Winter Sowing... What's sprouting #3

good for you.. they look great!!

Those do look good! I have only tried tomatoes once but never WSed. Your pictures make me want to WS some maters! LoL

Were running out of gallons when we got to the veggies. These were in a real assortment, some in clear shoeboxes from Dollar General, w/ holes punched, and two bottoms taped together. Like this cuz they had lots of headroom. Others were in paper cups from a discount store, w/ plastic tops, placed in another cardboard box. We only put 3-4 seeds in each cup, cuz that was all we had of those varieties.

Unfortunately the holes in the bottom of the styrofoam/paper cups kept swelling closed, and not enough room left at the top using the flat cup lids, all that was availabe to us.. A few we seeded in cocopeat pots in a large underbed holed, sweater box. That was the least efficient, those cocopeat pots dried out very, very quickly, and I won't do that again. (Though the coco in the mix worked great. The half-gallon jugs that worked best with the maters were clear-guess from some kind of purified baby water, and iced tea, I think. Lost some seedlings early on cuz we didn't realize how HOT they were getting in the cups. And the unknowm closing of the bottom holes......

Overall, 95 plus germination rate, and about an 80 seedling to plant rate-definitely human trial and error there!

Hope this helps. It's been an awesome journey in simplicity.

Those look perfect and beautiful clpgirl! Congrats! I'm guessing you'll be planting them out at about the end of the month? You'll have nursery sized plants by then, and just think how much all those would cost to buy, that is, if those varieties were even offered by greenhouses!

Great Job clpgirl. Those look better than I seen at the local big box stores.
Would like to say Thank you to all for taking me along on your journey. It has been a learning experience for sure.

I had received a couple of daylily seeds and WS'd them, thought they weren't going to germinate, seems like forever ago I planted them, but a couple have now sprouted so I am now still hopeful.
Just have to get through this frost advisory today and tomorrow.

Thanks to all and Happy Mothers Day

What are you all doing for the frost advisory? I have to work a 24 hour shift tomorrow. I won't be home until Monday morning. I brought all of my sprouts inside. I won't be home to bring them in tomorrow. Is anyone bringing their seedlings inside? I have covered them a couple of times in the past when I knew I would be home to uncover.

I just checked the forecast for home.. 35. a bit colder up here in Wisc.
but my plants are on their own.

most the WS seedlings are close enough to the house that hopefully they are more protected.
what's been planted are on their own.

Anita, whats this first frost advisory you are talking about?

Thanks for the compliments. I really have to praise Mother Nature.

Sold over half at our plant sale today! People asked me if I had a business w/ heirlooms. I'm so pleased at how well this went, considering my initial anxiety.

We have frost advisory too-last time I just threw a sheet over them, and they were fine. The ones left are on a shelf next to the house, semi-protected, so we'll see what happens. My neighbors and I will all be planting various types out around June 1, and waiting to see what "Grandma Josie's Tomatoes" really look like. I'm also quite intrigued by "Ohio State Univers. Blue" :)

This is too much like fun to be work!

Blue? That will be interesting. I just re-covered and threw an old blanket over the seedlings, since my tender annuals are just coming up. I have a larger tomato and corkscrew vine in my mini greenhouse, they got too big for inside; it stays pretty toasty as long as it's zipped shut. The tomato is a snow white cherry I started early in the hopes of early maters.

Jnette, we had a frost advisory for last night and another one for tonight. We are supposed to be safe after May 15. Its hard for me to trust that date. LoL I always shoot for June 1. I went to the market today and I could tell that some of the tropical hibiscus were affected by the frost. I'm not sure if they will make it throught the rest of the season.

Snow white cherry? Where did you find that? I have heirloom whites "White Oxheart", 'White Mate' ", and Gma Josies....Never heard of yours. Sounds very interesting-same zone too.........

Hi everyone. I hope you don't mind me asking a question. This is my firs year ws and I have had a lot of success. I have one question. Has anyone ever ws morning glories. If so when should I transplant them? I am new to flowers and really don't know the rule for transplanting all the little plants that I have growing in my containers. Thank you for your help! Carrie

http://www.ghorganics.com/ This is the first time I'm growing it so we'll see how it is.

It looks like it didn't get quite as cold as they thought last night. The prediction for tonight is 36, then up from there.
i don't feel completely safe until end of May either, but I have elbow surgery on 5/21, so everything has to be potted up and outside by then. They're on their own for about 2 weeks after that.

Carrie, I wintersowed Morning Glories last year and set them out when they were about 4-6" tall. I think they had 2 or 3 sets of true leaves, and they took right off. Seems like it was about the end of May or first of June when I set them out. I recall waiting till I felt sure the soil was good and warm.

I have mine [morning glories] out already. probably a bit early -- but i didnt have much of a choice... we have not had freezing temps, but some COLD [my kid said it was 35 this morning]

I'll be able to check them on Wed.

mine were 4 leaves i think.

I have been behind you all on everything else so I just planted mine today. Yellow. I have never seen yellow morning glories. Have you?

J -- no, ,i've never seen one, but I'be heard them mentioned.

you can always check the Morning Glory forum.

and you're probably not behind, i'm just doing things too early -- because i really didnt have a choice.

I'll be gone for the summer - so i have to get everything in the ground quickly.

Thank you everyone. I will probably wait a litle longer. Most only have two leaves. I think I will wait unitl they have at least 4 leaves.

Yellow is probably Japanese Morning Glories.

That's interesting Sharon. Why do you think that? Jeanette

Probably this tender perennial MG:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53472/

clpgirl.

I think (provided we are still up here next year) I will give the tomatoes a try in the WS. I love have thick and strong your stems look in the pictures...

