Winter Sowing - 2010 - things rolling right a long

Karen, because we have late springs typically. we still had frost in May. and it was too cold for me to get my beds ready. or the garden plowed where I could put out tomatoes and few other veggies that i sowed. so my plants were spilling out over the jugs.

i may change my mind but i just thought i'd wait a bit.

Janet, that goes under the heading of a dedicated WinterSower =) driving with all those jugs. i should take a picture of mine...they are on a clothesline going down the stairs to the basement. it looks like it could float a boat.

Phyl

Phyl

I would love to see yourssssssss get us a picture.... pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee

In two weeks I'll start working on them. I've gotten my soil, trying something a little different with seeds this year.... if does some good I'll be more than happy to share what it is...

Believe it or not I still needs some more jugs....

All of them have rope through the handles to hold them together... which is what I'm going to do when I get them all ready. I'll take a picture of them when I have them outside.

Janet

No more nightmares for me. I just found a source for 1 gallon milk jugs. I will be able to WS. The little town of Monmouth has a neighborhood recycle center that everyone takes their stuff to. I got 22 jugs today. I am so happy. Right now I have 10 jugs with 10 varieties of tomatoes. I can now do the other varieties and start on flower and shrub seeds. : ) When I run out of these jugs I'll go get more. Life is good!!!
Meadowyck, can't wait to see your new idea.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 11:49 PM
Bad spelling again. : (

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 11:58 PM

Quick question: What is the advantage to sowing seeds in winter, in containers... as opposed to planting them in the ground, in the fall? Is "control" the biggest advantage? Thanks for your answers!

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 5:56 PM

protection....

from Mother Nature [wind rain getting washed away.... ]
from Critters [ birds, squirrels, and anything else that may eat seeds or seedlings]

Terese

**edited to -- add my name, just because.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 5:14 PM

Excellent points. Thank you!

Karen

I always appreciate your posts ...they are both straight forward and informative.

good answer, Terese!

and if you dont plant in the fall, you dont have to wait another year to plant.

but 'control' works too. you dont have to worry about forgetting where you sowed something. or not recognizing the plant and pulling them up.

I sowed annuals, herbs, tomatoes, and peppers in jugs. it helps harden your seedlings and you can get them in the ground earlier.

thats my 2cents worth =)

nannie -- that is one issue i have with direct sowing -- especially plants that are new to me... i probably end up pulling them all thinking they are weeds.

one thing dawned on me late Fall. I had been thinking about 'grasses' and how i have the toughest time growing them.
A few yrs back a neighbor gave me a ton... i mean stuffed gallon ziploc of Zebra Grass. I tried to WS some, zip - nadd nothing ... so last spring, i raked up about an 8" circle in a newer bed, and put the seeds down.... then mid summer, i see all this grass invading my new bed, and pulled it all. did not dawn on me til months later, that it was probably the zebra grass i had direct sown. Next time i will put a small fence around it and tag it.

I did that my first year, direct sow some zinnia seeds and forgot all about them and then in late May they started popping up and I thought they were weeds, so I pulled them out. Then I went to my mother and saw the leaves and thought "Oh no!" I managed to salvage a few anyway.

It's sorta like "fix it and forget it" except that you do need to remember to check on the jugs if you don't get any rain or moisture. You also get better germination because you don't have to sow as many to get the same number of plants.

up here... we dont have to worry about that for months... mine stay pretty well frozen until March/April time frame -- weather depending. I really dont have to water until April or so. Only once the sun is out daily and it's warmer.

Steph, et al.
Most all my tomato seedlings have germinated, as have all the bell peppers that are inside in jugs. I turn the fluorescent lights on the bells for 4-5 hours in the evenings. The bells are about 2.5-3" tall and look content 4 now.

The mater seedlings outside are about 1.5-2" tall and look good.

This is my 1st time WSing tomato n other veggie seeds and I'd like 2 ask if I now proceed as if they had come up under the lights inside? What do I do 2 keep the BP happy inside? When do I put them outside 2 harden off? What about feeding them?

Sorry 4 so many ??, but ya'll are the experienced WSers here, and I'd like 2 keep my seedlings alive and healthy. I've got lots of people depending on these seedlings...

Thanks!

Linda

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 8:47 AM

Your brain and fingers work too fast, I can't keep up with your thought processing.

