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

Karen -- do you find that most if not all Echinacea are second year bloomers?
I just hate having to wait to see what the bloom is gonna look like.

I had 1 Echie produce a bud the first year, but it was so late that it froze before I could see the ray flowers extend. It was saved seed from one of those coral or yellow modern hybrids, I was really curious what it would look like! It was the only seedling out of several sown to germinate. I also started several others, none of which bloomed. They did grow well though, and promising to be lovely this year :-)

I'm terrible with records, and honestly don't see myself improving much in the near future, LOL. In the garden I've got so many "irons in the fire", so to speak, I want to get everything labeled and cataloged, then I get overwhelmed and walk away, LOL. I've gotten back into the work world lately too, so I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'll take the time.

Baby steps... baby steps Neal.

that is the way i have to do things, or i just get side tracked or overwhelmed and nothing gets done.

Jonna Sudenius's http://www.seedsite.eu/

is EXCELLENT to order from, and surprisingly the service to get it here is very speedy. Her seed collection is incredible and so many unusual ones that I have not found around here or other companies....

She is out of country right now as she has had a death in the family, so should anyone being trying to contact her and you don't hear back give her some time to reply.

Janet

Terese: I had similar results to Neal's. I once got one blossom on an ech late in the first year, like October. Generally they'll bloom the second year. Worth the wait, though. But in your zone I wouldn't expect any until 2nd year.

Karen

Mine from seed didn't have any either, but they grew well, so I expect something this year. They were from my DG newbie seeds so were just labeled Purple Coneflower. Hopefully they're the native kind so I can save some seeds to stealth plant around the wild (unkempt) pond in our complex in fall. I also ordered some native water plant seeds to toss in there, try to use up some nutrients and get rid of the billowing green algae crud.

Terese, I have downloaded your spreadsheet for reference. Mine have a million columns too.

edit: Anyone WS'd pelargoniums? They seemed pretty tough this fall. I need to get them started in the next few days, along with the petunias, though it seems you guys have had good luck with WS those so they will go out. It'll be nice not to have them hanging around inside for months.

This message was edited Jan 13, 2010 12:21 PM

>>Terese, I have downloaded your spreadsheet for reference.

hope it helps.

i got the 'base' of mine from tom clothier's site, and tweaked it.
his database has just over 800 seeds... so I had to delete a lot, and add a lot.. but it's a great foundation.

I just noticed the comment "rabbits ate all my sunflowers" from 2007. They did that to me last spring, left me with 2 out of 12, even after I started them in peat pots so the chipzilla wouldn't eat the seeds. Bit the babies off about an inch above the ground, all in one night. I'm gonna try sticking a bottomless 2 liter bottle over each one until they get too tall for it this time.

thats a good idea with the half bottlles.

and its ironic,,, the year i had the sunflowers grow, it was seeds that the squirrels buried in my flower beds.

the bunnies ate 65 out ot 75 MG's one year too. but i love bunnies... so i get over it.

I DO love it when we can get along with the wildlife!

I started some flowers inside one year. The bunnies ate only the blooms! I was so sick that I couldn't plant the rest of my babies. I kept Coleus and Rose of Sharon inside for two years. The Coleus began to twist and curl but it was the most beautiful plant. Anyone have voles/moles? I have one that insists on digging up my bulbs. I like seeing the b unnies hope around and I couldn't dream of harming them but that vole/mole is going to be fertilizer for my plants.

I don't have them, but my mom had voles. Those are the small ones, right? The cats kept them in check. And brought them in the house for presentation frequently.

Oh, bunnies don't stay so cute for very long, LOL. They find a lot of flowers quite delicious! I've had mole and vole issues in the past too, it was awful! Bulb cages were the only thing I found that worked. Castor oil poured here and there around the garden did deter them till after a good rain, but I wasn't good about keeping up with it. Most bulbs that voles eat, have sprouts that are tasty to rabbits too, like tulips, lilies, and crocus.

The bottle idea is indeed a good one!

grrrlgeek, I have a feeling Pelargoniums aren't a good choice for wintersowing, at least in cold zones. I've never had a volunteer seedling from one, and I believe they require a bit more of a head start.

I came home to find a cat sitting on my porch one day. I thought it was odd but I didn't understan why until I found the moles tunnels. I like the idea of the cats keeping the rodents in check but if they were to "present" them to me, I would lose it. I'm a wimp!

>>Anyone have voles/moles?

yes... this year they ventured close to my house in my south bed. It's a MESS. DH put out a few mouse traps... hope we killed a few of them. THey have their little tunnels all thru the bed, half destroyed my dianthus MicroChip -- I dont let Charlie run wild outside.. so he can't keep them in check. [dead]

LOL Anita! We have 2 indoor only cats and they occasionally find prizes and leave them for me. Thankfully, they only find things like roaches (ICK!!) and other bugs. However, my neighbor has 2 outdoor kitties that keep the rodents in check in my yard as well. I was outside one morning last fall and she was yelling at her cat, "Mango! How could you? That's so gross, Mango!" (Mango is the cat.) I asked her if everything was okay and she told me yes, but that Mango had left a "prize" on the seat of her outdoor table where she likes to have her morning coffee! Her husband had the flu, so she had to deal with the "prize". She kept saying, "I'll do throw up and other things. I DON'T DO DEAD!" LOL LOL LOL I told her she should get a shovel and carry the little critter across the street to the empty lot!

My 2 are indoor, only "out" time is on the deck to chase off the squirrels and lay in the sun, and in the garage. They occasionally find something there. They once had a chipmunk they brought in alive and had it cornered under the desk. Live toy!

