Will these seeds work for Winter Sowing?

Thanks Shirley,

I did wander over to the Coleus forum. I'll probably purchase a heat mat (been looking on ebay) and do them in the house... though i just may do say 10 seeds as WS and see how they do... i think i have 100 seeds - so if 10 dont do well, i'll still have A LOT more.

It never hurts to try!

I know many of you already have seedlings coming up - AND SO DO I!!! I am quite excited but now here is my problem: I am in Zone 7a.
My jugs are on the deck with morning sum, now until about 11:30 which will rapidly get later. Should I move all of the jugs or just the ones that have germination or none into shade maybe at 10 in the morning?

Now it is quite warm outside, no frost for the past 5 days or so and highs getting to 60 today. If we get another cool down, with frost/freeze, how will the seedlings do? Will they need protection?

Here is what I have so far:
larkspur
malva moschata
penstemon
amaranthus caudatus
agastache foeniculum
cerastium
alyssum
convolvulus tricolor - these look quite sad with the seed on top and the body toppled over, will they recover?


I have noticed that nobody has wintersown vegetables yet (sorry if I missed some, there is so much to read). I have tomatoes (only a few of some varieties), eggplant, peppers and squash seeds.

The seed list on the wintersown site for zone 7 says to sow, for instance, tomatoes in March; do you have any suggestion as to when in March? Or should I just put them in next week and "have faith"? Again, what if we get a freeze? I could put all the seedlings into the basement. which is in the mid-50s, for a couple of days.

This has gotten to be a lot of questions, I apologize. Sometimes I feel like I don't know anything or am afraid of failure, so I come to you all to benefit from your experience. Thanx!

C.


This message was edited Feb 27, 2007 8:18 PM

Clementine: Congratulations on having so many seeds germinate already! They will be fine with morning sun and 60 degree temps. As long as you have adequate precipitation, they will continue to grow. If the temps drop, which is pretty likely since March weather can be very unpredictable, some of the seedlings will be culled by Mother Nature. However, the ones that remain will be the strongest and hardiest. Mother Nature has done the work for you.

As for veggies, you mentioned above only warm loving varieties. Last year I wintersowed my tomatoes in mid-March and the peppers in late March. I haven't tried wintersowing eggplant. The squash I grew last year was zucchini, which I direct sowed because it grows so quickly. Again, they need warm soil in order to germinate & grow.

Once you have wintersowed your seeds outdoors, don't bring them indoors as this may weaken their stems. Take the "leap of faith" and believe in your seeds. They are real troopers and they will survive!

Thank you, Shirley, you are so helpful and encouraging. Actually, I told my DH what questions I had posted and said: I bet they will say that if they don't survive they were weak, it will be survival of the fittest - and that is just what you said, in essence.

I will do as you did with my tomatoes and peppers. Did you sow them in individual containers or in jugs? I guess I'll start eggplants under lights.

I just love the WS forum (and the soil and composting forum), I read in it quite often. That is why I have some (LOL) faith in what I am doing and for the rest I just post a question.

Good night, C.

Clementine,

Did your convolvulus straighten out? I had some Larkspur that seemed like they might have the same problem, bu they did indeed straighten out.

Suzy

Clementine: Always glad to help. We're are all here to learn and by asking questions, that's the best way.

I sowed by tomatoes & and peppers in individual jugs. I sowed each variety in different containers. When it came time for planting them out, I was able to separate them "gently" with my fingers or if need be with a sharp knife. I love the fact that wintersown seedlings don't need to be hardened off! They are ready to be planted directly into your garden. Yes, they might be initially smaller than ones grown indoors under lights, but they catch up very quickly and will start producing delicious veggies once the soil warms up and the temperature soars.

If you have a light set-up, then it's probably a good idea to start your Eggplant indoors to get a head start.

Convolvulus tricolor will recover when the temps warm up. It's probably is sulking with the chilly temps right now.

I'll have to wander over to the Soil & Compost Forum and check it out. I don't usually get over to that one.


This message was edited Mar 2, 2007 11:32 AM

Suzy, I just went to look at the convolvulus jug, it does not look all that great. There are a couple that look nice and stout, but there is one that is really tall and lanky and is totally fallen over, so that one is a loss, and one or two in between. I am hoping that that jug is not finished germinating, because not many came up.

Shirley, thanks for the heads up on the veggies. I am not going to have manytomato plants, but they are all different varieties. I got a nice collection from Trudi, each seed is different. And I bought some currant tomatoes (tini, tiny) and yellow pear tomatoes from Harvest Moon Seed Company (felcopruners.com). I am looking forward to a bowl of the two of them mixed together with chunks of fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil.

I think I will put each seed in a styrofoam cup under a domed situation, not quite sure what yet, but have several containers available.

Thanks again, Shirley. And I love the Soil and Composting forum too. Need help from them on my lasagna beeds, great place, great people, too.

Clementine:

Don't give up on your Convolvulus tricolor. I think they will perk up as the temperatures rise.

Hope you get lots of delicious tomatoes this Summer. I also enjoy eating them drizzled with olive oil and some mozarella cheese & basil (of course wintersown) on top. YUM!

oh shirley... that is one of my favorite snacks... though i think i use balsamic vinegar too... i get that fresh mozz and garden grown basil. oh -- now i can't wait for summer!!

I had a 2# beefsteak once... i topped it with sharp cheddar and bacon and cooked it. oh man.... outstanding.