My WS containers for this season

I've been saving milk jugs and am trying to re-organize my potting shed. I looked at my leftover pots, looked at the jugs and said "hmmm". With the bottom cut off, the Gallon jugs just fit over the gallon containers while the 1/2 Gal. jugs are a perfect fit over 4" pots. I may cut down the large pots to about 5" deep for some seeds. I think it will be easier to remove the seedlings for re-potting or in the case of poppies give them much more room to grow until I'm ready to plant hunks. A bonus, with the bottoms cut off the jugs stack much more neatly.

Sounds like an interesting idea. How will you anchor the jugs to the pots on a very windy day?

I was going to use duct tape but I think I will use coathanger wire á la donn's earlier post. I inadvertantly came up with almost the exact same idea.

I tried this -- and had multiple issues with tipping & variations in humidity. Now I use cheap ziplocks (1 gal size). They fit over the 4" pot, and I close the zip so it is tight halfway up the side of the pot. I can observe what is -- or isn't -- going on with the plants a lot better.

I'm a newbie to winter sowing. Can you tell me what the reason is for the plastic covering of the seeds?

Thanks,

Maureen

Hi mlm, go to this site and read it, it explains all about winter sowing :o)
http://www.wintersown.org/
cg

KatyMac,
This is just a portion of my containers there stacked on top of each other.., the rest are out in the garage, plant pots, and oh yeah, I got gal size zip lock bags to use too... I have several ppl saving jugs for me... will be collecting them soon... then its going to be work work work to get them all ready...

I just hope I do it right and don't kill all my seeds :o)


Connie

Looks like you're seriously committed to WSing Connie. I may go with both jug and Zip bag covers. Just trying to cover all bases. I have yet to decide on all I'm planting, waiting for seed catalogs.

I have started making a few diagrams on paper, of the beds I want to do in the spring and the flowers I want to grow, Once I have that done :o) ha ha I will figure out which of the seeds I can and can't ws. Just seems like I started this in the beginning of Sept, and its already November, man where has the days gotten to? time is going by so fast and seems to be just passing me by lol.. before I know it Spring will be here...

dh is going to buy me some fencing the kind you can use on crafts with the 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch holes, to make little domes for my pots, I had some but he used it to put around a couple of trees to keep the rabbits off them..

I was just wondering how high should the domes be so there will be enough room for the seedling to grow? I have never done this before so I really don't know what to expect :o)

I will use the gallon bags to cover the pots plus ws some directly in the gal zip bags...

Connie

WS directly into ZipLoc bags? Hmmmmmm. Tell us more.

xxxx, Carrie

Hey Carrie, I got it from here http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Winter_Sowing_in_a_Baggie.html :o)

It tells you how to do it... enjoy.

Connie

Pictures, pictures, pictures for the visually challenged are great!
I have about 20 seed plants I'd like to start this way.

What I am not sure is when to put the containers outside.
Midwinter, after the snow is down? Is the idea to wait till seeds
won't germinate too early, like say Nov can be too warm? Or am I
missing the point?

This message was edited Nov 6, 2006 2:57 PM

Hi Alice, I am starting in January.

Here is a link you will find interest. I love the kiddy pool idea :o)
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/How_to_Winter_Sow.html

Trudi starts on the soltice which is Dec 21st


Connie

This year it's at 12:22 am, December 22nd, in case anybody's interested.


edit: This is UT, Universal Time

This message was edited Dec 7, 2006 1:14 PM

Hi,

I have read a lot about this ws idea. I am just wondering if you have to have pots to plant in or if it can be directly in a milk jug? I would appreciate anyone that could answer this because I am definitely interested in doing this.

I think most people use milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles...check out www.wintersown.org

Getting closer to time to plant...LOL

I was wondering today if you could actually plant the seeds in the ground where you want them and then place that jug over them, just bury the bottom part of the cut out jug...I may try that with some poppies...

Janet,
Theoretically it should work for vigorous growers just fine.
The difference between sowing a jug and outside would be the soil.
Seed starting soil is free of weeds and sterile.

This message was edited Dec 9, 2006 10:46 PM

I think I will actually do a small raised bed area for those that I try this way...adding the sterile seed starting soil...

I was going to try a few that way last year but never got around to it. I hope to try a few this year.

I think, though, that the soil on the ground will take much longer to warm up in spring. In a milk jug the sun only has to heat a small volume. All seeds require a certain temperature to germinate, so I think those in the ground might take longer to sprout, depending on your zone. Seems to me it might be OK for perennials and hardy annuals that germinate at fairly low temperatures. For things that require more warmth, the growing season might be nearly over by the time they would bloom for me. That wouldn't matter to me for perennials that aren't going to bloom until subsequent years, as opposed to annuals that I want to perform immediately.

My garden beds don't often warm up much before mid May, but maybe small portions would if covered with a milk jug to form a mini greenhouse.

Karen

Janet,

As soon as the first 40 mph wind comes through, those milkjugs will be on their sides at the neighbor's house! You'll have to put a hook over the top straigt down through the jug and into the ground --like coathanger wire -- to stop them from blowing away.

Suzy

This does help with firming it into the soil. I tried heating a pop bottle and it does form a nice firm ring.
See attached link and view the short videos.

Karen

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/49cloche.php

don't do that (melting plastic) if you have birds or small pets around.

Karen what about the fumes from the melting/buring plastic? I wouldn't think this procedure would be possible without an outdoor kitchen.

Suzy

I guess another way would be to use clay pots...they have the hole in the top (bottom) too..just invert them over the plants? I am thinking this may be a good solution to the wind blowing them over and work for the hardier perennials...hmmm...still thinking about this...I don't do melting plastic...LOL...I am toxic enough already...:)

oooo..maybe a burner on the side of a grill would be the answer...I have one of those....wonder if I wore a mask and did it outside....hmmm...visions of birds falling from the sky....maybe not...just can't make that work for me....fumes...scary things!

Janet,

The clay pots wouldn't let any light in! You may as well sow them in your closet! ROTFLMAO!

Suzy

I only tried it on 1 pop bottle and don't remember any fumes at all. When doing this you are not desiccating plastic to oblivion. It is only necessary to heat lightly enough to soften it and roll around on the measuring cup to form the ring.

I didn't notice any smell at all and don't fear doing it again. You could use the exhaust fan over the stove. Or, if you fear the process, I suggest you not try it at all.

Karen

I wondered -- I would have thought it would have stunk up the kitchen. ..which you*would* have noticed! I tried a wood burner tool on milk jugs (and I realize it's not the same thingas barely melting pop bottles) and it was awful! Since you're in Cinty, it was possible that you actually had an outdoor kitchen, so I wanted to ask, but that you couldn't smell it at all is quite interesting. Must be because a pop bottle is made from different plastic than a milk jug.

Suzy

An outdoor kitchen in Cinti? Are you kidding? We have the same climate as Indianapolis, we just get each weather system an hour after it gets you in Indy!

When I think outdoor kitchen I think of southern California.

Karen