Winter Soltice Celebration.......Wintersowing Begins!

I've got lettuces, spinich, broccoli, stocks, penstamens, native Texas Columbines, Blackberry lillies, poppies, snaps, sweet peas, and eachinacea going already. I'll find some more stuff for the solstice. Just think of all us gardeners doing the same thing, just HAS to bring us good luck!
Debbie
:)

Debbie, your climate is about like mine and maybe even a tad warmer. My hope is renewed that I can do this. I'm from Tennessee where there was a "real" winter so I wasn't sure about winter sowing in this zone. If we cover to make a greenhouse, are they going to get too warm? Do you keep your flats where they can get any sun or in the shade to reduce the heat on the 70 to 80 degree days? I'm going to stick a few in the frige also just to see what happens.

Holly

I am very curious about the aspirin watering too...I might give it a try as well. I am curious to see everyone else's results.

Anita

I think what I did with my seeds by Fall planting was similar to
Winter Sowing so I jumped in, hope I'm not too far off.
Here is a photo that I took today of some of my seeds outside.
They include Yucca, White Oak acorns, Chinkapin Oak acorns,
Hollyhock, Japanese Wisteria, Bur Oak acorns, Persimmon, Redbud,
Dogwood, Thornless-Honeylocust, White Ash, Baldcypress and more I'm sure that aren't coming to the top of my head.

All my seeds are seeds that I collected from local plants this Fall. I usually get my seeds from public places like parks, cemetaries, anyplace I can get to and not be under suspicion.
I've had good success in past years with all of the above with the exception of Yucca, Dogwood and Hollyhock, this is the first year that I'm trying them. My seed-boxes I either made out of lumber, bought from Wal-mart or found in the trash. The ones in the photo on the left are those under-bed clear plastic storage totes from Wal-mart for $3.44 apiece, I have 12 of them scattered around. I re-use them if I can keep the mower guy from hitting them!

Will

Oops, I meant on the right in the photo.. sorry.

Will

Holly--
I've got the flats out on the back brick path going to the garden. I didn't put anything on top of them. Everything is growing real well. The Hinckley's yellow Columbine I planted in October now has two or more true leaves and are about 1 1/2 inches high. The lettuce has slowed down but the spinich is growing well. I would say they have sun about 3/4's of the day. I was having to get out there and water them but lately it has rained enough to keep them moist. My Blackberry lillies got zapped by frost but I'm assuming since they are perennial they will return? I got these seeds in trade and have never grown them before.If it looks like its going to really freeze hard--I will bring the Hinckley's yellow Columbine in (native Texas plant--rather "pricey") and also my stocks. I think stocks have one of the best smells of any plant and only grow down here in really early spring.
Debbie

Guilty as charged, Suzi! I'm the one who posted and started the thread on aspirin water. Yes, I plan to spray/water half my seedling & plants with this solution and will continue throughout the Summer & Fall. It's best to re-read the articles that were posted on the other thread, as it gives you the correct proportions of asprin to water ratio. I'm afraid I may misquote it if done from memory. Lets talk about aspirin water and its effects on our seedlings & plants on the aspirin water thread. I don't want to confuse anyone thinking that aspirin water is necessary for wintersowing....it's NOT. Here is the thread on aspirin water http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/560762/ .

This message was edited Dec 19, 2005 9:35 PM

dmj1218: You're WSing some wonderful seeds! "Just think of all us gardeners doing the same thing, just HAS to bring us good luck!"....I couldn't agree more!! BTW, Happy Belated Birthday to YOU!!

Holly: Here is what www.wintersown.org says about WSing in warmer climates.
"You don't need snow and ice or freezing temperatures to Winter Sow, you just need the season called Winter, and where you are Winter isn't a season that is long or bitterly cold, it's milder and gentler....and you don't have to shovel out from a snowstorm. Lucky you!"

As well as, " Which seeds can I sow?"

"You can sow almost any annual, and most certainly all biennials and perennials that are suited to growing in your warmer zone. Look for "sub-tropicals" when you search for seeds, you can even try a few tropical seeds too....but if you don't have confidence in sowing tropical seeds then hold back some seeds to start inside, compare the germination and learn from your efforts."

"As your Winter is so very short I would suggest placing the seed flats outdoors where they will get direct light only in the morning or afternoon, brilliant overhead sunlight at midday might can be too intense causing the air inside the flats to super-heat which will "cook" the seeds....bummer." I hope this answers your questions.

Hi Anita: I'm delighted that there is growing interest in aspirin water, but lets talk about it on the other thread. Thanks :~)

Welcome to WS, Shortleaf! It appears that you've gotten a head start! Fantastic!! You have a very impressive list of seeds that you are sowing!

djm: Your Blackberry Lilies are perennials. They should return next year. Why are you bringing in your Columbine? They are hardy perennials too. Shouldn't you plant these in the ground if they already have their 2nd set of leaves? If you WS'ed them, they already are hardy & use to the temperatures outdoors.

