opaque milk jugs?

Robin ; ] I`m hoping I have good germination Ill use them again...love the seed packets sooo pretty....They are GMO free seed,,which is nice...I didn't get any more jugs seeded ..darn,I will today later...woke up to Horrible wind last night , I kept wondering if my jugs were blowing around ,we kinda hap hazardly set my jugs outside the screened porch so they got sun...I did not tape my jugs shut this year...and they stayed put on the east side of the house....I rebent the hinge back the opposite direction after I seeded the jugs and they closed nice an tight and I thought hmmm...No messing with tape would be really nice...You just need to remember when you pick them up do so from the bottom 1/2.. LOL..we will see if this pans out well..a little less work and helpful for watering them..

Hope it's worked very well for you, I've also got big hopes for my setup...we shall see come warmer temps. Good luck and happy growing!

Im missing my light set up this year ... taking a trip out to Denver soon and have no one to trust enough to care for seedlings..and a lot of them...so I opted not to set up..missing it...I would grow 20 flats...start my begonias and caladiums...well well...Im so sad...and it is SNOWING again....

All will be well soon. When you get back from Denver, the weather will be nice and you can still decide to set up your lights and perhaps grow less (better late than never)!

Some annuals and vegetables can be grown in a short time.
Many only require a few weeks of indoor growing.
You can adapt your gardening to the time you have to start seedlings
by choosing different plants.
Caroline

Your right ... I just want to get growing I guess..lol

I see stinking moles have come up ..Traps today

More jugs today..Some of that new seed needs to get out

I thought it was to late to use jugs now? I did start some beets in jugs last year but was late getting them into bed and they were so overgrown - hard to thin for spacing. I always seem to have trouble with peas germinating? Has anyone started them in jugs? I also have about half of my cold frame empty and would like to start something out there; any suggestions from your experience?

Glad you said that Im planting sweet peas in them today...I don't think its too late here in zone 5...

Yes Im probly panicking over nothing ...I will have plenty of grow time ...I still miss seeing my blooming petunias in the house... ;}

Marty, I soak peas overnight and direct sow. I've had great success with this and haven't tried any other method.

I have always direct sown too but have several years where due to weather - too wet/cold, and too warm. I did not get any germination - this is even with using innoculent. So I was hoping to be able to pre start them where I could control for conditions and then transplant. But I have not heard of anyone doing this before. Maybe I would be better off hilling the row a bit and covering as needed?

I have started them in cell packs, outside with good results. Then they are easily tranferred to the ground. It would be more difficult to take the tangled roots out of jugs, I imagine....

Evelyn, Oh thanks - it's good to know that it can be done. I may try both - hilling some in case it's very rainy and starting some in cell packs. Since it's gotten sunny and warmer I have had to start opening my cold frame in the daytime - the spinach is going well, but it does not need warmth! Some did not sprout so I will sew some new...better not to have it all the same age, as I like to pick and use fresh.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2014 1:49 PM

Good strategy Marty...hedge your bets.

It is most often recommended that lupine be sowed either in the ground, or if starting early, in peat pots. However, I have not been successful at peat pots. That is when I switched to cell packs with better results. Just be sure to watch the roots and then either plant them in the ground, or transfer (carefully) to gallon size pots. Handle with care, when tranferring them or transplanting them, as the radicles or roots can get damaged easily.

Here is what I did in the dead of winter. I planted:

Sourwood trees
Japanese Red Pine
Commelina dianthifolia
Meconopsis cambria doubles
Nepeta Blue Moon
Phlomis tuberosa
Iberis sempervirens
Dierama Slieve Donard hybrids
Campanula cashmeriana
Lavender hidcote
Alstroemeria ligtu hybrids
Agastache Apricot sprite
Penstemon heterophyllus True Blue'Belamcanda chinensis
Linum silvestre saphyr
Echinacea paradoxa
Linum perenne lewissi

We had very cold weather in early Dec (for us), 3-4 days stayed below freezing, reaching 10 degrees at night. then again in Feb, to 15 degrees. No snow to speak of.

Of all these seeds, I only got a few Pines, which were planted in the soda bottle, and 3 Dierama, in opaque milk jug. Kind of a bust! I will try again next winter though. I have a cleaning lady who uses lots of vinegar, and she is saving me the jugs. They seem sturdier and not opaque!
p.s. I know I can't really keep Dierama here, having tried 3 times-anyone want them?

I'm so sorry MLM, I'm not getting much better results using the container method. It's probably due to the harsh winter we had (bad timing for a newbie). I love Dierama , so wish I could take it but its a zone 8 plant and I'm a zone 6...drat!

Wishing us both much better luck with next spring results.

I comiserate; but am also glad to know that it is not just me. I have so few seedlings from my winter sowing. I need to look up my records to see which did sprout, and pot them up.

Marty, commiseration accepted and reciprocated. Hopefully you'll try again with better luck or a better winter!

From the Vote Pile ,) Major Fail here) Well Poo ...

Your attempts failed Ju? Suddenly I don't feel quite as sad...

