Winter Sowing database

For the database, to begin with, here's how it'll work.

1) Go to the plant's entry in PlantFiles.

2) Click on "Add a new Winter Sowing report for this plant"

3) Fill out the following information:

a) Did you have success wintersowing these seeds? (yes/no)
b) Where did the seeds come from? (Self saved, trade)
c) When did you sow the seeds? (Month/Year)
d) How many seeds did you sow? (Quantity)
e) When did they germinate? (Month/Year)
f) How many germinated? (Quantity)
g) What is the location (zipcode)
h) Comments? (Free form text input box)

Question: Is Month/Year sufficient for the dates, or ought we include days also?

Dave

I think we need days. All seed propagation data uses days, so we should too.

Thanks!

Updated:

a) Did you have success wintersowing these seeds? (yes/no)
b) Where did the seeds come from? (Self saved, trade)
c) When did you sow the seeds? (Day/Month/Year)
d) How many seeds did you sow? (Quantity)
e) When did they germinate? (Day/Month/Year)
f) How many germinated? (Quantity)
g) When did they produce fruit or flower? (Day/Month/Year)
h) What is the location (zipcode)
i) Any comments? (Free form text input box)

I added "g" above. Comments?

Good idea!! Speaking as someone who has a very short summer, this is good info to know...

OK-for me in chilly MN-days??

I have just "planted out" Columbine, Hollyhocks(-just a few for this test as everyone knows I HATE those icky bugs), Amaranthus and many more. So if we figure they won't even think about coming up until April, that a lot of days.
Here in MN or for anyone in snowy climates the days will depend on when they put them out. If they are desperate to plant like me-they had them out at first frost-LOL

Just a thought

I agree, although my summer isn't short, there are some plants like Primulas and Pansies that will wintersow beautifully, but when the heat comes on the baby seedlings stop dead in their tracks. They are much better started inside and allowed to grow to size in the fluctuating spring temperatures. Probably they are best started in August instead of wintersown, but I havn't tried it yet.

Dave, Did you see my question on linking to our Journals somehow?

Suzy

Item g is an excellent call. I like the initial setup, but of course I have a couple of requests :-)

Could we add "commercial" to the seed source selection list for item b please? I winter sow commercial seed as often as any other.

For those of us without zipcodes, could we have some alternate method of indicating location please? Preferably something easily searchable like zone.

--Ginny

(Edited for spelling)

This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 2:12 PM

Dave, does this mean it will only be a winter sowing database, not including other propagation methods? Or can it be expanded later?

Sounds good.

Dave, I just tried to test it on Centaurea cyan..Bachelor's Buttons and I don't see anything that says , "Add a new Winter Sowing report for this plant"

Suzy

We're starting with just winter sowing but I absolutely have plans to expand it to cover ALL propagation methods later.

Baby steps here will be the key to success, I think.

Linking to journals: that's difficult but --possible--. It'll have to be addressed after the creation of the WS database.

dave

Illoquin, it's not ready yet.

Ginny has a good point, you should include zone as well, for those of us without a zipcode :))

I'll certainly figure out a way to handle locations other than zipcodes.

I second Ginny's request for adding a commercial source in Item (b.

how about method? maybe a fill in spot for that?

LOL-Hey Dave...can we call it "Polar Planting" instead?-LOL

Just kidding all :o)

Good one! :-)

Can a " WS for Dummies" be added to the Database? It would be so helpful if instructions were included.

Will it be possible to add a winter sowing report if you know some but not all of the information? For example, I might have lost track of the date that something germinated but still know that germination was successful... or for most perennials, I may know that WSing produced sturdy little plants, but I won't know about blooms until at least the following summer.

Yes, I see none of the fields being required, and you can later go back and edit your report to fill in information as it might become available.

This is going to be great! I know we've left the negative nonsense behind in the other thread, but I'd just like to comment that I'm proud to be a DGer. The generous, can-do spirit of this place just warms my soul. :-)

Me too critter. And I am really looking forward to having so much information in one handy place!

Dave,

Sounds great! You've covered all the bases for a really good start on this. Kudos to you!

Karen

It could go in the comment field, but I guess I was thinking more along the lines of comments being about the entire plant and process and the method field commenting on that specifically. I don't know, it was just a thought. The comment field could contain both.

Might be a good idea to have a field for "seed source." That would cover trades and commercial seed, saving from plants, etc.

that would be b) where did the seeds come from?

I agree that "commercial source" needs to be an option as well as trade or self-saved.

I should have something ready for ya'll to start playing around with within half an hour.

Yiiipppeeee !!!! Thanks so very much!!!

Rock on!!

Stage 1 is complete! The database has been created, and you can now enter entries into the system.

Find your plant in PlantFiles, and then click on:

"» Add a winter sowing germination report for this plant"

You can then create an entry.

I'll soon have a way for you to view all the entries you created, and then we can start setting up some browsing options like we discussed earlier.

dave

((((HUG))))))

High five over the phone, Robbi!!

Stage 2 is complete. You can now view the entries in the system. Right here:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/ws/

As soon as someone adds an entry into the database (who will be first?!!!) then there will be stuff to see in the URL above.

Once we get a couple hundred entries in the system, we'll start getting down to nitty gritty browsing stuff. I'll be out (as usual) over the weekend, so perhaps on Monday we may be able to dive into that, depending on how many reports we get inserted in over the weekend.

Have fun!

Dave

I think what we call winter sowing is actually a generic term, since those words have been around for hundreds of years. But if you form the word as wintersowing making it all inclusive as one word then it becomes a WSO copyright or patent or whatever they want to call it. A few years back there was a huge disagreement over the word OPRY as in grand ole opry and other like it. A federal judge ruled words such as these were not the sole use for one person or entity. Therefore generic, hince we cannot use this one word term in anything we have on DG. Maybe we should come up with something different (although I think no matter what we call it, they will say we are stealing from them) to call it, like 'winter gardening', or 'winter planting'. I have never used the other site, I rely on the words of the gardeners here and my grandparents and great grandparents and .... anyway many generations of farmers.

I was first-whooo hoo!!

Guess who was first!!

That's appropriate! :)

I don't post much, lurk alot though. Just have to send a big thanks to Dave and everyone on this thread for making this happen. And fast! Reading other threads piqued my interest in trying winter sowing -- and this new database will be perfect. So to all of you -- THANKS!