I was glad they got that chipmunk out of the garage finally, but...

gemini, Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I need to get them started under the lights soon.

My dog is an inside pet/person. He brought baby bunnies to the patio for me once. I had no idea pets did things like that until the Humane Society came out to get the dead bunnies. He said there was a nest in my yard. I was afraid to go outside. I thought we were being invaded by alien animals. I'm with the neighbor I cannot do dead, my feet won't let me. When I see dead animals, my feet start moving and won't stop until I can no longer see them. The same goes for any live rodents or pests (not insects/bugs) that move faster than I do. LoL I'm a wimp! I did have a toad in my yard that we tried to accomodate.

How many bags of MG have you all gone through. The WSing obsession is forcing me to go out for a second bag. LoL

I've never tried geranium from seed. But this fall I started some from cuttings and I have to say these are easy!

Karen

Karen, do you put the cuttings on the 2 liter bottle?

I was bad, I didn't get any cuttings from my geraniums. But at least seeds are cheaper than all new plants.

Has anyone started Bacopa from seed? I'm wondering if they'd WS well. I only have 10 seeds so I may just start 2 or 3 outside.

I didn't with the geraniums, only because I didn't have the bottles saved at the time. I took cuttings, allowed them to dry and callous over for a day. Then I just stuck them in damp potting mix and stuck each pot in a plastic bag. They took off, have been blooming through winter. I cut them back several inches last weekend because they were getting too tall to fit under my lights.

Karen

I have never had Geraniums but they seem to be really popular so I will try some this year. I am WSing a lot of perennials that won't bloom until next year. I will need some heavy blooming annuals. Has anyone ever WS fern spires?

Annuals that I've WS that are heavy blooming include marigolds, zinnias, pansies and violas, sun flowers, and dwarf dahlia Redskin (not technically an annual but I treat them as such.)
They start out small at the beginning but grow into big sturdy plants by summer.

I have some dahlias. I wondered how they would do being WS in the spring

Here's my record for WS Dahlia Redskin seeds: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/90014/

I wintersowed 40 seeds on 3/14/09 here in zone 7a. My notes say "good germination" on April 6th. I planted out ten lusty seedlings June 1st., which grew into nice border plants. Sorry I don't have photos. I treated the plants as annuals, but you could probably save the tubers and grow them again.

Thank you Cape, that was very helpful. I have been wanting to have dahlias for so long, I'm half afraid to put the seeds out. LoL I'm glad your dahlias did well

I was wondering if those are are experienced WSowers could post a list of the flowers that they have been most success with.

Also, how often do you need to water?

Thanks,
Teresa in KY

Terese, you only need to water if you don't get any rain or other precipitation. I think last winter, I watered a couple of times.

Anita, Dahlias are easy to grow from seed, and grow quickly. They're very frost sensitive, so they would be something to WS later, but others have reported success wintersowing them.

Teresa, usually I don't even have to start watering my containers till up in April when it really warms up. The coverings seem to hold moisture well. That will depend somewhat on the potting mix you use too. Lets see, flowers I've had the most success with...I'll start with perennials:
Hollyhocks
Penstemons
Hardy Geraniums
Foxglove
Columbine
Echinacea
Rudbeckia
Painted Daisy
Delphinium
Eryngium
Silene
Rose Campion
Hardy Hibiscus
Feverfew
English Wallflower
Blackberry Lily
Dianthus
Everlasting Pea (perennial sweet pea)
Allium
Sidalcea
Evening Primrose
Primula

Annuals- sown early
Nigella
Poppies
Kiss me over the Garden Gate

Annuals- sown later because they're frost sensitive
Zinnias
Sunflowers
Cosmos
Tithonia
Morning Glory and Moon vine

That's what is coming to mind right now, I'll add as I think of others.

Thanks for the list. What is the perferred containers? Milk jugs?

This is my 5th year and I absolutely get the best results with milk jugs and 2 liter pop bottles.

Karen

All of you are so helpful. I am about to try my first winter sowing. I read and read and now I need to do and do. Actually, it will be next week when I do the sowing. In the meanwhile I need to get the jugs ready. And, I love Anita's site. Thanks for all the help....
Oh, yes....about tender Geraniums. Would you WS them? Mine is called Black Velvet Red from Springhill.

I don't think tender Geraniums are a good choice for wintersowing. They require a good bit of time and warmth to get going.

beebonnet: I've never done geraniums. You are in such a warm zone I'd think they'd do well.

Karen

Good catch Karen, I didn't even notice zone 9! Someone in a colder zone asked about them earlier, and I still had cold zones on the brain.

I haven't risked sowing WS tender geraniums either--I HAVE grown the Black Velvet series of geranium seeds under lights, and they do well, but of course you have to fuss with them. I will be interested in hearing about your experiences in WS these seeds in your warmer zone. Keep us posted!

I imagine they'd do OK, just start blooming a little later than some of us would like.

Karen

Hey ya'll. I've got 3 jugs of bell pepper seeds inside on a shelf. I checked yesterday and there's a spot of mold growing on one 'a the seeds. I've heard H2O2 will take care of this. What's the formula mixed 2 water? I should just water through right? LMK soonest. Thanks! Linda

Ok, Winter sowing works! I peeked today and I have 2 jugs of Southern Broadleaf Mustard Greens and 2 jug of Wando Peas coming up. These were seeded on January 9th.

Now what do I do? They're still tiny yet, so I imagine I'll be waiting a coupla more weeks before attempting any kinda transplanting, right? The greens I'm not so concerned about, 'cause I've grown em from seedlings before. But, I've never grown peas. And, I sooooooooooooo wanna grow green peas!

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Linda

This message was edited Jan 15, 2010 5:29 PM