First Time WS #3

In this part of Texas we are enjoying lots of green still. I have rose bushes blooming, garlics looking great, of course, lettuce, onions, brocolli, cauliflower, collard greens, brussel sprouts, obedient plant (not blooming though), salvia coccinea (blooming), mints, ice plant (blooming), bi-color iris (blooming), and more. I guess that's enough listing, don't want to rub it in ;-). ( Am I stopping too late?).

Been hoping to start WSing, but having trouble finding any soil except Miracle Grow. Will probably break down today and get some of that. I remember someone saying they got a good deal on it at Sam's so will try there today.

Tonya

Wah-haa, I have hellebores with buds, camellias with buds, violas blooming, pussy willow budding, various bulbs poking up through the ground, but that's about it!

nbgard- You aren't that far from me. we are freezing here my roses are affraid to bloom. This has been a really cold winter for us. Of course it is the year I decided to grow a bunch of container plants including Tomatoes 25+ plants and now they are stuck in my library. I'm thinking of rigging up some kind of lights because I'm not putting everything back out for 1-2 days of warmth.
Lisa

I hear you Lisa. I have decided to keep my brugs inside for the duration, but the rest have mostly stayed outside. We haven't hit the freezing mark more than 3 or 4 times, I think and it was only for 1 or 2 nights straight each time. I keep looking at the base for the greenhouse that DH has done and wishing he had finished that already! Maybe if I get him to lug plants in and out he'll have more incentive!

Hmmm, mapquest lists 4 different Liberty Hills, in 4 different counties in TX. Which one are you?

Tonya

:( I have snow, snow and more snow. Tomorrow we're looking to 3 -6" more!

I do have plants in my sun room that are green and doing well. No blooming though. I have a Murraya paniculata "Orange Jasmine" that bloomed a few blooms in the house.:)

I sowed some seeds on Monday Heliotrpe, dragon wing Begonia, Inula, datura and coleus. I need to see something besides snow and ice and cold

I have amaryllis in bloom with more to come over the next few weeks and an orchid getting ready to bloom.....can't wait. My dd just mentioned how awesome it is to see flowers blooms in the middle of winter with snow on the ground. :-) I just prepped 40 containers. They are drilled, cut and filled with dirt - now to decide which seeds to plop in and take notes. They are sitting on my kitchen counter right now and are filling my house with that earthy smell. Love it!

Nothing is happening here. Too cold to do the rest of my winter sowing (-10°C/-20°C, thats between 14°F and 4°F). What I did winter sow in December was first frozen and is now covered by snow.
I wait till temperatures raise a bit. It's very unusual to have these low temperatures in December/January. Usually we get these from end of January, early February.

So far nothing of mine has germinated, I am grateful to report, not even a stray lavender seedling! ;-)

Today the weather is in a warm trend, up toward 50 but it is still frosting at night. I went ahead and bought four "milk jug type" jugs of water! to have a few more jugs to sow from. I know, I know, I should have gone to the trash somewhere or the recycle center but truly this was just easier and I can use the water....... so anyway, tomorrow or Saturday I plan to do a few more containers, not yet sure what I'll put in them.

I am also going to make seed balls and will probably start a thread somewhere to describe that process in case others are interested in watching my trial and error. My clay arrived today so now I have everything I need including appropriate weather, which is wonderful.

I will be sowing red clover mixed probably with a few CA poppies, not sure about that part yet, just the clover is certain. I wanted a time when the snow was melted off the area I plan to sow, etc -- and then later it will freeze and get snow covered again (probably more than once actually) which is just perfect. Plus the moon will be full in the fertile sign of Cancer.

sometimes things do work out!

happy day!
Kyla

Well, I have a few green things in my bedroom, a couple of Rex begonias and a struggling Stromanthe called Burle Marx, which I think I was overwatering. Hoping it will revive. Looked nice and lush when I bought it.

Karen

Hi, all,
Looks like you have nearly run through a whole new thread while I have been recuperating from the holidays!
I have done some more WS; guess I have about 50 containers out there now! The most recent ones have been labelled with the wonderful 'Sharpie' ink pens that Angie sent me. It is working really well.