I've done WSown toms in jugs. They're the one thing I have potted up into cups. This is because they grow fast but can't be planted out until late here. But if you pot up into cups, you can add potting mix to the top as the toms grow. As a result the tom ends up planted deeper and forming roots from the stem. It's comparable to a store bought tom where you just plant it deep. One of the beauties of WSown is little to no hardening off. They were born outside so are pretty well hardened from birth. If they've been in mostly shade you could gradually give them more sun exposure.

Since our spring was so cold last year I started toms inside. Grew them in cups and added soil to top as they grew. I put them outside on our rare nice days and brought them inside at night when it was cold. Worked well. I rarely feed them but use very gentle organic fert, diluted a lot, when I do feed them.

I WSowed the toms in '08. They were small at plant out, probably only 5" tall. Once planted out, they quickly caught up to store bought ones which were a foot taller when planted out at the same time.

I start so few seeds inside that I wouldn't try to offer advice on that. But you can start to harden off anything once your weather is nice. Just give a little sun at a time, starting with dappled shade under a tree works well. I just start off by giving them field trips outside for a short time on nice days. Also hardens them off to wind.

Don't know if I was any help-

Karen

>>They're the one thing I have potted up into cups.

Karen -- what sort of 'cups' do you use?

I plan on WSing my tomatoes and bell peppers. I'm planning on transplanting them into 16oz. Solo-esque cups. We got a huge bag, probably 500 of them, at Sam's for super cheap. I'm also going to use them to transplant my giveaway flowers into for the Spring RU which should be coming up in April or so.

I used smaller cups to start- either yogurt or 8 oz styro coffee cups. Then potted up to 12 oz styro

Karen

I wasn't sure if it was a "cup" cup or something like a 3 or 4" peat pot that you'd sink right in the ground.

gotcha karen... we crossed posts.

Thanks, Karen, et al.

From your replies, I now know that I should proceed like I did inside after the seedlings came up under lights. I understand about the up potting process very well, and will proceed accordingly.

Steph,
Since I'll be selling/giving away the majority of these tomato seedlings, I'll need to up pot into cups to get them to good size stock. Since they're outside in the cool and (controlled) sunshine, they shouldn't stretch and get all leggy. Consequently, I'll pot up once into the 16 oz red Solo cups (like you said) and deep root them by adding potting soil as they grow taller (like Karen said).

And, prayerfully, I should have close to nursery quality seedlings to offer!

Thanks for that input.

Now, regarding what to do with the bell pepper seedlings that came up INSIDE under lights. I'm thinking it's far too early to put them outside, cause they'll just start to pout in the cold. So, I'll continue with them inside until we get consistently milder days.

Maybe I'll take them out on a field trip periodically...

P.S. Do bell pepper plants grow roots along their stem like tomatoes do? If so, I could deep root those as well. LMK.

Linda

LOL Linda at the visual pic of taking your bell pepper seedlings on a field trip! Depending on how many you have, you could put them in a wagon and just wheel them in/out when you can.

I don't think bp grow roots up the stems, but I really don't know. Hopefully someone will be along shortly to answer your questions.

Not winter sown, but I found these on the volunteer tomato plant we're overwintering in our sunroom.

Oh my goodness, stephanie has the first tomato. What kind is it and how big has it gotten? Is it hard to keep one in the house over winter? Very interesting.

LOL! We were totally shocked! The DH saved this guy who'd volunteered in the watermelon/pumpkin bed last fall. We were cleaning it out to plant garlic. I'm sure it's from seed that were tossed with a tomato in the compost pile. Stuck it in a pot and when it started getting cold at night, moved it into the sunroom where it gets tons of sunshine. We've been watering it about once a week through the winter. This past week, the temps outside reached the 70s, but we didn't move it outside. When it started to bloom, we'd shake the branches when we went out, but left it alone otherwise. Now, we have about 5 toms on it! I'll keep ya posted on any other developments.

70 degrees, oh that sounds heavenly. We will get about 50 today, which is really warm for us this time of year.
I just love your little tomato plant stephanie, think I might try that next Fall. We too ended up with tiny seedlings popping up in the Fall. It sure won't be a Matt's Wild Cherry however, that would take over the whole house in no time. : )

Well, I took my flu self outside for a walk a few hours ago. It is sooo beautiful today. 66 degrees of wonderful sun and light breezes. Needless to say, I started playing in my garden and forgot I was sick.. At least until I came in and sat down. Oh dear......... I think I should have just sat in the sunshine, instead......

