got my paint pens and seeds at the ready! Time will tell come spring!

I sow hardy perennials and hardy annuals in winter. Many HAs like poppies, larkspur, and bachelor volunteers sprout in my flower beds and stay green all winter, unfazed by winter weather, even below zero temps. My beds are now covered in larkspur and nigella seedlings, an inch tall, though we had 15 degrees this week.

Snaps are another that are very cold tolerant for me. Most last several years for me, overwintering with no protection. If sowing in a jug, I do those in winter.

Karen

Reading back in this thread several posts mentioned bad soil in their beds and around their houses. If you have hard clay type soil, try mixing in some washed mason sand, You can get it at a building supply yard. A place that sells sand and gravel. make sure that it's washed, otherwise it has too much salt in it, that's bad for your plants. It's cheap, too. usually about 22.00/ton. I have use it for years in my vegetable gardens and flower beds. Mix in organic matter as it's available and soon you'll have beautiful soil.

Muck: Won't you get bricks if you mix clay and sand? Down here, the county agents tell us not to mix sand with our clay.

Hello all,
I'm new to winter sowing. I am trying some seeds outside in various types of containers. I have read all the information I could get my hands on for wqinter sowing. However, I don't remember the issue of the drainage holes being addressed. How large should the drainage and vet hole be? Are slits sufficient or should I actually drill holes?

I use a knife, and just stab and twist 4 or 5 times. That way its a bit more of an opening that just the slit, and not as likely to get plugged.

hey Neil.... great minds think alike... I do the same thing.

Ok, thanks! On the 2 liter pop bottles and the plastic milk jugs, do you just leave the top off for vent holes or do you make slits in those too?

diamond... leave lids on. I'll see if i can find a image or two for you.... other containers already have 1 big hole in the 'roof' ... that will be enough until it gets warmer and you can take the lids off. [sometimes temporarily]

well, i knew Karen would have an image of the 2 Ltr.... looks like she puts little slits in the top half too
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4578059

Here's a good page on Wintersown.org of various container ideas....
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Photo_Share.html

I never use the screw on cap on 2 liters or milk jugs. I throw them away immediately when I get jugs, I don't even save them. Therefore additional slits it the roof aren't necessary. I just find it easier to do it when I initially prep jugs (if I remember), then it's easier to poke something, anything, in and gouge it to enlarge holes. If my seedlings are going to be on the edge of "too hot or too cool" I want it to be cool. In spring, as the sun warms, the sun here can quickly heat a jug like a furnace.

I also only use 1 or 2 strips of duct tape vertically to close milk jugs so there are big gaping gaps there for air flow too. I like to breathe, I figure the plants do, too.

Karen

Thanks, from the pictures it looks like there are holes in the top of the containers. If it works for you all then hopefully, it will work for me. You all make it sounds so easy that I'm seriously thinking that I cannot mess this up, but I know I will LoL.

Diamond... I have never put holes in the tops of containers, unless they were like Deli containers... like #2 potato salad... then i put holes. But milk, OJ, H&H... anything that has a "cap" ... you just toss the cap, like Karen mentioned, and that can be your hole.

here is another example.. here, you can see the big yogurt and sour cream type containers.. I'll do the same with the deli with lids... I cut holes in these tops ... problem is, the holes are not visible... I'll have to see if i can find a better image.

I got it now. Every container has drainage and ventilation holes, but a prexisting openings at the top will suffice. I have some food containers that fit right in with what you all have used. I appreciate the pictures and the prompt responses. I am so excited about learning something new in winter sowing! I have been starting seeds inside under grow lights for a few years. I have had some success but quite a bit of failure. I think I became so attached to the seeds that made that I was half afraid to put them outside. They felt like my own children! LoL

It sounds like you have much more successful plants when they are winter sown. At each phase of indoor sowing you had to expect to lose some plants. Hopefully, I will have some pictures soon of healthy seedlings. When do you usually see seedlings? Does the germination usually take place in the spring? Is that when I should keep a close eye and provide more ventilation or remove the lids, altogether?

it all depends on the weather.

my first year, 2007, we had a warm Feb/march -- warm enough for germination.. i had a ton of seedlings.. then came 20° days and below zero nights... lost a few seedlings on that one... but i did cover them with a big blanket at night, then uncovered during the day - when they got a bit of sun warmth... that lasted about 4 days.

the hardiest of the seeds will usually germinate first... you can I are in the same zone, only 1 state away, so our weather is similar.

I'd start peeking mid-March or so, by April you should have quite a few... when the sun is really warming things up, check the containers, you may have to open the lids [but dont cut them off just yet] so the babies don't cook. Usually by May I've cut the lids off.

and for watering.... this usually isn't an issue until May-ish ... when the sold looks pretty parched... give them a drink.

So at what point do you remove the seedlings from th WS vessel 2 plant into their permanent home (either planters or flowerbeds)?