I wanted to pipe in with my 2 cents.

I have had good success with winter sowing in containers- but I don't cover them at all. I sow in flats, label them and just place them where they'll get plenty of sun and rain.

berrygirl: Do you have any problems with birds, squirrels and other critters helping themselves to the seeds in your containers without a cover? What percentage of seed germination did you have? Did you have any problems with the soil in your containers drying out? I'm not critizing, I'm simply asking questions.

Thanks Shirley! Most people don't realize what that "1218" means.

I don't cover my flats at all. I haven't had any problems with wildlife with the seeds in flats so far. I will admit germination rates are only about 80% but I figured this was due to colder temps.

I've also started seeds in some very large pots where they will not be transplanted. Snapdragons, larkspur, poppies, yes more stocks, and dianthus.

I think I'll start some echinacea tenneeseeinsis tomorrow. I hrat they like cold stratification.

Debbie

dmj: Glad I figured out what the "1218" meant! Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

All your seeds that you have sown are great! Remember that there are "variables such as viability of the seed - type of container - moisture - temperature - growing medium - etc., all contribute to the success or failure of winter sowing. You are encouraged to experiment, push the limit and take the "Leap of Faith".

Here is a link to a blank spreadsheet that will help you maintain a comprehensive list of the seeds that you have wintersown. Just change the year to reflect 2005-2006. You can add and/or delete columns and then re-save the spreadsheet. Do whatever works for you. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mamrudd/blank.htm

WINTER SOLTICE BEGINS TOMORROW, DECEMBER 21ST @ 1:36PM. HAPPY SOWING EVERYONE!!

Ok, outside they go...sans greenhouse covers for some, under patio w/ baggie covers for others. By the way, this has nothing really to do with winter sowing but...my mango seed has sprouted!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had 2 mango seed sprout and start to grow, but they both developed a black fungus in the propogator, fatal. I have kept 2 more, this time left the outer shell on, they have dried, which isn't supposed to happen I think, but I may try them, this time put the end in water for them to sprout - maybe when it gets warmer!
I have heard of the winter solstice sowing, some live by the seasons, but it would have to be a hardy plant. They say you should plant garlic on the shortest day, harvest on the longest, well the harvest bit might come unstuck in colder climes.

Shirley,
I forgot to "watch" this thread and promptly forgot it- LOL!

No, I don't have problems with animals eating the seeds or the containers drying out. We never go too long in between winter rains here in Ga anyway. I couldn't give an exact estimation on germ rates but I can tell you that I always have full sprouted containers come Spring. In fact I have better success at wintersowing than at Spring.

Okay, I didn't get even close to all the seeds sown that I wanted to, but did do daylilies and iris. Then spent time cleaning out the greenhouse frame (no cover due to a storm last spring) I think every leaf and twig in the neighborhood landed in there over the summer and fall!

What is wintersowing?LOL

keyi: It's okay that you didn't sow all the seeds that you wanted to.....you've got all Winter and Spring to sow your seeds! Glad that you did sow your Daylilies and Irises!! Sorry to hear about your greenhouse, but thankfully you don't need it for wintersown seeds!

budgielover: Please go to http://www.wintersown.org and READ, Read, read! Especially the page about wintersowing in warmer climates.

Shirley,
The only reference I could find re: warmer climates is under the FAQ which is just a short paragraph. Am I missing a page somewhere?

Try here http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/It_Doesnt_Snow_Here.html and here http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/wtrsow/2002074212002118.html

Thanks Shirley,
That was the page I was referring to. I thought maybe somebody was doing something different from what I do. With the exception of very fine seeds, I start my seeds in flats year round so I don't waste garden space on non germinating seeds.
Jan...

I didn't do a Soltice planting, as I haven't had time. I have a nice long weekend next weekend and plan on doing a few then. My thought was to plant the hardier stuff in January and the less hardy stuff in March [especially the ones with a short gemination time]

Help! being a little over zealous this year I winter sowed almost
28 containers,now 6 already sprouted (looking very happy)
what do I need to do to save these little guys.its been
in the high 70s the last few days.I put them (containers)
in a shadey spot knowing that we have warm weather
every week or so.what can I do about the rest of the containers?
Pheadra

georgiagarden3,
Had the same problem with seeds sprouting. So far, I have hollyhock, Prairie Sun Rudbeckia, marigold and convolvulus popping up. Just bought 6 shop lamps and a metal shelving unit to overwinter seedlings in the basement. May have to expand my operation, however. I didn't expect germination so soon. It's been so warm, the little seeds are getting confused.

DigsGardening

DigsGardening,I put all I had popping out in the hoophouse
with any luck they will survive,I`m moving the rest to the coolest place I can find.maybe old man winter will rember us here in
Ga,and send us some cooler temps....
Pheadra

georgiagarden3,
Great minds think alike. I have a hoophouse, too and as soon as I can transplant the new seedlings to cell packs, I'll put them in there to grow. Just came back from a Master Gardener meeting and the speaker gave a possible cause for our weird weather. He said that we are in a "neutral phase", neither "la Nina or el Nino", climatologically speaking. We should expect weather extremes this winter, maybe even some frozen precipitation. I noticed that my hydrangeas are leafing out also. Oh well, we'll just have to deal with it.