As soon as I get better, I think I need to start working off some of this winter bulk or I will never be able to do all the squatting,lifting and bending it's going to take to get my poor garden back in shape.

I can't wait til spring!

Nap time.............

does anyone water milk jugs from the bottom? I had problems with mine drying out last year.

I used a spray bottle to squirt in in the top

I always water from the top. i found bottom watering was too time consuming.
usually with a spray bottle too, sometimes a watering can.

I figured all those holes in the top of my jugs could catch more than rain, so I just set the garden hose on shower and aimed for the tops. And all those drain holes in the bottom work pretty well too!

Should my Ws jugs be in the shade? I have them on the south side of my house right now, but was reading on the seed germination site that some seed containers should be on the north side of the house...Should most containers be protected from bright light?.. I have Dianthus bath's pink, verbascum southern charm, and yellow lupine already sprouting.. Once these sprout should I open the container tops for ventilation or wait till the second set of leaves? Thanks for any help Trish

I put mine on the east side of my house where they get the morning sun and afternoon shade.

gymgirl put me on to this thread after i d-mailed her and asked questons about her winter sowing. i get the concept but after the seeds germinate and they start growing don't you have to take them out and repot them and when you do that don't the repotted seedlings have to go under lights??

i would like to try winter sowing next season as i do not have milk jugs or anthing like that now. i live in new york so when is the right time to start my seeds??

Herbie, I think you could use old plastic storage totes if you have them. I am thinking about using a couple of under the bed storage one. Anyone try these before? I have little plastic tags so you could mark where you change seeds.

Welcome Herbie....

here is a great article by Critter.... http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/585/
but do also read/browse the stick at the top of the forum.
I added Jill's article cuz i know you know her.

and there are so many different types of containers you could use... milk jugs [any type of gallon] vinegar, water, juice
are nice... they have that built in handle and are roomy. but you dont have to have them. when i run out, i get creative. As long as the sunlight will penetrate it, and i can get 3-4" of soil -- plus room for the seedlings to grow... i'll use it.

and yes... one of the great things about WS'ing is no lights, no indoor shelving units, etc.
just sow'em and stick'em out in the 'wild'.... let mother nature do her thing. They will germinate when they are ready, then when it's planting time, you just plant them. no transferring to larger pots... just right into the ground or container - if you are putting them in containers.

Hope this helps, and welcome to Winter Sowing

Terese

Can anyone tell me if the small aluminum roasting pans with clear lids are appropriate for winter sowing? I'm a newbie and my husband is not going to fall for milk or juice jugs in the yard. Does the container have to be see thru plastic or just the lids?

i've done it... and i know i have photos... brb

had to swap computer....

just be careful when poking the holes... the aluminum is sharp... also tape down the lids... they tend to blow off in high winds.

by looking thru my images... it looks like i used 4 trays that year. got great germination. they really are not deep enough [should have about 3-4" of soil] ... but they do seem to work just fine.

Please allow me to clear up the confusion I caused by stating I was "Up Potting" my WS seedlings.

Since I'm growing MOST of my tomato seedlings for OTHER gardeners, I will need to separate and grow them into hardy stock with good root systems. Consequently, I'll up pot ONLY those seedlings being offered to other growers. I'll ahve to transplant them into 16 oz. Solo cups and deep root them for individual sale/giveaway.

The tomato and other veggie seedlings I'm keeping for myself are following the instructions on this and the 1st of our WSing discussion threads. I will transplant my own tomato seedlings into their final destination, and will deep root them in place..

I do have one exception: I have 7 jugs of sprouted bell peppers inside. I made this decision because it's still too cold out (at least, I think it is...). If I had put the jugs in the yard with the others, I think the bells wouldn't have germinated as soon as they did (in 9 days!). They're on my light shelf, and I turn the fluorescent lights on when I get home at 6p and turn them off around 10-11p before I go to bed. These are the only WS veggies
in the house under lights (loosely speaking). And this ain't gonna last much longer, either.

I'm thinking that I'll put those jugs outside this weekend in some really bright sunshine to create the warm internal environment the bells like. I'll monitor that sunshine so they don't fry!

Hope this clarifies my procedure and intent.

I am LOVING this WSing process.

I do NOT miss the shelves, lights, timers, and my DH complaining about his electricity bill!!!

^^_^^♪♪♫♫ (Me doing the WSing happy dance to music!)