First time Winter Sower

This will be my first time winter sowing ... very excited to see the results. Here's the list of seeds I plan to sow. Any suggestions, pointers or comments are welcome.

Poppy Blue Himalayan
Evening Primrose Innocence
Coneflower Green Wizard
Columbine Origami Mix
Aquilegia Red Star
Penstemon Rocky Mountain
Coreopsis Sunfire
Coneflower paradoxa Yellow
Columbine Clementine Blue
Blue Stokes Aster
Blazing Stars Floristan White
Bellflower Pearl Deep Blue

Hi Michaeljo,

I'm sure someone from your neck of the woods will come along with good advice, but that's a fine list of hardy perennials you've got there, and they should be dynamite winter sowers for you. My only advice would be to include some annuals so that you will have some blooming gratification in the spring. Perennials, more often than not, end up not blooming the first year.

Have fun!
Susan

Thanks Susan! I do have some annuals ... free seeds from WInterSown.Org.

michaeljo -- you can also go to the Seed Trading Forum http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/trading/all/
many great folks in there will send you seeds for the SASE [stamped envelop]

happy sowing ... last year was my first year. it was such fun.

Thanks for the info TCS. I think I have enough seeds to get me through my first time. I will try Seed Trading next year. Actually, I received some free seeds I don't want, would any one like to have them:

Spider Flower (Cleome hasslerana)
Black-Eyed-Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Tomato Blend
Lettuce "Color Salad Blend'
Early White Vienna Kohlrabi
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Whada ya mean you don't want kohlrabi? What am I gonna do with you? hmm? That's good eatin!

I don't have a veggie garden (too many rabbits and deer). Can I grow it in a large container?

Yep, it's member of the cabbage family, but has a much milder taste. It's the ALIEN of the garden! Google it, you'll be tickled. I'm doing an article on it, waiting for approval. My oldest son loves the things and grew them in his own garden this year. LOL Actually, you can grow your salad blend in a container also..

Hmmm .. I guess I'll give them a shot. Thanks doccat! Look forward to reading your article.

when i was a kid, my mom used to grow it in the garden.... I'd always be, what the heck is that?
and you know kids... most dont like a lot of veggies, especially ones that look like lil heads of lettuce.... but Mom would put them in a cream sauce .. and YUM... though almost everything tastes good in cream sauce.

They look like little sputniks and my guys eat em raw. But their great sauted with a bit of butter and garlic or in a stir fry.

Well, it was like Christmas at my house today ... I received my seed order. I read all of the lessons learned threads and took copious notes ... lot's of great tips on what "to do" and "not to do". Just need to get more soil and a few more containers, then I'll be ready to start sowing ... can't wait.

What do you mean you don't want cleome and R. hirta? Such flower power, they'd be the stars of your garden. And both reseed themselves, so you'd probably have them for years!

Sow 'em, honey. You don't know what you're missing.

Karen

I agree - sow them. You can always rip them out if you don't like them.

I have some cleome I'm starting. I'm looking forward to seeing them in bloom.

doccat: Have you ever grown cleome sparkler blush? That's my favorite. I've read, though, that saved OP seeds of any cleome results in regular tall light purple cleome offspring. I saved just a few seeds from the sparkler blush which I'll WS and experiment.

Anyone have any experience with seeds saved from the sparkler series?

Karen

OK you talked me into it ... I'm going to sow all of the seeds I have.

Ha! We were successful!

Rudbeckia hirta "Prarie Sun"

R. hirta Irish Eyes

R. hirta Becky dwarf

kqcrna, I have no clue as to what variety of cleome these are. I won them in a contest on another site. I just figured I'd experiment and see what I get! I did look them up on the web and they are gorgeous. I was thinking about planting some behind my roses bushes in the front of the house since they get so tall, but I'm not sure there'd be enough room.

Karen, those are beautiful! did they bloom the first year?

Cathy, Yes, they are 1st year WS plants. R. hirta can be annual, or perennial or biennial here. They bloom in their 1st year but didn't really take off until around the end of June or beginning of July.

Karen

Beautiful Rudbeckia hirta!!! I have the perfect spot for them. Thanks for the encouragement ... perhaps I'll be able to share seeds for next year's winter sowing season.

You'll love them, and they produce lots of seeds.

Karen

I think half the fun of planning to winter sow for the first time is knowing that I'll be able to share seed next year. I'm digging right now to see if I have cleome.

This may be a little off topic, but can I plant the WS seedlings in a lasagna-type garden bed?

Cathy4 If you don't find Cleome dmail me and I'll stick some in your bag.

And fennel is pretty as a filler in the flower garden and the swallowtail butterflies love it!

I don't have a veggie garden, either, but I sow a few lettuce seeds in clay pots now and again and get enough leaves for some nice summer salads. Fun to do. Then I cut some fennel leaves and add it in to the salad and suddenly it becomes 'gourmet'!

You'll have fun wintersowing, that's for sure!

Is fennel one of those invasive herbs? I do grow some, but I still get confused on who needs a pot.......LOL Must be like the Green Tomato that Ate New York! LOL
Btw, Mike you want some heirloom tomato seeds? dmail me

michaeljo - lasagna beds are great for WS seedlings!

Karen: Your Rudbeckia hirta are gorgeous! Such wonderful "eye candy" at this time of the year!

Thanks for the offer doccat5, but I have enough tomato seeds for now.

PVick - good to know, I will be expanding my current beds using the "lasagna" method. Gotta love a no-dig garden!

Some find fennel somewhat invasive in their regions, but I actually have to nurse it along in my garden...

We made a lasagna garden last year and it's been great for planting--I'm planning a new one for springtime too.

All of my seeds are planted in their winter sowing containers (30 containers). Now if spring would just hurry up and get here!

30 containers already! I better get busy!

I ran out of containers today, need more!

Is it still to soon or too late to scatter poppy seed now? I have mine in the refrig since I got them this summer. Thanks.

Gosh - why not wait until February - too much snow today! I actually started mine in flats and transplanted them - way too much work, but the gardens where I want to plant them this year won't be ready until late April, so I might have to do the flat thing again.

I wonder what others in zone 6 do?