Lots of indoor green here: Spider plants, asparagus fern, pothos, potted baby heucheras, geraniums, begonias, dieffenbachia, several plants I don't even know the names of, 2 giant Bird's Nest ferns, bromeliads, a giant Ethiopian euphorbe, numerous orchids (not blooming, alas!), 2 poinsettias, forced hyacinths, a couple of chili pepper plants, and a yellow morning glory (also not blooming). Walking about in the cold and snow with Conan the Corgi, I notice that the wild hellebores (whose blossoms are a pale green against their dark green leaves) are blooming in the woods!

Just a thought here: I was looking at Henygirl's photo of the bottom of her containers and it "looks" concave. I.E. that the center of the container, where you have drilled the holes is "higher" than the edges where the container sits. If that really is the case, any water/melted snow won't drain until it "fills up" that edge, which in turn will allow algae and mold to grow. But, it's hard to tell exactly from the picture.

And, speaking (as you all were a bit earlier in this thread) of garden planning or not, where is Joannabanana? I want to know if she plans her beds or just plants!

Jim

>>her containers and it "looks" concave.

Jim -- i too noticed that. didn't think of the mildew issue, but yes, water will settle there.

I'd think by drilling/making a hole in each corner would take care of that.

I agree, Terese.

Yall are awesome.......THANKS! Okay I went outside and looked at the bottom...there less than a 1/4" difference in the sides and the middle section. Only the middle sticks out the bottom more than the edges.....so I have confused myself...that should make the water flow down and out, right? Gosh I hadnt thought of that before and really didnt even notice but it is an extremely valid point.

After I looked at the actual bins and then the pictures again I still see a lip. So I picked the bin all the way up and the inside border part goes in and the outside border part goes out...I dont know if that makes sense. :O

Thanks yall, I am gonna watch it, next rain or melt and see if water stays in there .....if so then I think a couple of small drill holes in those specific areas will work.

Man this is GREAT and helpful place!

Well, you sure got ME confused, Henygirl, but your plan sounds good. If there is nothing to it, there is nothing lost; but if this helps you prevent a flood of your WS, that's good! So long as you have sufficient drainage holes at the "lowest" points of your bin, you're good to go!

Sorry Jim, I confuse myself often! :O I am just glad yall brought up the point/issue so I can watch it once the the snow thaws...basically I dont want standing water.

Thanks again.

No problem! If all works out, you can send me some of your Chaste Tree seeds next year for WS!
(Just kidding!)

Ready to take the leap..... New to WS'ing but not to seed starting. I have been sowing under light in my basement for about 10 years. I don't mind babying my seedlings, I use 6 packs and sow only a few seeds in each, I don't like separating seedling that grow in a mass, and for the most part potting up to a larger size pot unless necessary.
I wanted to give you a little background on my seed starting habits.

I want to start small as a trial, I have Viola,- Velour Blue Bronze and Primrose- veris Cowslip seeds, getting ready to choose a plastic box to drill holes in top & bottom, and was thinking of using the plastic bag method, I have these long plastic bags that our newspaper comes in and if I put a tight knot in the middle and cut it below the knot I can get 2 bags.
Right now we are almost knee deep in Lake Effect Snow and more on its way, expect it to be like this at least till the end of Febuary maybe into March UGH! I think I will place the box under my outdoor table out of the way, it still gets light and the snow gets under there too, so I don't see a problem.
Just wanted to post as a newbe to ws'ing and if anyone has any input as to starting time in my zone and snow area. Last frost date is around the end of May.
Chris

OK, I admit, I haven't even started yet! I really thought that after the first of the year I would have all the time in the world. Apparently my DH had other ideas of what I should be doing in my spare time. Soooooo I have been cleaning out closets and unpacking boxes, while all my little seeds are just waiting patiently, and all my empty containers are piling up in the shed!

I did buy some nice gloves though and some potting mix so as soon as I can get those holes drilled I am going for it! :)

Well, you will probably be just in time. I already have little sprouts of spinach, saw them start to show just today. Nooooooo! LOL!

Everything else looks good and dormant tho, thankfully, and if t he spinach insists on being that way, well we shall see what happens. I saved some of those seeds to do later in case I had started too early and these get killed by the weather........ heck, who knows what will happen? that's part of the fun I guess. ;-)

Lissa, I have ordered yet more seeds and when they arrive I intend to WS every darn variety, tho again I will save back some of each kind, probably. I have dates chosen each month for sowing, actually......

