What have you tried?

I found this wonderful info. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7184334 From what she says, she just plants her seeds where she wants them to grow and covers them with a jug. Anyway, it makes for great reading and it sounds easy enough for this newbee. Of course, I have 2 acres and I can always paint the outside of jugs with translucent paint to try to hide the ugly. LOL

This link is also on that thread. http://tomclothier.hort.net/index.html

This message was edited Dec 7, 2009 8:05 AM

ah - yes, i love Clotheir's site. great seed info.

boy -- havent seen scicci in quiet some time.... wonder where she's been.

tcs--Thanks for your picture of your cardboard boxes. Really helpful. Besides wind, we get scads of rain in the spring. I'll try to find really sturdy ones. Thanks

There are waxed boxes for something, can't remember what now, maybe fruit? Those would last a while.

here was my Rubbermaid tub with holes drilled... i filled it with nursery pots. Most did pretty well. I should have put more holes in the lid though... some areas were quite dry and I had to water a lot in the spring.

Wonder if I could use my 4" cow pots in a plastic tub like that...they may be too small and dry out too fast though....1/2 gal and 2 L containers I think will work best for me I think:)

Great photos tcs1366!!

I only did one container last winter. It was cosmos. They grew like crazy and got _huge_ in the yard after transplant.
I also did a bunch of direct sow and planting of perennial seedlings with just the top of the jug over them (pressed into the ground an inch or so). For this I did coreopsis from seed and a couple of different agastaches & sedum from small seedling plants I bought at an end of season sale, along with some small divisions of linum/blue flax. They all did fantastic. I did have to water a bit when it got warmer in early spring. We're pretty dry here.

we get chicken in waxed boxes where I work there nice thick ones I'm going to get some of them I bet if you ask at your markets they would have some too ;0)
Gloria

The strongest boxes are the waxed ones bananas come in. Every produce dept has them, if you can get them to give them to you.

I don't know about other stores we have to save our banana boxes for returns to the grocery co.
Gloria

Well, being new to seeds this year, I took an extra long time to look up all the ones that I ordered to make sure they were either sown in spring after last frost or sow outdoors in fall. Because Summerhill's does not give that info to order by. I really didn't want to start any indoors. I based my selections on info in Plant files, Renee's Garden Seeds, Parks Seeds and Thomas Seeds. I confirmed each finding to at least one or two others, to make sure. But much to my dismay, none of the instructions on Summerhill's seed packs match those that I found in my research before hand. Almost everyone of the 31 packs I purchased have these instructions : Sow in moist potting mix keep at 68-72 degrees and bright light. Transplant to 3" pots when .... etc

Now I'm really confused. What to do?

This is my list
Can anyone tell me there experience with these different ones on wintersowing.

Alcea Hollyhock Summer Carnival
Arctotis Grandis, white
Asarina scandens 'Sky Blue'
Clitoria, Blue ternatea
Cosmos Cutesy Mix
Cosmos 'Double Click'
Crape Myrtle Little Chief MIx
Dahlia Figaro Red NEW FOR 2009
Dianthus Valentine NEW FOR 2009
Echinacea 'Double Decker'
Flying Saucers Morning Glory
Geranium Pinto Quicksilver
Geranium Ringo Rose Star
Geranium Tornado Fuchsia
Hibiscus mutabilis 'Confederate
Hibiscus 'Southern Belle' mix
Impatiens Carousel Red double blooms
Lupin Morello Cherry
Penta Starla Deep Rose
Petunia Avalanche White
Petunia Double Cascade Mix
Platycodon Hakone double blue
Platycodon 'Hakone White' double
Plumbago Escapade Blue
Plumbago Escapade White
Ptilotus Joey NEW FOR 2009
Verbena Romance Scarlet Eye
Verbena Tuscany White
Vinca Mediterranean  Mix (SHS-0
Zinnia Cherry and Ivory Swizzle
Zinnia Wedding Bells White
Zinnia Zahara Rose Starlight

Thanks for any info. Maybe it will help someone else as well.

