Hi all --
This year's wintersowing gave me a lot of seedlings, but I am so sick of planting them out I could scream!
Is anybody else thinking about planting the whole milk jug of baby seedlings in one clump and letting them fend for themselves? I know I would be disappointed in myself if I did that, but the planting is really getting old. And the plants are sooooo little!
Suzy
I am getting sick of planting these little Ws seedlings!
Yeah, it's that old instant gratification thing that the nurseries count on, lol - I know exactly what you mean. I am currently hardening off a whole bunch of teeny-tiny-little seedlings and looking at the few I did buy and going "huh, what's the point?"
Think I need to start my seeds a little earlier next year... like August of this year!
OH NO KIDDING!!! I've gotten almost all the planting over with, but geez louise! I think I'll concentrate on perennials and if I want annuals, I'll direct seed in spring.
Okay, I won't. But it's sure a temptation. Do some of yours get about 1" tall and then just stay that way?
Oh please no don't say that Brigid!
Sorry! Deflecting any jinx!!!!!
>grin< ...
Whew... that was close...
I have several different types of seedlings that are currently in a 1" Holding Pattern right now, but I keep telling myself that they are busy finding their feet and will take off any minute now... (I'm not real bright)
No, that's absolutely true - they are usually sending out roots like crazy when they aren't showing any above ground growth. I have done some ( a lot of) container tipping out to see what's going on and I swear that is exactly what's happening.
Suzy
Someone up there hurry up and push, "Fast Forward" ... please.
This message was edited May 2, 2007 11:23 AM
Same problem here! Plus many of the little seedlings I'm planting arn't making it in the 90 degree temps we have been having the last couple days. Makes me want to cry. About half of my wintersown gallons jugs show no growth yet. By the time they sprout and get big enough to bloom, half the summer will be gone. At the nursery yesterday, I saw some Camolot foxgloves that had blooms about to open. Mine are not even up yet. Guess I'm one of those that wants instant gratification too. Maybe winter sowing is better for those in the zones further south. The sweet peas I put out are doing poorly too. Boo Hoo!! I'm off the nursey right now!!
Susan
I'm so glad I checked this thread. I thought I was the only one whose
seedlings came to a screeching halt at 1" high, for weeks and weeks.
Does it have to do with the temperature? We keep our house on the cool side, even in winter, and I refuse to pay $14.95 for each heater mat I would need. I filled 15 trays of various sizes this year with flowers, lettuce and veggies (I went a little crazy).
So, I was relieved to read that the seedlings are probably making progress under the soil, especially now that they are all outside.
Do you think they will speed up when the days and nights are consistantly warm? When they are all up and running, it makes all the work involved seem worth it.
*waving hand in air* mine too, mine too. I spent a few hours on Sunday planting some of my wintersown inch high plants. I didn't bother seperating them, just plonked the whole clump in a hole in the ground. I reckon I'm going for a very full and lush look this summer LOL. I also threw handfuls of annual seeds around at the same time. I'm going to have to re-think my WS'ing next year - almost every garden around me already have masses of flowers blooming and mine are barren! I feel a new strategy involving lots of perennials is required.....
I lost all but one WS seedling of a hibiscus.the weather was unpredictable with the freeze we had and killed my WS seedlings.After all the trouble and effort, I will purchase perennials and as usual direct sow annuals.
Well, the weirdest thing happened. I sowed some goldenberry seeds, babied them, etc. I've finally put them in the ground and so far they're just sitting there looking very small and puny. There were several that didn't sprout and I dumped all that into the compost bin. So I'm turning the compost yesterday and (of course before I realize it so I can stop) turn over some three inch sprouts! Dadgummit!!!!!
Are you ever tempted to just till a couple of times, then open every seed packet you have and mix them all up in a big jar and just throw it into the wind?
Brigid, you know I just bought a packet like that, a flowering mix, but will try your way with all the unused seed I have left over ,see what will happen.
"Are you ever tempted to just till a couple of times, then open every seed packet you have and mix them all up in a big jar and just throw it into the wind?"
Yep,
I try to think a little differently than society and rules tell us we have to...nature kept them going for years. Plants reseeed themselvs and they don't use their lil legs to spread out....I will also dump in clumps, sprinkle seed and see what happens. Half the fun is seeing what you get! LOL
There are "weeds" in my garden that I know came from birdseed that got blown around. I pull a lot of them, but I'm leaving some just to find out what they are. (I'm trying to leave them in a way that looks like I meant that to go there.) I have a lovely sunflower growing at the base of a rose arbor. Why in the world would I want to pull that?
Yup, I did one year - and (much to my surprise) had a strip in the back yard filled with Shirley Poppies, Bachelor Buttons, California Poppies and a few others... it was a glorious spring.
That is LOVELY, Pagancat! Makes me seriously consider actually doing it, if only in a section. Cottages have to have a certain amount of chaos.
Nice!photo of your wildflowers.Love!the colors.
Seeing that picture, gives me the right idea were to seed mine, I have a real bad weed that is killing my lawn in big patches, will get rid of that first than instead of grass seed i'll seed it with my flower seed,hope it will work.less mowing.