Digs

We've indeed had very strange weather in 2005. 2006 seems to be starting out that way too!

Since you both have a hoophouse, you're both very fortunate! Sometimes seeds germinate early due to weather fluctuations. Some may die off naturally...others will germinate and grow into plants. It's Mother Nature's way of saying, "only the strong survive"!

I agree with that Shirley

Thanks to you both for your encouragement. This is my first year at wintersowing and I have enjoyed getting my hands dirty. I've wondered what I was going to do in the spring when all of the seeds germinated at the same time. At least this way, I'll have time to transplant some before the rush.

Digs

Digs, with that prediction I think I'll wait and see. I have very little space to put plants, especially for a time-line from now until planting time. This sounds like such a good idea and wish I had known about it in prior years. Here's a pic of sedge which looks happy in it's first winter. Hope he makes it. Joan

Thanks Anita!

Digs: Wintersowing is the perfect solution because it keeps gardeners very busy sowing seeds even in the dead of Winter! Wintersowers are NEVER bored!!! Plus, it's very affordable, it allows us to have plants that otherwise might be very difficult to germinate & grow, plus it saves us money in the long run!

Please DON'T feel rushed! You've got all Winter to sow! When the time comes for planting out your seedlings, cut open your containers, extract out a "hunk" of seedlings and plant them in your garden. You don't need to seperate them one-by-one, unless you want to.

Joan: You can wintersow whenever the time is right for YOU! However, don't forget that some perennials such as Asters, Columbine, Dianthus, Hollyhocks, & Poppies need a longer germination period than others . Or you could just sow annuals, if you prefer.

Even if you don't have a lot of planting areas in your garden, you might want to consider growing annuals/perennials for hanging baskets, planters, family, friends and neighbors....the list goes on and on!

Did you grow the Sedge from seed? It looks very healthy & I'm sure it will come through the winter just fine!

Shirley1md ~ Sedge was bought from a nursery early last Fall so it had a good long time to get established. I have some Cosmo and Malva seeds which were sown later on and I'm hoping they've not all turned to mush as they were sent to me by friends. Morning Glory seeds scattered here and there, but more as an experiment.

Thanks for starting this thread. It has been most interesting and informative. Will keep it on the watch list to see what develops.

Joan

Thanks so much for all the info for this newbie. I've never planted from seed before and going to try it this year. I was told to get sterilized soil for potting. Is there a difference in bagged soil you get from say Walmart or Lowe's? What soil should I get to plant my seeds in? Any help is appreciated.

Carolyn

This'll be my fourth year winter sowing. I use mostly 2 liter bottles, gallon milk jugs, and 2 1/2 gallon water jugs (my personal holy grail of winter sowing containers) when I can find them. I usually start sometime in February. Preferably right in the middle of a snow storm...seems right, somehow. Right now, I'm not terribly organized.....I've got bags of soda bottles, etc. stuffed wherever I can find storage. I'll hopefully get started soon.

If anyone new to this concept is interested......I cut the bottles in half, punch holes in the bottoms. When I've got the dirt wet and seeded, I work the top halves back on to the bottoms, without the cap. With milk jugs, I cut it in half, but leaving a hinge. Then I punch two holes (one on the top half, one on the bottom) and use twist ties to secure them together. That's one way to use up all of those twist ties I can't seem to throw away.

Then I stuff them outside along my garden pathways and let them fend for themselves. Come Spring, voila! My own personal nursery.

What a good and economical idea this is. I'm new to winter-sowing so all suggestions are welcome.

When you say that you can't seem to throw the twist-ties away I sense a sister hoarder. lol

Joan

Welcome to Wintersowing, CRS!!! Choose containers that will be large & deep enough, as merryma explained in her message, so that the soil will not dry out. I made that mistake my 1st year. Also, please don't purchase cheap potting soil because it will turn to cement by the time you are ready to plant your seedlings. Go with a brand name, such as Miracle Grow, that you know is a quality potting soil.

maryma: I love the way you keep your bottle halves together! What a creative idea!! I never thought of that!! I've been using duct tape on all my containers. You learn something new everyday day!!

Shirley1md - I had some potting soil for seedling and I've used that - is regular potting soil better or should I buy more of the seedling soil?

I had trouble keeping the seedling mix moist when I used it, so just stick to potting mix now, like Miracle-Gro or Pro-Mix (or whatever is avail in your area). Regular potting soil can get heavy and compacted; you might want to mix in a bit of perlite to aid in drainage.

I used the Miracle Grow. I love the twist tie idea - I used duct tap this time. Can't wait to see the results!

~Anita