Nice to see some action here.... everyone else has been posting in other threads lately.

Kyla, depending on the variety, unless you get a prolonged heavy freeze, those spinach seedlings will probably give you your first fresh garden greens of the season! They will actually take a LOT of abuse.
Be bold!!! If you have extra containers, transplant at least 1/2 of those seedlings into the garden when they have 4-6 real leaves and cover them with containers with their bottoms cut off (like mini-cloches!) at night or when it gets real cold. By March, we'll all be calling you 'Popeye' (or is that 'Popette'?).

Meanwhile, nothing is likely to sprout here for a few days!

Jim

Thank you, Jim, that is what I am hoping for, early fresh greens! YAY! But if I transplant them, they will go into a larger more permanent container, and not into the "garden" which does not quite yet know it is a garden, you see, it still thinks I was only fooling when I put all that stuff on top of it last fall before it all froze....... Plus which the rabbits and the deer are just waiting to see what KIND of garden she is going to put in there, hmmmmm?

So, tasty plants will stay on the deck, out of their reach, for now. ;-) And these ones have not even put cotyledons above the surface yet (however you spell that word) -- I just saw their little white stems curling just up above the soil. So time yet to see what happens.

Beautiful picture!!!! even tho it is mighty cold looking.

Kyla

OK, that makes sense. Rabbits and deer have never been a problem here (just the herons who eat my fish!). And, not having a garden space ready yet does complicate things a bit! Spinach will, however, grow just fine in containers, but, if you want a nice crop, use bigger pots than you were planning on and don't crowd them!

We'll all be awaiting updates and photos.

Yes, it IS pretty, but not exactly conducive to gardening!

Jim

Ah, but it sure looks like it *was* gardened! Beautifully balanced.

Yes, this garden of mine is in a pretty wild area, not wilderness but not what you would call cultivated either.

So there are some interesting challenges.

Container size, I am going to look for 5 gallon "window box" or tray shapes for most things. I just saw a photo of someone's container greens garden in long boxes, very nice. I am dreaming away here, LOL!

Kyla

That sounds good. We'll be anxious to see how they turn out.

Jim

Beautiful picture, Jim. I think it looks perfectly conducive to gardening. Just sow seeds in containers in the warmth of the house, then stick out in the snow. Sit back and wait for spring.

Karen

It's underway, Karen!

Beautiful snow photo, Jim. I have a thing for winter scenery.

I haven't checked my WS'd containers lately, but will do so today. We're under hard freeze warnings for the entire weekend here, so I'm hoping nothing is happening. I'm more worried about some tulips and daffodils which are already 3-4 inches out of the ground!

Angie

Im like Angie. I am afraid to look at what I have WS. It is so cold here. I am praying for my Irises and the Rose bush I planted last year!!
Robin

I'm now glad that I am doing so many things by WS because, if it works out, I will probably need them. I am really afraid to see in the Spring how many things I will have lost in this prolonged bitter freeze which is so much colder and longer than normal here.

Jim

Jim, I know that photo is bitter sweet........but it is breathtakingly gorgeous scene.

Thank you, Henygirl!
Those are the untrimmed flower stalks of a large hosta in the foreground.

Jim, thank you for the snow pictures! It might seem silly, but I really do miss the snow. Just like it takes a little bitterness to appreciate life's sweetness, Spring is so much more rewarding when you've "earned" it with a little Winter white. Plus it's so peaceful. My DH hails from Wisconsin - maybe we could visit the in-laws for a taste of real Winter...

I almost have enough milk jugs to put my first WS containers out Feb 1, but I'm having trouble waiting! We'll see if I make it.

-GB

Over the weekend with the full moon I got 40 containers WS'd.. Yea! Here is what they looked like the next morning.

We just got another foot and here is what they look like this morning.

Chele... that's the way mine look too... totally buried.

Alright! Excellent garden!

My girls are so excited with planting in the snow.....after eating 6oz yogurt cups they came running up saying they had a container to plant seeds in. ^_^ They are learning young. Hee hee. I'm saving all the cups so when I get an appropriate "box" that will hold them, I'm going to let them plant their own flowers in them.

Did you get my DMail? Their seeds are on the way!

Yes Jim - thank you! I will let you know when we get them. The girls will be tickled pink!

Good! Hope they arrive with no problems.