sawing seeds

Don't know if this is the right place to ask this question. If not, please let me know in which forum I have to ask this question.

For some seeds it is recommended to saw in winter in a unheated greenhouse. How must I water the seeds? Sometimes I can not reach the greenhouse because of snow.

Thanks in advance.
Jonna

Hi Jonna! Here in my zone (5), we don't bother with putting them in a greenhouse. We winter sow in containers with covers. Last winter I used clear plastic shoeboxes. I punched drainage holes in the bottom part and cut the middle section of the lid completely out and replaced it with one layer of a plastic zip-top bag. Then I made some slits in that plastic for ventilation.

These sat outside on my patio for 4 months. As the seeds began to sprout I made the holes in the plastic bag bigger, finally removing the cover altogether.

There are lots of experts here that can probably give you way better advice LOL! There are several great articles written on this here:

http://davesgarden.com/sitewidesearch.php?q=winter+sowing

Hope that helps and good luck!

Pictures, chatnoir?
I am having trouble imagining this (and I grew up speaking [more or less] your language).
Where in the world does one find "clear plastic shoeboxes"? Here in "the old Europe", ours are still made of paper/cardboard (unless, as is entirely possible, we are still shopping at too downmarket shoe stores! LOL!!!)

here is a thread in the Winter Sowing Forum, entitled Let's Talk Containers.

there is a lot of chatter on what others used, but there are photos.... shoe boxes included... and ours here too are still cardboard.. but you can "purchase" plastic ones to stores shoes and what-not in.

Hope this helps

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/809636/

Oh, that's great! Thanks, tcs.

Thanks to all for the information and hyperlinks. I read it all and, although some words are unknown for me, I could understand it in general. I think the best thing I can use is a white plastic box from de Chinese take-away, the lids are clear, so very good for this use I think. Not that I have enough of them, but through the link of tcs I found out what other materials I can use.
Thanks again!
Jonna

Jonna -- some of us tend to use as sort of container that will hold about 3-4 inches of soil and have room for the seedlings to grow.

I'll use most items that are plastic [so i can cut holes in the bottom] and tall [room for growth and room for the root system] and clear [so the sun light can get to the seeds/plants] White plastic take out containers sound good too.

When you are getting started this winter ... Pop on in to the Winter Sowing Forum and ask questions.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coldsow/all/

and just have fun with it.

Terese

Sorry Potagere - someone answered you before I got back!

We have dollar stores here (probably too refined where you're living LOL). I don't shop there ever on principle, but was in a time crunch last winter. Got my shoeboxes for $1 each. They are sold in some other stores too - look in the home storage section, along with sweater boxes, etc.

We have so much stuff now in America that we support an entire storage and organization industry. Not to mention all those off-site storage facilities!

tsc, I will certainly pop in the winter sowing forum. Not right now, because I'm too busy now, and wintersowing can wait some time as I learned. But when time is there I will introduce myself.

Jonna

If it helps, Google has a translator for any words that you might have trouble with. Some words are going to come up that are very specific to plants and gardening so you aren't likely to have learned them in normal conversation or school.

Just a thought.

CoreHHI, I know the google translator, but unfortunately it's not doing well translating to dutch, especcially the specific words. But thanks anyway for your suggestion. I hope someone will explain me if I really do not understand what they are talking about.

Give this one a try. http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

I use to use babelfish and it might work a little better. Maybe not??

CoreHHI, I tried babelfish out, it's much better than google. It did not translate all the words I tried well, but most of them were good. Thanks! I'll bookmark it.

I too use Babelfish when i need to translate.

also Jonna -- if something stumpes you, just ask -- we'll do our best to figure it out.

Well tcs1366, Babelfish translates sometimes litteral just like I do. The meaning of the word 'stump' is in my and Babelfish' opinion something like a 'poke'. But I'm sure that is not what you mean. It must be an American expression.

LOL -- yea -- i do guess English is one of the hardest languages to learn... we have so much slang.

Stump - in this case -- i guess i should have used "confuse", or "to not know the meaning of..... "

Thanks tcs, I'm not only learning a lot about gardening, also my English will improve. And if you Americans say LOL, we Dutch speaking people say haha.

we say haha too. ;-) *wink*

Dont forget about popping into the Winter Sowing Forum this winter ... when it's cold and snowing... it will give you much to do.

Uggggg -- gotta go do some weeding. It's a cool gray day, good time to weed, and gather seeds.

Terese

Hi Jonna,

Feel free to Dmail me should you be unable to translate. Afrikaans (my home language) has it's origin from Dutch. Maybe we'll be able to come up with an explanation/answer/word between the two of us. Hahaha (wink, wink)

Elsa

Terese, I won't forget to pop into the Winter Sowing forum. I think I will need some advise. It was very rainy here today, so no way I could weed or gather seeds. But it gave me time to spend some time on my second hobby: rockhounting (collecting minerals). The people in our village asked me to make a small exposition, so I'm busy with that now.

Elsa,
A good idea from you. I know your homelanguage has it's origin in Dutch, due to our history, one we (-and certainly I-) are obviously ashamed of. Once in France a woman from South Africa helped me to translate things in French. That is what I like, everyone helping anyone.
Thanks! (or in dutch: Dank je wel)