Winter Sowing - 2010 - things rolling right a long #3

yall are too funny......


Janet

I know about jug & flat eye!!!

I have a question??? LoL When you direct sow, how do you ensure that the soil stays moist for germination? I don't think I have every directly sowed anything that lived. The last seeds I DS never grew in my flower bed but they did grow in the grass. How did that happen? LoL

Anita -- where i direct sow... they are on their own. it's way out in a field [that i have turned into flower beds] but my hose really does not reach, unless i connect two of them which is a pain beyond believe... using a watering can is no fun either, as i have to keep coming back for water.

-- sometimes i will sow before rains are coming... so they get watered. If it is something 'special' and i really want it to grow... I'll do it in a pot, then transplant.

Good idea, TC! Do you use potting soil or compost?

just potting soil. I dont have a lot of compost ... so i'm using that sparingly.

here is one area about a yr before planting... excuse the Coyote -- though he was the reason i took the shot.

I thought that was your dog...

this was 2 yrs later

nope.. here is Buddy

I hope Buddy is big.

Karen

bigger than the coyote i think... that one, who i have not seen in some time [he/she hung out for yrs] was a small scranwy one... thinking female as she was small.

I know they are out there, but i have not seen on in some time.

Good. That's scary if you have pets.

Karen

Wow, TC, did you sprinkle wildflower seeds? How did you start the beds? Did you stry lasagna gardening?

well... my yard is fenced. one summer, there was a 'teenager' .. i figured it was a male as it was larger than the ones i normally saw... and he'd come up to the fence at night... i think he was curious of Buddy. they'd sorta run the fence together. he stuck around for a week or so, then never saw him again.

I'v been back there mowing the lawn/field and he was about 25' from me, just watching... then ran off. I could tell he was young, and just curious.

but when back there during the summer months .. if i have Bud with me, i'm always on the look out. They are normally not out during the day light hours.

DH and I went to a seminar on Coyotes ... or more "Living with Coyotes" -- we learned a lot about them. I'm always cautious, but never afraid. another reason why Charlie does not leave the yard either.... [he's the cat]

Anita ... I just turned over the soil and sprinkled seeds... I do have more photos that sort of show the progression...

back in the day... this was a corn field... so i feel the soil back there is pretty good.

The first yr i had most of that planted was by 2007... so it's pretty established as flower beds. there are still some weeds and grass that grows, but i'm getting them under control.

It's very pretty.

Karen

Here's a few of my WS'd pots. This is several salvias that I sowed in a large baby lettuce container from Sam's Club:

Here's another container with Gaillardias:

Here's the Gazania rigens and Kiss:

looking good!!

I found my first seedlings... they look a few days old.

I think the plant tag read - Silver Carpet... but didnt see that in my spreadsheet.

went back out to look and found 2 more that must have germinated today.

Lemon Mint, Monarda
NoID Monarda Bee Balm, from Ansofan, 2008

Hmm -- trying to research that first one. The plant tag says Silver Carpet, but i don't think i have that seed. My notebook says Snow-in-summer ... so that is what it must be. it shows that I used all the seeds, but i'll have ot look for the sheet of paper that was in the bag ... i usually save those for a while.

glad I put on my seeds in those containers.. it's been raining here for 4 days straight

Ah... i had forgotten what thread I was posting in about preparing beds.... found it.

Anita... i was out today digging/weeding up a storm... took some images and when i get around to it, not to clutter this thread even more.... i'll start a thread on preparing beds.

Terese

woo hoo.. first green babies to show up today... poppy Diane!!!

woo hoo- me too! pansies and catnip.

some containers look dry - how should I water them?


Grayson

I've been watering a few of mine that look really dry.

I found a Lupine today. that makes 4 jugs with seedlings.

Grayson I use a spray bottle

You guys are in my zone and 6 so maybe mine will start one of these days. Got my fingers crossed.

I'm with you, Jnette. I'm going to have "jugeye" real soon. I have been hoovering over my jugs like a mother hen. Nothing green yet!

My friends and I decided "jug eye" is con-JUG-ti-vitis, LOL!