Our plant sale went well, and my 150 Tomato plants sold like hot cakes.....LOL

Funny thing was most people didn't know about the varieties that I had grown.... really strange as I figured if I knew them they would most certainly know them.

Janet

Yep. I had a couple guys ask me lots about the heirlooms, and one asked if I was having an end of the season clearance sale later, and if I sold at the Medina Farmer's Market! Thought I was a business, because we had labeled the plants "Chippewa Lake Sown and Grown" to differentiate them from the baskets the club always gets from a local nursery. Had my chest puffed out, so to speak!

Though cold, rainy, windy and hailing we had a good sale. Being out in the middle of nowhere it's mostly yearly returnees but we had some people just come in off the road.

Was very surprised that some people took my little heirlooms over the biggies from the local nursery. Glad you all did well too, and hope your weather was better. I didn't warm up for hours after.

Had a freeze warning last night and heading out to see how all my remaining WS jugs/trays/pots are doing. Covered them with a sheet, so I"m assuming they did OK.

This has been a great adventure!

Just found this yellow MG too, hadn't heard of this one, and would love to try it!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2005/09/08/EmmaGrace/9c49b3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/88426/&usg=__-Iaq805HACXR0rZqLcCaHi94NyI=&h=765&w=850&sz=104&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=C6-rgd3HWaglQM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=145&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Bmorning%2Bglory%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1

I see Dianes Seeds has the seeds for $3 for 20 seeds Not bad. I have bought from her. She has pretty good seeds. I always find tho, that when I want one pack it costs so much because of the shipping. On top of the $3. That's what hurts and stops me a lot of the time.

I just gave my yellow MG seeds away because in the PF it says they are a perennial in a hot climate, and may not bloom in a short season.

I don't know if they were the trumpet or not. I got them in a swap from a lady in Texas. Oh, come to think of it, she has a picture of them in the plant files. You might get some from her.

I think I'd have the same problem with the perennial ones, and I'd bet thats what you had. I hadn't heard of the yellow trumpet type before, and those are an annual. They look like a yellow version of Cardinal climber.

LOL, I almost told you that. That they looked like a yellow Cardinal Climber.

I was lurking on a DG thread and found the Japanese morning Glories. The Japanese are and have been for years hybridizing the morning glory into another element. The new morning glories they are putting out are out of this world. I had a DG member send me seeds and I have started them in three different pots because there are three different colors. You need to investigate because you will be very surprised in what you see.

I have ordered some from a lady on marketplace.

I'm heading over to Marketplace right now, cuz I looked those Japanese cultivars up last night and they are amazing!

clpgirl were those the ones you were looking for? The Japanese MGs?\

Ok you guys, now I need advice.

I stuck with you all winter and maybe about a little over half of my stuff finally germinated. I think I am going to repot a lot of them in bigger pots, cutting them up, and then plant them in the fall.

However, I divided some Rudbeckias and repotted them earlier and they are pretty big. So, it has finally gotten warm here, first day in the 70s was yesterday. And it is going up from there according to the weatherman. So, I want to plant the Rudis. What do I do to protect them???? Gotta know soon. Thanks,

Jeanette

What are you wanting to protect them from? They're pretty hardy and tolerant, I've had a few bugs munch on them some, but not bad enough to have to spray.

Mainly the sun I think. Also, what eats them? Someone said rabbits like pussy willows. Guess they clean them off. I know there are rabbits out there unless the coyotes and cougars have gotten them, but haven't had them eat any of my plants. I have seen them around the tomatoes but doubt if they want those. No damage there.

So, I guess my question is, if you know what does eat rudies. Deer or rabbits might be the only thing like that. Slugs?

I had some insects eating the leaves of my Ruds. It wasn't very bad but initially, I was concerned. Diatomaceous Earth will an organic insecticide that will discourage some of the crawlers from getting to your plants.

I planted my WSn plants with no protection. They are all doing extremely well. Some critter did eat the leaves off of some of my delphs but that's it. I did find a chipmunk hanging out in my back yard.

Here's a picture:
I thought I planted a red Gaillardia but the bloom is yellow and the leaves looks the same as the Ruds. I guess I'll find out once it blooms.

Anita, I know we are the same zone. When did you plant yours? I think if I get them in in the next week I shouldn't have to worry about the sun. It has been real cool here this spring. Only one or 2 days even in the 70s. But, that is when it normally zooms directly into real hot so I had better get them in.

Other than that, possible rabbits or deer. Think the predators must have gotten the rabbits tho 'cause I haven't seen any this spring. I am anxious to get these planted and wish I had gotten more of the WS into bigger pots so they had gotten more size to them and I would plant them out. Now I will have to wait until fall.

As far as winter sowing again? Well, I know this was an unusual winter for everybody. ESPECIALLY for us. Absolutely no snow. A year earlier there was 77 inches on the ground. So, I did lose a lot of good seed. Maybe I will not winter sow all of my seed so I will still have some for seed plants. Then I can plant that in the house.

Those plants were some of the first ones I put in the ground. We had a lot of rain and I was waiting to get compost to start some new beds. The WSn plants I just put in the ground are still pretty small compared to those. I did finally get them planted and those are doing much better than any I started inside. Here's most of my WSn sprouts.

cherry brandy WS'ed last year

One wish,

Those are actually red!! Mine were so ugly I couldn't believe it. I was so anxious for them to bloom and they came out this ugly brown color. I heard other people say the same thing.

So, the second year they come out red?? They are pretty now. I will be anxious again this year for mine to bloom. I do still have some. LOL, I gave some away 'cause I didn't like them.

I wasn't impressed with them last year either... and a storm got to them this year.. they are kind of floppy... I will give them another year to see how it goes