Winter Sowing - 2010 .... a sowing we will go....

Moving on to a new thread....

Post how you have been doing.

Here is my first bunch, already in the snow.
13 milk jugs.

Smooth Aster, BlueBird
NY Aster, Woods Purple
Hardy Algeratum
Aclaea Simplex, "Elstead"
NY Aster, "Professor Kippenburg"
Monarda, Lemon Balm
M. bradburiana, Horsemint
M. didyma "Panorama Mix"
Blue Delphinium
Erinus alpinus, Alpine Liverwort
Joe Pye, Gateway
NoID Bee Balm
M. Bee Balm, Marshalls Delight

We came from here... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065142/

This message was edited Jan 7, 2010 4:54 PM

They look good there snuggled in the snow Terese.

I haven't started yet. This will be year 5 for me.

Karen

So, how're ya'll keeping track of what's in each jug? I've seen numbers on jugs in some'a the posts. Are ya'll doing a corresponding list?

Just trying to stay OUTTA trouble....

Since you all have been WSing for a while, I'm curious about all the flower you sow. Do you extend your gardens? What do you do with all the flowers?

I guess I should have taken more photos... but i have a notebook where everything is written down.... for example...

1) Smooth Aster, BlueBird. [wind] who i got the seeds from, amount of seeds [ALL] and surface sow.

just notes -- it all gets entered into my spreadsheet when i get a chance [it's already updated]

I've started putting in a plastic plant tag... it has the container # and what the seed it.

I just started doign the plant tags... did a few last year. Found it was very helpful when things started germinating. I can just look at the tag. Before i'd look at the number then have to look it up. I rarely write the name of the seed on the container.... don't know why, i've just never done it that way... plus, by May, most of the lids are cut off and recycled.

I do put the container number on both top and below the cut line.

I label the outside of the jug and put a label on the inside as well. I use old mini blinds cut up and write on them with a plain #2 pencil.

here is what the WS page of my spreadsheet looks like...

I will add a second "Comment" column for comment when things get planted out.
Some times i enter where they were put, if they bloomed, how they did... great or died, eaten by critters, etc.

OMGosh! That's wayy too detailed for me! LOL I just do one with name of seed, date sown, date germinated (or when I notice the sprouts), and comments.

I"m just a very detailed oriented person. my 'whole' spreadsheet put probably make your hair curl by all the info I have in it... But there are many times i need to reference back to something.. and there are even times the details are not there... I tend to slack off on things mid-season.

but in the excel "book" i have my seed list and my WS list. so 2 pages for each year.
Like i said.. i have a thing for details.

My spreadsheets were pretty basic when I did them. (Didn't do one last year.) I just included basics like jug number, common name, botanical name, annual or perennial, date sown, date sprouted (never was good about recording that), HxWidth.

Anita always had a good one on her website, she included mine there too a couple of years. I can't remember the name of her website but it will come to me. Haven't seen Anita on here lately.

Karen

Yes... she has a great site... http://lakehousecreations.com/winter_sowing.htm

OH... i just remembered, as i look at her site... it does not load well in FireFox... to get the real look at her site, you need to use IE.

Yes, that's it. Where's Anita these days?

Karen

tcs, that is a wonderful site full of information that will help me decide when to start each kind of seed. Thank you so much.

Diamond... I some how missed that post....

My neighbor and I have been working on a "field" behind our home. it's technically State property, but it's land locked and they can't even access it without taking down a fence. [those highway ones]
I've been at it since the second summer here... 2003? I expand a little bit each year, clearing a little more weeds.... I give some away - mostly to my neighbor. I have a summer place, it's an RV Park and i've taken on the project of working on the neglected flower beds throughout the park. I have a few friends up there that i'm growing some plants for, and i'll probably take some to our Upper Midwest Round Up in June... plus... I cram them in.

tcs, you sound like the Johnny Appleseed of the plant kingdom. How fun and intersting. Do you have pictures?

i have tons of pictures.

I would so love to see some of them, please. Something to encourage me on the WSing.
I can use all the ideas I can get.

I know I just posted a few the other day... but now can't find the thread...

Many of my image are in the Cottage Garden forum, as that is where i spend a lot of time...

here are a few... scroll down to Nov 3rd....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1052728/

Thank you Terese. I will check them out tomorrow morning. I can't keep my eyes open, time to go to bed.
Lynn

Terese, you are the Queen. I humbly bow to you.
I bought some Sterlite containers today to try to "Corral" my jugs this year. I used cardboard boxes last year, but they just got so sloppy wet. I figured if my jugs were in containers, maybe they won't look so objectionable to DH. I am pooped, unloaded 1/2 a truckload of compost on one of my lasagna beds today. I am trying to cover the cardboard I have lining the driveway. New gardens to plant my WS babies this spring!