I have "jugeye"!
WS Jugs that have germinated:
Delphinium 'Butterfly Blue'
Mimulus
Silene 'None so Pretty'
Bach Buttons 'Golden Jubilee'
Allium 'Purple Sensation'
HH 'Creme de Cassis'
HH 'Aunt Brownie Figleaf'

Containers in Unheated GH that have germinated:
HH 'Chamois Rose'
Coreopsis 'Plains'
Coreopsis 'Dwarf Plains'
Coreopsis Dwarf Yellow
Lavender 'Munstead'
Eyeball Plant
Veronica 'Eveline'
Viola 'Sorbet Citrus Mix'
Lablab
Canna
Abutilon 'Bella Mix'
Aster Dwarf Carpet
Anthriscus cerefolium 'Chervil'
Asclepsias 'Silky Gold'
Asarina
Centaura 'Blackball'
Chrysanthemum 'Coconut Ice'
Ice Plant 'Sparkles'
Lagarus 'Bunny Tails'
Layla Tidy Tips
Nemophila 'Penny Black'
Millet
Marigold 'Rarejem'
Poppy 'Lauren's Grape'
Poppy 'Blue Breadseed'
Poppy Oriental Orange
Amaranthus 'Giant Red'
Amaranthus 'Fat Spike'
Amaranthus 'Autumn Palette'
Amethystia caerula
Brachycome 'White Splendor'
Lupine 'Tutti Fruiti'
Lupine 'Morello Cherry'
Lupine 'Popsickle'
Cerinthe 'Blue Kiwi'
Chenopodium quinoa 'Cherry vANILLA'
Cleome 'Sparkler'
Cosmos Sensation Mix
Cosmos 'Purity White'
Dahlia coccinea Orange
Dahlia dinnerplate White
Morning Glory 'Flying Saucers'
CONVOLVULUS 'Ensign Blue'
Tomato 'Lemon Boy' (on heat mat)
Tomato ' Cherokee Purple' (heat mat)
Tomato German Johnson (heat mat)
Tomato 'Black Krim' (heat mat)
Tomato Italian Heirloom (heat mat)
Tomato Yellow Pear (heat mat)
Tomato Roma (heat mat)
Yellow Cukes (heat mat)
Waltham Butternut Squash (heat mat)


in the House on Heat Mat and under lights
Petunia 'Opera Supreme'
Petunia 'Dreams Midnight'
Salvia 'Snow Nymph'
Salvia 'Pineapple Sage'
Salvia 'Forest Fire'
Salvia 'Coral Nymph'
Salvia artemis
Meadow Sage

I am still waiting for many more to germinate. Spring is coming.

Guess the only cure is green stuff down in there. LOL

Lynn, are you saying all of that stuff has germinated?

I am going to throw all of my stuff out. So much for this. I lost all of my good seeds.

Don't give up yet! Yes, those have all sprouted. Mother Nature will let them know when it is their time to wake up. Just keep them moist. Don't worry about anything else until they germinate, then make sure they don't dry out, drown, or cook from the heat (I remove the cover, or at least prop them open.)

I was teasing. You are zone 8 vs my 5.

My seeds are pretty wet. Do you think I should prop them open now and let them dry out a bit? All this week we are below freezing t night.xx

I don't know. I have a bunch that are soaking wet also.
Actually, I am Zone 7 because we are so close to the foothills. It is usually 10 degrees colder here than in Seattle. I have lost quite a few plants because I was ignorant of the correct zone.

If you need more seeds, let me know.

Lynn, what did your being ignorant of the correct zone have to do with anything? What were you doing that you would have done differently?

My seeds have been freezing at night and heating up from the sun during the day. Do you think I ruined them?

I cannot believe Janet (Meadowlark) on the other WS thread. She is going crazy sowing seeds. She just started sowing like maybe a week ago and she is going to do 300 or some such thing. Cripe if I tried that I would be sowing seeds on Halloween.

I bought some Canna's and other plants from a gal on Craig's List. She said they would be fine outside, as they were outside at that time (Feb 2 yrs ago). Well, she lived in Ballard, and we live in the Foothills, 10 degrees colder. Yep, they all froze to death.

I think your seeds will be fine. They haven't sprouted yet, right? Mine are not taped tight, so there is a lot of air movement and not a lot of heat buildup. I don't know if this is right or not.

Meadowcyk is simply amazing. I have 437 containers sowed, but I have been doing this since Jan 23. Some are 6 packs, some are milk jugs.

What have you sown?

LoL Lynn, are you going to have a planting party? We have WSed some of the same seeds. Did you do anything special to your canna seeds? Did you soak them for 24 hours?

This is my que to get my lasagna beds started. We have rain coming this weekend. It would be the perfect time my newspaper and cardboard down. I started some dahlias inside and I was amazed at how fast they sprouted.

I nicked and soaked them for 30 hours in water /hydrogen peroxide solution.
Good for you. Isn't lasagna gardening the best way?