lessons learned for next year #5

"Is my understanding correct that if you use a large enough container to start you don't have to transplant them until they are ready for the ground?"

Well, I'd say it all depends on how many seeds you start in each container. A lot of us who use milk jugs put entire seed packets in the milk jug and you end up with something that looks like a Chia pet! LOL. I think Trudi recommends sowing entire packets, but I think over time, with experience, we'll all start to figure out which seeds we really need to do that with and which we don't...I'm still going to sow entire packets in milk jugs this winter....

Edited to say that I ended up transplanting a lot of my seedlings, but only because I had to give HUNDREDS of them away...otherwise, most of them were robust and big enough to go into the ground.





This message was edited Oct 31, 2007 7:19 PM

Oh Yea JO -- I had TONS of solid gallon jug chias. some were difficult to separate, so i just plunked the whole thing in the ground.

that is one item on my list to "do things differently" (lessons i've learned)

I guess when i was adding the entire seed packet, I wasn't expecting ever single seed to germinate.

but then i had other seeds that molded -- i was quite disappointed with that, or others that just did not do well.

That's why I started keeping records. If I got the same poor results two years in a row, then I either change the sowing date again or I don't w/s them again.

I am down to putting 9 or 12 seeds in a jug if the seeds are large enough to sow individually. I do things in threes that is why the 9 or 12. I go directly from the jugs to the ground. If I start to get a chia I go ahead and thin them out right in the jug.

Zen, I actually tried keeping it to 9 or 12 if I only wanted 1-3. The ones where I got a ton of seedlings and didn't want them all, I just picked out the strongest ones.

Anita, I thought I was keeping excellent records. I have good software where I can build whatever fields I want to include. But I'm already seeing things I would like to know that aren't there. So I will expand it some next year. In some cases I didn't record exactly where I planted, just what bed they are in. I'll see what else I feel is missing and post later.

I keep promising myself that this is the year I will carefully draw out each bed to scale and put the plants in place. Maybe next summer. It would help if I wasn't one of the gardeners that thinks the more the merrier.

>>the gardeners that thinks the more the merrier.

me too zen.

as for record keeping... at the time i thought i was doing a good job... but i somehow lost one of my lists (though i haven't looked too hard yet, to find it) and i know i have something in excel, but haven't had a lot of time to go over it... guess that is what winter is for. [getting organized]

terese

i was trying to take good notes planting bulbs while my geese and ducks "helped"....i left my notebook down & the goats ate my notes!

i really felt i must have been on candid camera!

Is that like sorry teacher the dog ate my report?

that's what it felt like!

I'm glad I kept records. It's really coming in handy. This will be my third year w/s.

i will have to keep my records higher up....i know i wish i had kept better records with my containers last year

I have kept records as well. Unfortunately this past year was probably not a very good one to consider. We had warm weather very early and then a heavy frost late that really killed a lot.

Hey gang, any suggestions on resources I can read on Winter gardening so I don't have to bother you with all my silly novice questions.

Here is the source:

http://wintersown.org/

Try: http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/index.html

This is the winter sown website

Thanks so much! I'll check it out and then I should be able to ask more intelligent questions.

cathy, thank for posting that. I wonder why mine didn't work.

Zenpotter - it worked, I just click on it. Thanks! Reading it now.

Great.

Where is a good source for the promix some people use? I have heard it talked about but can never find it.

I get compressed bales of it at my Home Depot

Karen

I will check mine out the next chance I get.

dylancgc, I believe Branson's Home Depot has it.
http://www.premierhort.com/eProMix/Gardening/RetailerLocator/fRetailerLocator.htm

I get mine at Costco. They get it in in late December or early January. I don't get mine ready until after the first of the year so it works to my advantage. I don't have much storage room for things like that.

just discovered a new source for ws containers....wendy's serves their root beer floats in and frosty's with mix-ins in clear plastic cups that have tops that are dome shaped and clear & even has a hole on top (not sure if too big or not)

it isn't a diet friendly source, but a source nonetheless :-)

That's good to know. I'll be ordering one everytime I drive by. Needed a good excuse for a float! Also needed some containers that are smaller than quart milk jugs and orange juice containers but still provide the minimum 4" depth but narrower for small quantity of seeds. Wendy's cups sound like just what I'm looking for.

Just keep in mind that a cup of potting mix will dry out much faster than a gallon jug. They do need more attention and tending and watering come spring. They do work OK if you are there all the time to babysit them. In my weather, since I'm sometimes gone to work for 10 hours or more, that's not always possible.

Karen

good point...maybe cups will go to daylily seeds...going to try using bottom watering so they don't dry out....easier to watch with those since they'll be inside
i think i've managed to convince myself floats are good :-)

I did quite a few baggies last year. I found that if I pinched the middle enough so that I creased it at a 90 degree angle to the zipper, it could leave it open in the center enough for ventilation without a clothespin or any such device. Can also add a bit of tape if they won't stay open.

I liked them except:

1. I used quart size. I would like them taller but the gallons are too big. I'm going to look for some kind of taller narrow bag on the net.
2. I put them in a couple of those handle bags that blankets or carpet pads come in. The baggies shift around too much when you move the handle bags. I need to put them in clear plastic storage containers.

I used mostly milk jugs but I get my milk in glass bottles so have to beg, borrow, steal to get the jugs. I like them but probably don't need anything that large for most of my seeds. the baggies are easier and more accessible if I can find some that are size suitable. Had a couple of tall, round gallon ice cream containers. Those were great for a lot of plants! Anybody up for an ice cream social??

Edit for sp

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 7:32 AM

We have switched to glass bottles too. So I kept the plastic milk jugs from last winter to use them. I just a cloths pin to pin the tops back when it was time to open them up so I still have the tops attached to them. All they needed was cleaning rather than cleaning cutting and drilling of holes. I hope this works out.

Nope, correction on that. I did use gallon size baggies. Anyway...just not tall enough. I've been looking and there are lots of places where you can by zipper bags in just about any size you want. Now if I can just buy less than 1,000 I'm good to go LOL.

Either you buy less bags or more seeds.

NO...NO...no more seeds!! I have close to 200 packs coming from various swaps LOL.

Hello. My name is Jan and I am a seed addict.

Looking around I figure this HAS to be the best thing in the world to be addicted to

1. They are small
2. They are inexpensive (or free if you collect your own or trade)
3. They are useful
4. They add to the beauty of the world
5. They can be played with
6. They are just plain delightful

I may just print that list so that when DH says "more seeds" I can hand it to him.

Grampapa, You need to talk to Distantkin, she is trying to whittle down her seeds to 400 I think. There are just too many good plants out there to only have 10-20 to plant.

Whittle her seeds down? I think she's in the CG swap LOL. Everybody claims they swap to get rid of seeds but I don't think it works that way ;0)

I agree - and just when you thought you were done...

Grampapa - I am in some Christmas swap, and I sent 15 small packages. Inside each package are five packets of different seeds. I am only expecting 15 packets of seeds in return - not 75. So you see? I am trying to reduce the number of seeds I have. There is no point in keeping seeds too long.

>>There is no point in keeping seeds too long.

even though i am new at this, my second season .... i have A LOT of seeds.

I thought about doing the baggie thing and sending/donating them to Trudi over at WS.org
or do we have someone who does what she does -- sending out free seeds?