Lessons learned for next year #3

Hey yall... Great idea.. if any of you go to Costco or Sam's club, I often find these extremely heavy duty cardboard boxes that bananas are shipped in.. I used them this year to store and organize my bulbs wrapped in newspaper before planting. :)

:)

Susan

I put mine in boxes to carry them out and keep them from blowing away in the wind. But it worked out well, so I guess I'll do it again.

Next year I will sow annual vines like cardinal climber vine into peat pots and then sit these into the container of soil. These plants do not like to be transplanted.

Clementine: Maybe your lesson learned is to study the lesson learned threads. Back on Jan 11 I posted "This year I will: Mark the bottom of my containers as well!" (in bold) on the #2 thread. ;-) (note the smiley...I am just giving you a hard time)

Zen: Were you the one giving me a hard time about using a soldering iron? You will be happy to know that I have given up my soldering iron ways. I got a Dremil-like tool for Christmas and I have found that a drill bit chucked in that thing will make drainage holes in record time!

Now I am just waiting for some more warm weather so that me seedlings will start growing again!

- Brent

Brent,
Yes it was me giving you a hard time about the soldering iron. I am glad that the fumes didn't kill all of your brain cells before you figured out not to use the soldering iron. ;-)

LOL LOL LOL LOL

OK, here's ONE of my numerous lessons learned for next year: If you use soda-type bottles, with indentations in the bottom, plant them out before the roots get so long that they have wedged themselves into the crevices. I may have performed a rootectomy on several of my most adorable noids! :-(

xxx, Carrie

hmmmm ... wonder whether it's too late for me to start winter-sowing ... perhaps get an early start on NEXT year?!

LOL, summerkid -- I've got all the supplies ready -- just never did get those seeds planted! I'm thinking maybe next month for Winter in June sowing (AKA sowing the way I used to do it before I learned about winter sowing).

I don't think it's too late at all; I'm planning to do some more - quick annuals. This is a great way to start perennials, too. Hap, take the plunge!

xxx, Carrie

I've done that - just check the germination days, some can be as short as a week.

To have faith. I really, really wanted delphiniums so I planted Pacific Giant Blue Bird, and clear springs mixed (like magic fountain). - But nothing seemed to be happening . . . so I planted Connecticut Yankee . . . and nothing seemed to be happening. And I really, really wanted these, so I thought - well, I will plant annual mixed larkspur.

Needless to say, everything germinated . . . I have about 50 Pacific Giant Blue Bird, about 60 clear springs mixed, about 20 Connecticut Yankee, and about 75 mixed larkspur!

Next year, I want to plant fewer plants and be more selective of what I am growing. I don't mind starting perennials for the neighbours if they will cover the cost of the potting soil, etc.

I love the idea of putting your ws soda bottles into cardboard boxes! What a brilliant idea!! You guys are the best!!!!!

carrie: "rootectomy on several of my most adorable noids!" You had me cracking up and laughing out loud!!

The best thing (another one) I've learned is that wintersowing can be done all year long! Don't just sow during the Winter months, but in the Spring, Summer & Fall. We all have been sowing annuals, tropicals & some veggies now that the weather is warming up. Some seeds such as Hellebores, Clematis, and Cyclamen NEED to have a season of warm temps followed by a season of cold in order to germinate. So, don't stop sowing those seeds! You can also sow more seeds during the Summer months so the plants will be ready to be put in your garden in the Fall. Get a 'jump start' on wsing by starting your seeds in the Fall. What a wonderful way to keep our hands playing in soil all year around!!!

One thing I've learned both years that I have tried this is not being able to get away from over-sowing. I tend to be heavy with the hand when sowing the seeds. I have about an 87% germination rate on my containers so far, but within those containers the germination rate varies. I don't want to be stuck with one plant, so I sow more seeds. This sometimes leads to all the seeds germinating or sometimes just a few. It's a toss up.

shirley,

a great thing about using the boxes is... if you have to move them - it makes it so much easier for transporting.

lately i have been "away" for 3-4 days... and gosh forbid my kids water my seedlings.... so i give them a good drink before i leave and put them in the shade, so they don't dry out. when i get back.... they get moved to partial sun -- but i'm home to keep track of the watering..... plus -- as someone else mentioned... you just "water" the box, the containers take up what they need and the rest seeps out of the box.

terese

Well I am starting over on most of what I winter sowed, I lost almost all of my seedlings :( the last frost we had got them. I am really heart broken. (and I can't find any of my 4 o'clock seeds) I had bunches of them in all colors and poof they have all disappeared :( I have no idea where they disappeared to either.

I also had dh to stop buying the Miracle Grow Garden soil. It is full of weed seeds (big time). and rocks and wood chips and lord only knows what else. I had better luck with just the cheap potting soil that I had here and used.

pepsi -- i have tons of "magenta" 4 -o'clock seeds if you need some.

and i did find that when i used MG soil... i did get a few weeds, where i didnt with the first soil i used.

so sorry you lost all your seedlings....

tcs would love some of your megenta seeds, thanks

When we had that last cold weather I brought all the containers that had germinated onto my enclosed back porch. When I took them back out I put them near the house under the deck for a week...seems to have worked.

