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

Joan 6aon,
Twist ties? I must have 2,000 of them. And don't even get me started on my elastic collection.... ;)

Shirley1md,
On the soda bottles and milk jugs, I tried duct tape the first time. Worked great all winter until it came time to try to take it off....what a project! It almost had me in tears. The twist ties work nicely on the jugs.....just the right amount of ventilation. On the bottles, sometimes it's a little work to get the tops on. Half the time I end up with bend in the middle, but the plants don't seem to mind. Also, if I have them cut completely in half, they store a lot better. Stacks of bottoms and stacks of tops. I can get about 2 garbage bags of bottles stacked in a small corner until I need them.

Yes, soil depth is extremely important, from my experience. I fill my containers to the hightest point I can until it's level with the edge. So that's about 6 inches on the bottles, which settles to about 4 inches in Spring. This works best for me, as I'm not as diligent about watering and planting out as I'd like to be. ;) This lets the sprouts sit in their containers without doing too much damage to the roots. And if you're trying this for the first time, wait until you see the root systems on these babies! Amazing!

I thought you guys might like this link. I think it will work with milk jugs to.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wtrsow/msg1212534423639.html?27

What a great idea! I wonder how that will work on milk gallons..they seem a bit more flimsier.

Anita, I think merryma's idea of leaving a hinge on milk jugs is a good idea.

Aren't gardeners inovative? Wowsers

Joan

very true Joan

I tried the cutting method on my soda bottles when I first started, but it was an awful lot of work. I figured there had to be an easier way. Then I tried just "smushing" the top back on.......if you get the right angle, it goes on as if it was never cut and (bonus) no tape! :) I'm pretty sure either the cutting or smushing way won't work on milk jugs, you're right, too flimsy.

However, the best thing about winter sowing is there no right way or wrong way to do it. Just experiment and sometimes you come up with a better way to do things. Every year, I tweak my "method" to save some work. Sometimes it work, sometimes it doesn't......I tried labelling on the bottles themselves....worked great until I took the tops off. I had a heck of a time trying to match up the right tops with the right sprouts. Sheesh! From now on, I use old mini blinds cut up for seed markers. If you write on it with a "heavy" lead pencil, it stays through everything. And they can be used to mark your sprouts when they're planted out. I found some markers out there this spring from the year before...still legible.

I've been leaving a hinge on my soda bottles and milk jugs. That way the two halves fit perfectly together and you won't have to try and match them up. For the labeling, I write a number on the bottom of the container with a weatherproof Deco Art pen, as well as, on the side of the jug. I then match the number up with a list that I maintain of my wintersown seeds. When it's time to go outside to see what's germinated, I'll just stick my list in a clear plastic sleeve (report cover) to keep it clean & dry.

Lead pencils and mini blinds work great!! I have some that have lasted 3 years.

I like that idea of leaving a hinge on them! Thanks. I used mini blinds and a grease pencil, I wrote the number on both sides top and bottom of the lable and then I wrote the number on the top on each corner (3) and I just wrote it once on the inside, I'm not going to lose those #'s! And I'm gonna watch'em like a hawk lol If I ever get them all done lol
Lea

I bought a marker and plant markers from an online gardening source - so far so good. They had some real nice ones too - but I am sticking to the simple for now. I use a paint pen for the containers.

Here's the website for the markers http://www.gardenmarker.com/index.htm

Aluminum tape works really well for marking containers - any writing is basically engraved into the tape and will not fade.

Excellent website, Anita! Have you ordered from them before? How do their prices compare with other companies?

Where does one find aluminum tape, PVick? How much does it cost?

Guess what???? We now have our own Winter Sowing Forum!!! How cool is that? (no pun intended)!!!

Yes Shirley - I've ordered from them. They seem to be competitive. I really tried them since they feel so strongly about their marking pen - time will test that

Shirley - I found the aluminum foil tape in the "heating and cooling" section of the local Home Depot. I believe I paid about $6 for a 50 yd. roll of it - been using the same roll for 3 years now, and it's only about 1/2 gone. The tape is about 2" wide; I stick it right on the side of the pot/flat, or on the pieces of blinds that I sometimes use for labels. Stays stuck and legible until I want it off, then it peels off easily.

Can you tell I like the stuff?

Thanks Anita! I'm going to order from them tonight!

PVick, thanks for making me look in Home Depot's "Heating & Cooling" Department.......don't usually go to that section. I'm definitely going to check it out! I like that it stays stuck , legible, and peels off easily. Great attributes!

