Question of When?

Hi all,

This is going to be my first winter as a gardener, and first to winter sow. I am wondering when is a good time to start for my zone. We do not get the really cold winters, and my concern would be that if I started too early, I would have seedlings that needed to be planted, only to hit the really cold weather we usually get after the first of the year. My thought was to wait until December to try this.....is this too late?

Thanks in advance for the information!

Hi there - welcome to our happy little group!!! I would first suggest that you read all the info on the following site http://www.wintersown.org/ . Then come back here and review some of our threads so far. This will give you a good backround for this very easy and simple process. When I first tried it, I was real nervous as well as excited. I was amazed at how easy it really is. I also created a very basic site for information http://www.lakehousecreations.com/winter_sowing.htm . I hope this all helps. You will probably notice that this forum will get more activity as the winter approaches.

Good Luck and happy sowing!!!

PS - to answer your question, sowing starts on Dec 21st or after

Cool....I was close.....lol. I am really looking forward to this, as I'm sure a lot of you are. Thanks so much for the information....I will definately be back in here!

Rhonda

I only have two years of wintersowing under my belt. If your winters are much like mine, I find that it does not make sense to start sowing until about February. You can put containers out earlier, but I would be sure to keep them in a shady spot so they don't heat up too much if you get a spell of warm and sunny January weather.

- Brent

Thanks, Brent.....that was actually a big question I had. I know how my winters are.....heck, we wear shorts here at Christmas....lol. I appreciate your input! I was concerned I would put stuff out too earlier, only to have it ruined by Feb/March weather.


Rhonda

This would be my first ws as well. My garage is full of containers for ws; I can't wait to start. I'm in zone 7B also; does that mean shouldn't start until February ?? I'm so anxious!!

ed

lol....me too, Ed...I'm ready to start!! I have my whole family collecting containers. I think you get a colder earlier there, don't you , Ed? I am comparing you to Dallas...maybe I am putting Arlington in the wrong area, but I do know Dallas usually gets more of a winter than we do here. So maybe you could start a bit earlier.

First of all, welcome luv2dig 2006 & dehart to the Wintersowing Forum!

Hardy perennials can be started earlier, as some seeds take longer to germinate than others. Alot of us start wintersowing around December 21st, the Winter Soltice. The most important thing is to keep your wintersown containers moist, if Mother Nature does not provide the precipitation. Also, place your containers in an area that receives morning or mid-day sun, NOT the late hot afternoon rays that can bake your soil & seeds. Also, it is advisable to add a pinch of polymer crystals to the containers soil when you sow your seeds or purchase moisture released potting soil. Also, make sure that you have at least 4" of potting soil in your container. Anything less will dry out to quickly.