Thank you - it was a big surprise, I had no idea about the Shirley poppies, lol. If I may suggest, just rake up the ground a little and water them in or throw them out with rain.
One of my more pleasant gardening surprises.... >chuckle< ...
I am a member of the "didn't bother to separate my WS seedlings". I just plunked the whole thing in the ground and we will see what happens. *crossing fingers* Tamara
You know, I always thougth off,tall flowers in the back, short ones in the front,I am normally not that neat ,but all those cataloc pictures show those perfect gardens, but I never could get my garden like that , so now I will go the who cares way ,and it may be more fun.
You go!!!
Pagan, beautiful picture.
Suzy, I had WS'd 5 containers of various zinnias seeds ... they were all germinating and looking great, then we had that last minute April snow/cold snap. I thought, 'Oh, they will do fine.' Nope, right now I have 3 zinnia's still alive. I'm direct sowing them next year!
The first year I WS'd I started a bizillion containers, and yes, put out huge clumps, broke up the milk jugs clumps in 4 pieces, went real fast after that. Now I start about 5 jugs just for the fun of it. :o)
Also, about those 1" seedlings ... I start many of my annuals in the basement under lights ... I always start toooo early and now I have flowering plants in the basement. Mostly petunias and impatiens. They go through that slow period and then BOOM! they burst forth and in another week or 2 they are flowering. I NEED to start my seeds LATER!
brigidlily, I love sunflowers! This is the first year I won't have any planted (all Killed in the winter sowing freeze). Please show us when that sunflower blooms!
2 summers ago I had 2 leafy plants pop up in the garden ... I just knew they had to be something so I left them. Last year I posted asking what they were ... peonies. YUCK! I hope I'm not affending anyone, but I'm not a big peonies fan. I debated about pulling those windblown/bird dropped @#$% peonies out of my daylily garden, but the gardener in me got the best of me. Well, one of them is going to bloom this year ... let's see if it can change my mind about peonies. Oh, and I just found another one popping up about 5 ft away. :o(
Here are the 2 culprits ... must be 2 different types. Or maybe only one is a peonies? the tall one is the one that is going to bloom.
toofew
toofew, my camera won't work! wah. But my DSIL is mailing me her old one, and as soon as I figure out how to work it (or go buy a new one) I'll post a picture. The sunflower is actually blooming now, and it's so charming. Looks entirely out of place in the rose garden but what the heck. MY rose garden -- I write the rules.
:P
I feel so much better about the fact that I never got around to my winter sowing - lol!!! At least I don't have to be frustrated with all those tiny little seedlings, right?
Toofew, I'm not crazy about peonies either (their bloom time is so short it's ridiculous - and if it rains, forget it), but my oldest DD sent me four fragrant ones last year for my birthday so I am obligated!!! They're too young to do anything this year, but maybe down the road I'll decide I love them.
Pagan, what a lovely garden!!
This is my third year doing ws and my three year old plants are HUGE but it's not until the second year that the perennials really take off. They just like to build their root systems the first year.
first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap
Wow - one of my new peonies has a bud!!!
Murmur - I think you have a 'Peonies Thumb'!
Well, regarding all the little seedlings - I start planting out bachelor buttons, baby's breath, and persian jewels this week.
I have to because I have about 100 snapdragons to pot up, and I don't even want to think about the 300 or so linaria that sprouted! (and that's only some of my stuff!)
I am having a plant give away on May 20. Hopefully, my neighbours and friends will provide homes for the extras.
Toofew - lol . . . believe me that thumb is an accident!
Seandor, wish you lived by me - I'd be soooooooo happy to provide a home for any extras whatsoever (don't ask me where I would put them, I have no idea, but would take them and find something!).
You live in Washington state, Murmur! Just a skip and a jump from my home town. I grew up in North Vancouver, BC, and lived from age 22 until 2002 in Kamloops. Then I got a tenure-track position in Massachusetts.
Boy, talk about culture shock moving to the east coast . . . lol.
maybe someday I will be able to afford to move back to the Pacific . . .
Seandor, hope you can indeed be able to afford to move back out this way - but hard to turn down such a good position, eh?!
Yeah - life for untenured adjunct professors in Canada is the pits. Getting a tenured position totally rocks - but darn, we miss the Pacific Northwest.
Do you have madrona trees where you are?
I don't personally have any madrona trees, but there are some fabulous ones around the island - especially in Coupeville, about midway up the island. There is a road along the water that is lined with them and they are awesome. The bark is just so incredible. I'm glad you mentioned that - I need to go there one of these days and take a picture or two!
You see - only someone from the westcoast could appreciate a madrona!
I still have about 6 gallon jugs sitting on my back deck waiting to get planted. Hoped to do it today, but we had a heavy rain last night. I may just plant them in the mud tomorrrow. About 8 or so other gallons never grew anything, but I'm still giving them a few more weeks to see what happens. My big complaint with winter sowing is that I want the plants to be bigger this time of the year. Some of my Columbines are only 1" tall. No blooms from them this year for sure.
susan