Winter Sowing database

This is so cool!

Thank you Dave

Brenda

Just wanted to thank everyone for their contributions to this new database. I am a new gardener and am amazed at the speed that this has transpired. I can see how helpful this is going to be when I start my WS and is exactly what I have been looking for. Hopefully I can add to it next year. Ya'll are good...real good!!

A special thank you to Robbi! :0)

You guys are just plain AWESOME with your entries already!! Such great record keeping!!!

A link to it under the "Guides and Information" tab will be great. Will there also be a means by which we can access our own contributions right from our own "My Info" tab too just as we access our PlantFiles photos, WatchDog, and BookWorm entries? I've always had a hard time finding which Go Gardening entries I created and which Garden Products entries I created. Sometimes I think of a tool or nursery to add and I sometimes think of an entry I keep meaning to go back and edit for additional information but I don't quite ever make it over because there's no easy access from my own "My Info" tab. I know, sounds lazy.

Wow Equil-that would be great!! It could be like our own polar planting journal that gets added to a master source! It reminds me of the Borg if anyone watches Star Trek-LOL
I don't I promise-LOLOL

If we did that, I would have a place to keep my info from this year instead of on my son's school tablet that I hide every time he is looking for it (hey, kids drive us crazy all our lives-its my turn to give a little back-I just say "maybe you lost it in that mess of a closet"-LOL, he is none the wiser-LOL)

so, the way i see it is, for said plant we will have an entry for each person that added data?

the one i noticed this morning was Bachelor Bu]ttons, there were 2 entires, each from a different person.

but thinking about it, it's good, because one can see everyones experience, techniques, and including the area they live in, how the seeds did.

[at first i was thinking all the multiple entries would be over whelming .... but not anymore. ]

E -- i too notice those comments. very cool.

Terese

They are also from differnt zones which is very important :o)

Distantkin,
RESISTENCE IS FUTILE! WE WILL ASSIMILATE!

So, let me get this straight. I apologize if this has been stated and lost in the sieve I call my brain.

To enter data, one goes to plantfiles, searches the plant in question, and follows the link for "add wintersowing germination data..."? But later as it evolves there will be a direct link from the tabs?

Karen

LOL gymgirl .... I love Star trek too.

Unfortunately for me, my successes and failures with many seeds are laced throughout the threads. I have notes on the seeds that were gifts and notes on the seeds I received that I need to keep track of but seeds that I picked up here there and everywhere to try to germinate have records in posts or if I am lucky, I have a bill of sale where I wrote when I started them all. That's going to make it interesting tracking down my own notes. In my head I know what survived and what didn't. Very little didn't survive although I had better success with other propagation techniques for some plants but then there is the element of having to harden off seedlings cold stratified in a frig then germinated under lights.

ROFL!! Gym I spit my coffeee out when I saw that-shhhh no one is supposed to know we watch that!! LOLOL

Ok, folks.

I work in a high pressure, time-crunching job every day, and constantly have to access information on the fly. Here are just a few overlays to the INCREDIBLE WSDB (Winter Sowing Database):

A WINTER SOWING FOR NEWBIES LINK that will take you to a "How To" section.
The "How To" section should include items such as:
definition(s) [including anachonisms like WSDB, DH, etc.]
planting mediums/soils for sowing
WS container ideas (with pictures), etc.
a list of easily sown plants, flowers, veggies, etc., for beginners

A ZONE/ZIP CODE LINK:
Takes you to places pertinent to the zone/zip code you're in! No need to wade through ALL the plants to determine which ones grow in your neighborhood. AAMOF, probably could use a link to reference ALL posts made from a particular zone/zip code. Would save tremendous search time!

ALPHABETIZE the Plants in the Winter Sowing DB, please (we'll give you credit later for being first....or second.... (smile)

ADD A LINK ON THE PLANTFILE DB if the plant has a reference or post in the Winter Sowing database. Example: I look up Marigolds on the PFDB. If someone has posted WS info on marigolds, there could be a link on that plant that I can click on to take me directly to the WS info. Sort of a cross-reference (like the link for the Memorials...)

Ok. I'm asking forgiveness in advance, if any of this has already been addressed. Also, if it has, could someone please point me to these, because I have real trouble navigating some of the DG tabs and databases. I truly want to help make our site better than the BEST that it already is. I think logically, and expediently. What's the most efficient way to get from point "A" to point "B"? Can this be cross-linked to that? Why do I have to take the bus all the way to downtown first, to get to a mall that's down the street? These are the types of questions I pose.

Again, thank you, Dave, for the speedy response to creating these wonderful sites! And for the giving spirit you exemplify. And, lastly, for entertaining as many sound suggestions as you can fit in to making Dave's Garden the best on the Planet!

Linda

Great ideas :o)
They are alphabetized-by Genus :o)

Dave says the rest will come-BABY STEPS-LOL

you eat an elephant one bite at a time and we are just making the elephant sauce right now :o)

WE ARE NOT BORG! WE ARE DAVE!

OMG!!!! Way to funny

you have got me going now-LOL Love it!!
As I type into the database, I am thinking "We are Borg, we are One" now I must think "We are Dave-we are one" but you know, that doesn't work for me because I can't grow what he grows in TX! :o( LOL
Will try again though-LOL

We are a thousand voices though. LOL

OH! LINDA! That is just what this nubie needs to get off on the right foot with my two left feet;>)))

I am navigating the WS database fine,but I am not doing too well holding the "How to" together and your ideas would certainly be organized and keep me from wandering back and forth, up and down and around and back again.

Please and Thank You Dave?
Lu

If you think YOU'RE laughing, you oughtta come catch some of these tears! ROTFLMBO!