I have not purchased a lot of seeds in the past 3-4 yrs, but it does seem their directions are for indoor or direct sowing.

I do think most of what you have can be winter sown, though the more tender annuals just do a bit later.
OH -- i see our location... geeze -- you could probably do your annuals in Feb, when i'm doing my perennials.

I'll check back in a bit... if no one else has not gone thru your list... i'll pick thru what i have tried already.

Thank you so much tcs. So much.

Alcea Hollyhock Summer Carnival Hollyhocks have been hit or miss for me. But still a great candidate for WS or direct sowing.

Cosmos Cutesy Mix Cosmos... easy to WS
Cosmos 'Double Click'

Dahlia Figaro Red NEW FOR 2009 I couldn't WS Dahlias to save my life... but others have no troubles at all

Dianthus Valentine NEW FOR 2009 Dianthus WS'ed easily

Echinacea 'Double Decker' Easy to do, 2nd year bloomers


Petunia Avalanche White I couldn't WS a petunia to save my life... but others have no troubles at all
Petunia Double Cascade Mix

Platycodon Hakone double blue No troubles with Platycodons
Platycodon 'Hakone White' double

Ptilotus Joey NEW FOR 2009 Trying JOEY for the first time this winter

Verbenas I have had luck with Ws'ing.
Verbena Romance Scarlet Eye
Verbena Tuscany White

Zinnia Cherry and Ivory Swizzle Zinns do very well WS'ed as a tender perennial or direct sown
Zinnia Wedding Bells White
Zinnia Zahara Rose Starlight

Hope this helps,

Terese

This message was edited Dec 8, 2009 5:24 PM

Really not necessary. Just do the basics- moist potting mix in jug, adequate drainage, sprinkle seeds, toss it outside. That's it.

perennials and hardy annuals-winter
tender annuals- close to your spring

That's it. The beauty of wintersowing is it's simplicity. Don't make it harder than it has to be. Seed pack instructions are for indoors under lights. You are not sowing inside, this is a whole new animal. A simple process.

Karen

Now this is what's so interesting, funny really. I had no problems at all with hollyhocks. But I can't get platycodon to sprout to save my life. I've WSown it 4 times and never a sprout. Just about every wintersower I know has grown balloon flower with no problem. But it seems I'll never have one.
Petunias are no brainers for me and I was overrun with volunteers last year.

Rule of thumb: A petunia is a petunia is a petunia. If one type wintersows, all will. Same with any type of flower, be it echs, foxglove, hollyhock, cosmos, whatever.

Karen

I know some stuff that people have WS, I've just planted in the containers I plan for them to be in once frost is over and let em do their thing so I'm not sure I'd wintersow those--nasturtiums, lobelia, cosmos and thunbergia. I think since I have a "longer" summer season those must work OK sown in situ. Might try a bit of those both ways and compare results...

Most years those things do OK even direct sown here in my zone. But we get really warm weather some years, whereas last spring and early summer were ususually cool. My direct sown nasties didn't do well at all, barely grew, but most years it works great.

Karen

Hmm, I'm waiting til it's warm for the nasturtium and put them straight in the ground. They were the first thing that died when we had our first cold snap, and I don't think they'd sprout til it's warm anyway. If I thought they'd be ok starting inside I might since they take forever to get going here, but I've had no luck with that, even with cowpots.
Dahlias and Zinnias I started inside did well, I'm going to try Zinnias WS this year. I think it may take too long for the dahlias to sprout outside to get flowers in time, so I'm doing them inside again.
My lobelia (trailing type), petunias, and cosmos lived on long after it got cold, in fact the lobelia only just got icky when we got snow, so those i'll WS this time. They should make it thru a late frost.
Anything that is a hardy perennial here is going outside this winter. Some of them are going to need cold to get going anyway and if i put them in the 'frige I'll just forget them.
Keep in mind I don't start many of any one type b/c I'm in a townhouse (and the end unit wasn't ready when we needed to move or I'd be starting way more). If i needed gobs of anything I would almost have to start it outside.