Wish I would have done that jas but had so much going on at that time. (oh by the way, happy belated birthday to you)

This is my first year wintersowing and I have had great success. I felt really wimpy when I brought all my pots inside when we had the last frost - but they all survived. I think that we have put so much work and expectation into this project that we should protect it. I don't feel bad about "pampering" my seedlings.

I am so sorry for everyone who did loose their seedlings.

what makes the difference, if they have lasted the winter? sticking up out of their enclosures too much at this point?

Stupid question...but what does making a thread "sticky" mean? Oh, and I can't wait to wintersow now.....I think I have a new project for this winter...if only it weren't so far away....

It means the thread will stay at the top of the list, whether there are new posts or not.
There's lots of planning that can be done the rest of the year - choosing plants and finding the seeds, collecting containers and maybe cutting them in advance so there's no rush, especially with all the winter holidays too.

Things to do over the summer include saving seeds to sow :-)
I was lucky - very nice DG members shared seeds with me. Now I must return the favour.

I have a whirlwind hosta I want to save the seeds from so I can wintersow them...I think I will also try vegetables for my garden next year....any hints for either of these would be great :)

kls,

You can "wintersow" now! You can use the same method to sow perennials now that will be old enough to flower next year.

xxx, Carrie

Carrie,
Do you mean the ones that say " won't bloom the first year but will bloom the next"? I like the wintersowing idea, but in a case like that, what's the difference between me sowing them directly as opposed to wintersowing? And, what exactly is the difference between wintersowing and starting seeds inside? Is it just that the cold keeps them from damping off etc? I tried starting seeds inside this year, and they sprouted ok, but I have absolutely no sunny windowsill to put them in, so they stalled and I eventually killed them. I restarted more, and by that time it was warm during the day, so I was taking them outside during the day and bringing them in when it got cold. They seem to be doing fine and haven't died. I guess that's kinda like wintersowing, only not with the little green house....

Kristie

Winter sowing is where you plant seeds in covered pots like milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. You cut them in half, plant then put the tops back on so it's a mine "greenhouse". (I use milk jugs), put them outside in the winter and then basically just leave them alone. No green house, no lights, no bringing them in or out, no buying pots, no covering, no space taken up indoors. No dampening off, no hardening, no birds eating them, no wind taking them away. Very very easy. I don't touch mine until they are ready to plant out, though I may water if needed when it gets warm (around mid May). Much easier to sprout hard to start seeds and you end up with TONS of plants. NO BABYING. (though some people can't help but baby their seedlings).

It sounds perfect to me...especially since I don't have a sunny spot inside to start seeds. I was wondering if you could use the cups from like McDonalds' with the clear lids for single plants....like I said, I want to do hostas and veggies for sure, and maybe just one plant in a cup would be best for that?

Kristie

Kristie,

this was my first year, and i did tend to baby them a bit, especially when we got "really" cold in (was that April?)
-- but you remember when, the whole mid-west was frozen again.

browze the wintersowing forum, you will find many photos -- the Lessons Learned 1&2 (this is #3)

here is also a link that may help
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/wtrsow/2002050141031613.html

Oh and the thread about taking pics of your seedlings
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/701931/ you will see various ways to sow/containers used


Terese

Kristie: Welcome to this forum. The most informative website is at http://www.wintersown.org It will answer all your questions & concerns about this very easy and natural way of germinating seeds. Plus, it is a wonderful recycling project too! We'll be here to answer any of your questions, cheer you on and commiserate, if needed. It's fun, very affordable, and a great way to grow a wide variety of plants that many times aren't available commercially.

Thanks guys for the links. I'm really excited now!

Kristie

OH Kristie.... it's totally addicting!!

One thing I have learned is that maybe I misinterpreted - and I paraphrase - that one could just use the cheapest soil from Wal_Mart. I know, people have discussed soils for starting seeds and there have been differing opinions. So, being cheap I once found some bags - reduced - at Wal-Mart Expert Perfect Mix.

I am not sure whether it was the soil or the timing, I think I probably started using this soil around early March. Most of the seedlings I sowed in it are really pathetic, although they did germinate. The tomatoes don't look good, and the Summer Poinesttia Mix (Amaranthus) has been 1/4" for the past 6 weeks and is useless. Marigold 'Vanilla Ice' is perhaps an inch high and looks strange, not green but more reddish.

So, lesson learned - DON'T buy cheap soil, it is not worth it.

I believe you...I'm addicted already and I haven't even started....

Clementine: So sorry to hear about your Wal-Mart soil mix, but it's a lesson well learned and next year you won't make that mistake. I believe that in Sticky #1 it says to use a good name brand soil mix such as Miracle Gro or ProMix. Nothing is worse than having soil that is like concrete.

I work for WM and don't care for the store brand soil. I found a huge shard of glass in one bag and to me it also turns almost, I guess, sour maybe is the word I'm looking for. I try to stick to well know national brands and have had much better results. I can't find Pro Mix around my area though and I'm dying to try it but I cannot justify ordering dirt online:LOL:

My wintersown plants were in sown in Walmart Expert perfect soil - and everything seems to have germinated and thrives. . . .