But wait! BORG DON'T CRY. "There's no crying in Borg-land!" Oops. That would be Data, having his first experience with emotions! ooooooohhhhh......

"We are Dave -- we are ONE!" Anybody else feeling a T-shirt here.....?

posyblossom or anyone else interested...please come join us for this month's Round Robin which happens to be winter sown seeds :o)
We would be glad to have anyone who is interested and I plan on putting all my extra seeds from my winter sowing up for grabs so everyone will get extras...even if you just put in 2 packets, you will get many more back :o)

(we had this Round Robin planned months ago-I promise!-and dylancgc-I just ducked-LOL)


here is a link to get there in our transporter...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/793847/

Distantkin,
Oh, you are good....

Beaming up right now Dis;)

Gotta go. DH is taking me out to the Galveston Bay Galaxy at warp speed on the starship Ge'Koreyia. Set those coordinates Mr. Sulu!

Ya'll "Live long and plant!"

P.S. I think it would be fun to have a "Star Garden" forum. All references to gardening would have to be done in Star Trek language. Quite a challenge! Maybe under games?

Oh Galveston-That was my favorite spot in Texas (and also the cause of my skin cancer today :o( )
You have to give me all the details when you get back :o)
Please!!!!


I would have to change my handle so no one would know-LOLOL

I love Star Trek and the Data Base is looking fantastic. I also think a primer would be great.

edit: oops, I thought I was on the seed of the month thread.I

This message was edited Dec 1, 2007 12:14 PM

Traci, what is a primer?

A quick educational tool to explain how Polar Planting is done. I didn't know we are to wait for the first freeze. Things like that. How to look to see if it is proper for your area. How winter sowing is done. Etc. I know I need the help and I only want to get my info FROM DAVE'S, not the dark side. I am afraid if I did that, I would get misinformation and mutant plants. lol.

ROFL about those poor plants Traci

thanks for the explaination pupil.

OK-I have to stop at my D's for now-we are in the middle of a wonderful snow storm and I have seeds to get outside so mother nature can make shelves on top of them :o)

Then I need to shovel and throw my new cat out in it with me -LOLOL

See ya all later :o)
Robbi

Poor sleep deprived Robbi! What's sleep when you can enter data for Polar Planting? LOL

Hey guys, we have that comments section and everybody is gowing to sow seeds in winter differently. Maybe you could consider doing what I did since sowing seeds in winter takes on so many different forms. I started by adding all plants that I sort of sowed the same way. It's that wave I mentioned before. I then just cut and paste the actual process I used into the next entry and modify it based on my notes. Here's are two examples-

I'm basically saving myself time by cutting and pasting information that was the same while editing in information from my notes to personalize the entry. I generally do waves when sowing seeds and tend to start all seeds that have similar requirements out on the same day in the same medium. People who go to a data base probably want one stop shopping. It's hard for them to have to go all over the net trying to figure out exactly what is going on and then there would be a time element associated with contacting the person who created the entry to ask for clarification. Quite frankly, I don't know if there is even going to be a means by which they can see who created the actual entry if accessing it straight from the PlantFiles. I can't count how many people have hurt feelings when they are steered to FAQs that they either didn't understand or that weren't applicable to their particular situation.

These entries are from our own personal experiences and notes so I'm thinking the comments section should be utilized when ever possible. I liked the way distantkin has been adding in the comments section about her entry having been based on her grandmother's notes. That spells it out for someone like me in that I know it has been sown in winter by an individual who gardens one zone cooler than me so it's worth a try but I may need to determine on my own using other sources exactly how to go about doing it based on additional comments that the grandma sowed some seeds in coffee cans. Just my thoughts.

waaaahhhh! Still want a "Method" section in addition to the Comments. Am I the only one that would find this useful? If so, I will shut up. :-) It would be easier to find those that were direct sown rather than container, for instance.

And please don't forget tips for those who don't get a freeze. We go from 30's-40's at night to 70's during the day.

Linda, you are a genius - I love your ideas http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4250358.

Oh nooooo, I think a "Method" section would still be useful.

As far as tips for people who don't get freezes, I think most people in the frigid north like me play around with the date the seeds are started to avoid frosts. In other words, we try to time it for when one can reasonably expect there will be no more frosts or freezes yet the seeds are still going to get the benefit of cold damp stratification. Lucky you that you don't have to think about timing some of your seeds and can start them when you want. On the other hand, there are some species that require long very cold dormancies and you wouldn't be able to sow those in your zone.

I have a comment, but I'm not sure how to phrase it.

On something like annual Bachelor's Buttons, Centaurea cyanus, there might be 5 different kind: Blue Boy, Little Gem, Red Boy, etc.

If I have Blue Boy, and wintersowed it with excellent results, the same information would be applicable to all the Centaurea cyanus. I wonder, if in the interest of getting the information correctly placed, as well as useful to the greatest majority, if there should just be one listing for all of the Centaurea cyanus listings.

If this is true, then my using a link from my Journal for Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Boy' would not really be helping things along.

Your thoughts?

Suzy

kaperc, why do you want a Method field for winter sowing? Direct sowing isn't winter sowing.

Dave, a couple of links would be helpful on this page:

Adding a new report to the Winter Sowing database

The entry has been created!
..one link you alreadyhave:Return to Honeywort
...another link that would be nice: Return to your Journal
...another link that would be nice: Return to Plant Files

Also, Should the default be a date of Dec 1 2007? Or shoud it be -- -- ----?

Suzy

I think the flowering date should default blank. I never recorded that info so I've fudged the answer so far.

You can scroll to the top of the month, day, year and enter a dash if you don't know when it bloomed (or germinated or whatever).

I see a link is now there so we can see our own entries! Great!