Karen -- isn't that just ironic... another thing i can't grow to save my like is Joe Pye ... 3 yrs running and ZIP. Little Joe, Chocolate Joe, none of them... but i wont give up. OH .. and "Snaps" -- they grow like weeds, but not here.

grrlgeek, I left you a message on the Summerhill shipping thread telling you we expect pictures and good notes to tell us how you do. Jeanette

grrrlgeek-sounds like we're in almost the same housing/garden situation except I do have and end townhome. I have also started digging up alongside the end of the building. Landlord doesn't mind as long as I maintain it.

Terese, I've never tried Joe. But snaps do grow like weeds for me!

Karen

dmac, I saw you post that somewhere, that's what made me remember why I wanted an end unit. We own ours, so as long as it looks ok to the home owners association, and I can keep the "landscapers" off it, I can grow it. I did veggies in tubs on the narrow balcony in front this year. Gotta get creative!

at our old house, where homes are stacked on property lines.... our neighbor had Snaps on the north side of his house... with in 2 yrs, the whole area was full and they started growing in my south bed... they grew like crazy for years. when we were moving, DH grabbed a lot of seed heads and sprinkled them all in my back flower beds... not ONE grew. and since then, i've attempted to WS them twice, still nothing....

That sounds like some of the stuff I try:) Can't grow a decent tomato plant to save my life...mom grew them like weeds and canned all summer.

Veggies I can do. Actually, I have pretty good luck with anything outside. It's inside plants I kill. Cats are a bit of a handicap there.

hmm, know what you mean grrlgeek. Thought I had it bad last year with two cats, but this new kitten, he eats EVERYTHING! Haven't found something he won't take a bite of. Unbelievable. He'll even clean a plate with curry sauce all over it! My bougainvillea's that are supposed to be overwintering inside are NOT happy. Their thorns don't even stop him.

I once had a dog that ate an entire rosebush thorns and all. Animals are just stupid.

Karen

OMG, was he bleeding? I think even my one ignatz cat wouldn't do that. He prefers long skinny leaves--lemon grass, ponytail palm, etc.

To get back on topic (i'm such a trouble maker), I think I'll try to WS the Piggyback plant. Somewhere I read that it may need cold to germinate. It's not supposed to be hardy here, but I might try to overwinter some in a sheltered spot, as well as bring some inside for houseplants. For those of us that are going to try Ptilotus Joey, J.L.Hudson lists it as a genera that may benefit from smoke treatment, he describes what to do at http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/Germination.htm , scroll down to "Smoke Treatment". Looks pretty easy to do.

>>benefit from smoke treatment

oh, now that is odd. I do have liquid smoke on hand....

I ordered Ptilotus joey also. I know I tossed my liquid smoke out but I guess I'll have to buy more.

And this is the only thing I'll use it for. I wonder if it freezes?

Doesn't liquid smoke have a huge shelf life?

True. That was my Scottish side. Wonder how long it takes to get gross? I guess I could spring for a new bottle every few years ^_^

liquid smoke has a shelf life of almost forever !!! but a small bottel of it only cost .99 most any where ;0)
Gloria

Liquid smokes does have a long shelf life. I bought it for one recipe and never used it after that. Maybe its one of those products that lasts indefinitely. I wonder if I could use it on other seeds.

we only use it for it for making BBQ sauce.... So, i've probably had the one in our cab for 15+ yrs.

Yes, at least. Glad to hear others save things as long as I do. LOL

Ok, Christmas is over...... time to start wintersowing my seeds. Yahhhh...

I must keep in mind..... 'keep it simple, keep it simple'. LOL