WINTERSOWING Preparations for 20-15-2016 Season & DISCUSSION

Just dump the seeds and growing medium into the garden, you'll probably see those plants growing if you don't disturb them in the meantime. Maybe even the following season you'll see those difficult to germinate seeds growing.

We can only try to mimic the grand design. It's the seedy truth Ju!

I think chinese takeout trays with potting soil in the greenhouse will do to press the stratified seeds into that want temps from 50 to 70 and just wish them luck. Going to be 84 or 86 here on Monday, greenhouse gets warm. But moist

oh I messed up too. Bought a 3 pack of Dahlias and a 10 pack of hollyhocks at home depot today. Just what I needed, more stuff that needs planted.

Oh, you messed up? Gee, I don't know what that's like, lol ;)

paid full price for the dahlias. If I wait til they are half price maybe 25% live to sprout. going to have to grasshopper shield them, may have to get that stuff that infects grasshoppers because they have killed my dahlias a couple of years in a row.

So buying dahlias is a messup, but I only spent $8

Your mess-up is a learning experience for others. For instance, I didn't know there was such a thing as grasshopper shield or that grasshoppers were such an issue in TX.

I'm feeling good about having felines, they like grasshoppers.

I have so many grasshoppers I turned the chickens loose in the flower bed as the cats couldn't keep up. Then my neighbor's dog got my rooster and I penned the hens up. There is no real grasshopper shield but I think windowscreen tunnels might work. the grasshoppers don't like tough stuff like iris, they LOVE dahlias though.

Ouch, to losing your rooster to the neighbor's dog.

he was the best rooster I ever had. He got his hens to safety and fought the dog twice according to the evidence. He would let me take selfies with him. His son was ok, but got ornery as he got older. My young bunch has a couple of roosters in it, if there is a good stable one that is handleable, I may keep one.

This message was edited Mar 12, 2016 9:06 AM

Hi all! Getting back into gardening as last year was an epic fail! Winter sowing has me off to a good start, I managed to sow 100 containers this year! :)) And I have sprouts in a dozen or so containers already! Woot woot! The pics are ammi majus, tricolor chrysanthemum & chinese wisteria.

I am so excited because I did my Wintersowing on January 31 and checked my jugs today and every one of my Jugs are showing signs of sprouting seeds .I was late this year because I was fighting a winter cough and cold and just could not get it done in December .I have been babying a Blue Delphinum plants for two years and it seems to be springing up again and hope it flower for me this year and reseed itself for many seasons to come.Can't wait to get in the garden .

Wow SPWD that is amazing!
cytf I LOVE blue delphs. I have tried several times, each time the slugs get them. I think if I tried again I would bait for slugs the first year or two. In general I don't use poison anymore, but have found for a few other plants that are slugbait, if I bait early in spring while they are emerging for one or two years, they get big and vigorous that the year after, they grow so fast the slugs may get a few meals, then the plant is big and is resistant.

Hi Pistil,I l kept putting down up Eggshells on the soil as often as I can because I heard that the eggshells irritate the grubs .

My WS seedlings have started to sprout...just in time for snow storm Sunday night and Monday! YAY SPRING is finally here - LOL! I guess this is typical spring for New England. What a WEIRD (overly warm for the most part) winter it's been!

Cytf that's great! It seems early for New York.. has Spring already sprung there? It seems everyone is warmer than usual.. weve been downright hot, pushing 90 a few days! The warmer weather even persuaded some local gardeners to plant early (I've always followed the old timers and waited til Easter). Anyway they got lucky with no late freezes, then this morning a freak hailstorm came through and demolished some people's gardens.. golf ball sized hail.. and it even killed some zoo animals :((

Anyway I hope to get my jugs open soon but I'm not taking the chance yet!

Hi StillPlay please keep your hailstorm lol .We are expecting some snow and rain beginning tonight, I had to laugh at my hubby because he saw my fig plant sprouting in the basement and said its time to put it outside . I said to him you are not a gardener ,because I know NY is famous for getting snow on Eastertime, but it's now coming earlier.

Yes, we in the Northeast know not to trust those 60 degree days when they come to early! Weather changes on a dime for us! My WSing containers are sprouting, and that is always its own reward :) I hope everyone else's are doing well!

Becky, I envy your warmer temps...but I know Spring is not TOO far off (not first day of, but when it says consistently NICE!) now!
Have a great weekend everyone!