BTW, lots of my Lupines have already germinated!!! Hurry up Spring!!!

PVick,

aluminum foil tape; as in 'duct tape'?

~* Robin

Oh rats! I thought aluminum foil tape was different than duct tape! I already have duct tape....looking for other alternatives that would work as well.

Nope, aluminum foil tape as in aluminum foil tape. Well, I suppose it is a duct tape type - says it's used "For Foil Jacketing Insulation". It has a paper backing which you peel away. Really works well ......

Aluminum foil tape definitely sounds different than duct tape, since it has a paper backing. Have you compared the price with duct tape?

PVick,

Could you give us a picture of the tape; so we know what to look for?

~* Robin

Here's a pic from the home depot site:

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/105879_4.jpg

I'll take a pic of the real stuff in a while ....

PV

I've been trying to post a link to the product on the Home Depot site, but it won't work,

So ... I'll go take some pictures of the real stuff and post them later.

PV

The link works, PV.

When do you usually start your stuff?

Nancy

I can't believe winter has actually returned to Long Island!! We actually had snow with 28 degrees!! It's been in the high 50's the last two weeks. I was beginning to worry about the containers that I had sown already!

How much snow did some of the other New Yorkers get?? I am also assuming that the others on the NE Coast got this storm system as well.

Thanks for the link, PVick. Now, I know what it looks like, but still would like to see the "tape backing".

Anita, we didn't get snow in the Mid-Atlantic. Instead, we got VERY blustery winds for the past two days. The wind was so strong that it knocked over my wooden garden bench! We had a little bit of precip late Friday night into early Saturday morning, but it was in the form of rain. At least I didn't have to water my WS containers!

Sorry for posting multiples, but it did not seem like it was going thru, and I didn't see them on the board! My bad .......

Nancy - I'm scaling my sowing waaaay back this year. I've started a few perennials and tree seeds in the last couple of weeks; will go through my seeds for the zillionth time to see what else I want to sow. I'll continue sowing right up to early April.

Anita - I woke up this morning to a sprinkling on the terrace. Maybe an inch fell here in Brooklyn overnight, but it was COLD! It's 17° now, with a wind chill of 0°. Brrrrrrrrr!


PV



This message was edited Jan 15, 2006 10:05 PM

Here you go, Shirley!

Tape and backing (coated white paper):

Here with writing -

Back side of foil, with writing -

Hope this helps!

PV

Thanx PVick.

Temps: 8 degrees F - Wind Chill: minus 7°F
one inch of snow on the ground. Wind speeds were up to 25 MPH, gusting to 33 MPH!

Another Native New Yorker. Bklyn, Bnx & Qns. Is the HD by Aquaduct Raceway still open 24/7?

~* Robin

PV: Thanks SO MUCH for your photos of the front & back of your foil backed tape! What do you use to write with on the tape? Can a ball point pen or pencil be used? Does the etching stay legible all winter long? Does the writing ever fade? I assume that this tape can be used in all types of inclement weather, as well as, in the hot sun.

Bbrrrr! Robin!! You're making me shiver just reading your post!!!

You can write on it with anything - I use an old mechanical pencil that has no lead anymore. As long as it has some kind of pointy tip, whatever you use will just etch the writing into the tape.

Yes, it can stay out in all kinds of weather and the writing does not fade - I've got some empty (read "dirty") pots with these labels that have been sitting outside since 2003 and I can still read what is written, clearly. Granted, my garden may not be exposed as much as ground gardens, but it gets its share; plus ground gardeners say it works well for them too. Some folks fashion plant markers with the tape and wire.

The snow has melted here (sunny and COLD!), but the water has now turned to ice, and my terrace is an ice skating rink. Hope anyone who has to go out in these conditions is very careful .....

PV

PV: Thanks so much for all your very helpful advise. I'm definitely going to check out this tape when I go to Home Depot. Does this type of tape ever go on sale?

Hi All, I have been following this thread with great interest. I read the wintersowing site someone recommended but I am still worried about how this would work in my zone. I have containers and seeds all ready to go and it would be so nice to be able to do it this way because I just don't have the room or light source to have a bazillion little seedling pots hanging around the house. Most of the seeds I want to start are are veggies. I would like to do tomatoes, broc, cauliflower, spinach and some other things but it is slipping my mind right now.

Laura

Hi Laura - one of the lists that I've seen have noted that tomatoes were w/s in your zone. I would suggest doing some [not all of your seed] to see? Then you know for next year.