Yes my winter sow cans in Back , 12 of them not a plant , two types of plants sprouted , then died ..
Poppies , and Coneflowers , in the wintersown sprouters , is all I have from winter sow .
Got some Great Herbs (weeds) all around the yard though ...

Sad to know you've had tough luck too but, not as sad as I was 'cause I'm in good company. Knowing things were a bust for seasoned WS'ers makes me think there's still hope for me. Just thought I better splain myself rather than let you think I was happy about your poo. lol.

LOL ,, It all goes good in the Garden , eventually , I will recover ,you will recover , all here will recover ,, and another season will happen .
I got three Bela Lugosi Daylily crosses also ,, but that's it ,, three successes and about 17 fails ,, Grrrrr goes with that !!!

Marty, Mipii -thanks for the commiseration, but I am not a seasoned winter sower, this was my first try. But you are right, I actually feel slightly less bad knowing juhur and Marty had problems this year too. I will try again!
juhur-You never know, one of the three might be just what you are hoping for, and then you could have fun finding a 'horror-ible' name!

And what would we do if all our seedlings succeeded? i don't have time or space for that many plants. And I am terrible at thinning things. I pull out my radish seedlings that are too close and stick them in a new finger made hole immediately. Sometimes it even works! HeHe.

I had the same problems too .The basil seeds only gave me 3 plants , got lots of pansies , the petunias and the cardinal flower still very small , the Delphi and the cockscomb still need to get a bit taller and stronger to be transplanted . To my great surprise I got one white hibiscus and two white swan coneflower to germinate but still not big enough to be transplanted. so I guess I can thank my lucky stars . Who said WS is was as easy as kissing hands.LOL

mlmlakestevens; from earlier , like ; Hey Mom ,Hey Mom, Hey Mom, Mom replies ; Yes Brattella..

or perhaps ; Ruetesta ...

OK, I think I will go with "summer sowing" as I got so really nice plants from those sown last August...pansies, foxglove (loads), daisies, hollyhocks. Some other seeds did not germinate, so I will try so more this coming summer.

I covered them with a "close weave" black nursery flat. That seemed to do the trick as previously I could not imagine sowing anything in summer and having them germinate or survive after they did.

Summertime heat and all ,, Gets T-O-U-G-H ,, it does !!!

That's what I thought...but it worked! I read that summer was the best time to sow certain plants, especially pansies. I could not imagine them surviving, especially with me.

The foxgloves are now large and ready to plant, so I had better get out there. I have already planted some. They are in full sun for most of the day. I will place them in the shadier parts of the gardens.

Reading this thread now that has alot of great info...I am new at WS'ing and will try it first hand this winter. Saving milk bottles, but very interested in Blomma's shoe box and other square/rectangle
Blomma, and others who use this type of method (vs. open milk jugs to let in snow/moisture) do the shoe box tops have to be TIGHT (airtight) fitting? And if you use the square shoe boxes inside the large tub/container, do you still put holes in the bottoms of the shoe boxes and the large bin? I'm confused about that.
THANKS in advance to all you expert WS-ers!

when i used tubs/show boxes, i drilled holes in the lids. you do need moisture, even though it is winter. so -- holes in tops and bottoms. BUT -- that being said, I did not have as good of luck with my seedlings/seeds as I do with milk jugs. [my new favorite is the gallon jugs for vinegar. they are much stronger]

Thanks tcs. How many years have you winter-sown? Two? Milk jugs work for me as long as i can save enough..
But if you put the cover on the large bin with shoe boxes inside, are there also holds in the large bin top? (It appears that way?)

My first year was 2007

I did not do bins in a larger bin. guess i'd have to go back and find that image.

i once did 16oz solo cups in a larger bin, as someone else had done; did not have success with that either.

BUT -- now that i'm becoming a snow bird, I wont be able to WS anymore.

I have used gallon vinegar jugs too and they worked fine me,they are much sturdier .I have also used the large sour cream and yogurt containers and cut a circle in the lid and put clear produce bags over the container and I put on the lids and then pierce the plastic for ventilation. You you look back on one of my past post in Jan 2014 I placed the milk jugs in milk crates so they can stay steady and not be blown away

Cyn,
I did see the milk crates w jugs...great idea!
Was also just wondering if the boxes in the big bins were more "compact"
What r u going to winter sow this year?

I usually "corral" my jugs and various containers in thick cardboard boxes or an old laundry basket... so they don't blow around the yard.

Great idea...that would be BAD to do all that planting and have them destroyed by wind!

Hi all, I've been having fun reading this thread also! :)

I took a lot of your guys' advice last winter and had good germination using a combination of milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles. The latter worked great for plants with taproots so as not to disturb them too much when transplanting. This year I think I'll use them again.. I really like the idea of corralling the milk jugs in milk crates (duh, why didn't I think of that??), and I'll be asking my local convenience store for some of their plastic flats that are pre-molded to hold 6-8 2 liter bottles, so they can be "held together" too.

Last year I had an empty raised bed on the north side of my house, gets a little morning sun in the winter, but after that mostly shade, I set all the jugs in there to protect them from too much wind/sun and it worked out, but I have things growing in there this winter, so the crates and flats will be perfect!