I use DG journels

http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/vbc/bigred/83632/

those containers i showed yesterday... you can barely see them now. i had thought the snow was over... it had stopped, i went out and shoveled last night [I have this thing... it's a sickness really... but i absolutely HATE it when a car drives in my driveway if there is snow on it... I've actually had my kids in the street, waiting to pull in the drive, while i shovel a spot so they can pull in.]

anyhooo... i shoveled last night because Alex was still out, and i finally got to shovel wiht a car NOT in the driveway.... i woke up at 4AM and snow everywhere... Probably another 3" ... this stuff was a big 'blowy' though... small drifts... when i have it at the back door AND the front door... i know it was blowing.

SO.. i told DH to teach Alex how to use the snow blower today. I generally shovel for the exercise... but the kid needs to know how to use it.

Has anyone ever sown Veronica Darwin's Blue?? I have a lot of seeds and chaff....I'm going to give it a whirl this year to see if i get anything. didnt wanna trade the seeds to find out they dont germinate.

OH and i had completely forgotten.... DH is a pop drinker... sometime last year he switched to 2Ltr from cans, since it's cheaper... So, i've begun collecting them too... i only have 2 right now, but it's a start. We always let Buddy chew them up... great toy when you pop them in the freezer for a while.

Red.. .can you add images to your journals. I have honestly never delved into them... though every year i say i will try.
Just can't seem to figure it out.

I'm having to find pictures on line. Have some,just haven't posted them yet. Guess since today's it's 12 degrees out w/ only 29 for hi,it'd be a good day to get that done.

I haven't listed the dianthus,snaps,pansies and violas I did in Oct/Nov.yet. Need to go to GH to get info but as I said....12 degrees...I ain't going out there....LOL. GH isn't heated so I still call it WS.

>>12 degrees...I ain't going out there...LOL

I don't blame ya. when it's cold, i don't go out either... it's hard enough walking to the mail box at the end of the driveway.

I'm so ahppy to hear that you all look for place to plant flowers and give them away to friends and family. I have one stipulation, whomever I give plants to have to take care of them. And if they decide they don't want them, then they give them back to me. LoL So I can find a good home for them. I even post some plants on Craigs list for little or nothing. I'm helping with a garden at the Extension Office this year so, hopefully, some of my plants will find a home there.

I need to find out more about the lasagna gardening thing. Is this useful in starting new beds? Last year I tilled my entire patio area to start a new garden. I stll have problems with pop up grass. I'm wondering if I tilled a new site, added cardboard, wet it down, added compost, then planted flowers if that would hold the weed/grass out of my new beds? If that works, I can easily make room for all of my new seedlings. LoL

I was going to work out in the sunroom today on my jugs, but it's 15º outside which means it's probably around freezing in the sunroom. I think I'm going to change my plans.

I grow extras just to use as trades at the North Texas spring RU of DG folks. It works out great for me and for them.

Diamond,
The beauty of lasagna gardening is that it is NO TILL gardening!

Just lay the cardboard OVER your site, border it in, and start layering your ingredients from there. The cardboard smothers off your grass...add enough organics and veggie peels and the worms will start churning up the ground below the cardboard, once it's broken down.

Let the wildlife do the tilling! (Basically, this is just like building a compost pile in place...)

http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm

TCS1366,
Great links! Thanks!

Happy Birthday Gymgirl!

I WS'd a couple of milk jugs yesterday and this morning my DH wanted to know why those jugs were in the snowbank.

Hope somehing grows he already thinks I'm crazy....

>>DH wanted to know why those jugs were in the snowbank.

mine was snow blowing the back patio... i noticed he "unearthed" them..i had to shove one of them back in the snow.

He knew I ws'ed yesterday, but i put them in a different spot from other years.

Thanks JJsgramma!
I chased flying, empty milkjugs all over the yard this morning! The wind was up and I had them prepped and sitting on the patio table. My DH keeps eyeing all the "junk" I bring home, so I couldn't just leave them strewn everywhere or they'd be in the dumpster when I got home!

I'M GONNA BE WSing MY BUTT OFF THIS WEEKEND!

. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! ^^_^^♪♫♫♫♪♪♫♪♫♫♪♪

Oh we Texas and southern parts of Arkansas girls are a bunch of wimps when the weather dips below 50....LOL

Adding pix to my journel...bunch to go.

Happy Birthday GymGirl! I hope you are spoiled and pampered today. I'm so thrilled at the idea of lasagna gardening. How soon can you plant your flowers? Are you planting your flowers in the upper layers (above the cardboard)?

I took a quick peek in the Organic forum... and this may be helpful for lasagna gardening.. the topic was 'no dig garden'
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/909930/

since our 'search' is down for a while... the best way to find something - say using google.. type in your search word, "lasagna gardening' and add Daves Garden... they it pulls up threads with in Daves. I do that all the time for plant files.