2009 - What have you sown so far... #2

Got 28 milkjugs sowed and labeled last weekend and am planning to do a few more tomorrow as it is supposed to be in the 60's here. I am a truly lazy gardener as I am not going to keep records, just see what grows and plant it!

Shirb, I doubt if I know you. I have lived in Panorma Village for 10 years but worked all that time and didn't get to know anyone much except people I worked with. I retired in September so am trying to be more sociable! Oh, I sympathize with you being in that cold weather! We haven't had that many cold days here but as you probably know, Feb is usually the coldest, raineyest (is there such a word?) month here.

Well I taught my daughters kindergarten class how to WS yesterday. We did 6 containers of carrots, Swiss chard & dwarf snapdragons. I had the kids do everything except jug cutting and writing labels. They had a hard time with the idea that the seeds weren't going sprout immediately! LOL

What a great idea, Sonoita! Won't the children be surprized in May when they see their seeds germinate ^_^

The seeds will germinat very soon because of our weather, freezing at night, but 60's in the day.

. . . . I don't even want to hear about 60 degrees during the day . . . . sigh (serious zone envy here! ^_^)

Hi everybody! Its looking like power should be back on today, our neighbors close by got back on last night and we can see houses lit from the windows now, so it ought to be soon :-)

Elaine, thanks so much for your kind words and prayers. Much appreciated :-)

Shirb, I hope you're encouraged to give wintersowing another go. I was a total seed dunce for years till I got into wintersowing. Now I've gotten into seed starting indoors under lights and am enjoying experimenting with them, but I still wintersow anything I can.

The great thing about winter sowing is no problem with dampening off or climatizing. It's a great way to get tons of perennials and hardy annuals.

Well thanks to all of your encouraging words and I think I will try again. There are so many of you to respond to so I will just say 'thanks to all'.

Bookerc1- Thanks, I will be looking forward to the newsletter! My DH was given some old garage door panels and some of them have glass. I think they will be perfect for building cold frames!

Bobyrd-its a small world! I know you will know what I mean!

By the way, I just placed a huge seed order from Pinetree, Parks and Thompson Morgan! Can I blame all of you! I will try one more time!

Happy Superbowl Day! I'm routing for the underdog the Cardinals, the Steelers we are arch enemies when I lived in Houston and we still had the Oilers!

GO, STEELERS!

What, like I was going to let that pass without comment? I grew up in Pittsburgh. LOL

I gotta admit, while i like seeing "new" teams win [sick of NE and Dallas -- so glad neither of them had a chance]
I just love the Steelers. I have since i was a kid watching the Steel Curtain, back in the 70's ... and who just doesnt love Big Ben.

I'm rooting for the Steelers, but i just hope its a good game... nothing like a boring blow out... like the Bears and the Patsies back in 85.

Shirb, here's a link to a really good pattern for a cold frame. Nice, clear directions, materials list, instructions on usage, etc. It's a totally different style than the one my mom made me for Christmas, but would be good if you have some doors to work with!

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/main/pdf/coldfram.pdf

I think Fine Gardening has an article on Cold Frames right now, too, but I can't seem to find the link right off.

HTH!
Angie

Here's my complete list so far:

Delphinium `Magic Fountains'
Delphinium `Summer Skies'
Salvia `Blue Bedder'
Pyrethrum Robinson's mixed
Lavandula angustifolia
Belamcanda
Gaillardia, mixed
Gaillardia burgundy
Sidalcea `Pink Ladies'
Thermopsis villosa
Georgia aster
Gentiana acaulis
Gentiana makinoi
Symphytrichum oblongifolium
Aster `Ocean Star'
Baptisia
Bronze fennel
Hollyhock `The Watchman'
Oriental poppy `Coral Reef'
Oriental poppy `Brilliant'
Flax
Dame's Rocket
Campanula
Campanula carpatica
Caryopteris `Blue Mist'
Dianthus
Meconopsis
Nigella
Myosotis
Rudbeckia `Cherry Brandy'
Rudbeckia `Irish Eyes'
Aconitum carmichaelii
Salvia viridis `Palisades'
Anagalls monelli
Larkspur `Giant Imperial'
Codonopsis clematida
Geranium wallichianum `Buxton's Blue'
Clarkia `Confetti'
Agapanthus praecox `Snow White'

Also 2 plants each of blueberry `Blue Crop' and raspberry `Heritage'

Herbs:

Dill
Chives

2 Amaryllis bulbs bought yesterday on closeout

Next weekend I hope to get some tomatoes started indoors in an unheated sunroom. I have Black Krim, Cherokee Purple and Brandywine heirlooms and some Rutgers, Early Girls and cherries.

WOW!

*drool*

LOL! Great list, great work, very impressive!

Great list Hemophobic!

I think I am finally done (okay maybe two more containers when the seeds come in the mail). I'm up to 140 containers...

Tonya

Thanks, Sonoita and Kylaluaz. I didn't do it all today, but over a period of two months this is what I have managed to WS. Today was so gorgeous here, up around 60, and oh, how I wanted to play in the dirt!

Tonya: My patio looks about the same, with 40 jugs now sown! Great work on your part, too. I just am so excited to see what comes up and thrives this year.

Here are three of my 16 that have sprouted so far. Man, can this get any easier?

Thanks Hemo

Tonya

Lookin' good, Tonya! Maybe I'll have some sprouts to show soon.

Most of my containers have sprouted. I'll try to take pics tomorrow.

Too cool Sonoita, would love to see them.

I am so happy for you! The seedlings look sooooo healthy!

Hemo - Your a Mama!

Congratulations! Can't wait to see some results here. Yes. All those babies look very healthy.

Happy Gardening
Elaine and Otis

I am envyous of all of you who are in a zone other than mine (3). I have started saving all my jugs and containers. I did read in the gardengate magazine that you can use those containers that rotissarie chickens come in. I am also saving the containers that cupcakes come in from the bakery! I sure wish I would have seen this thread alot sooner! I checked out the wintersown.org site. That was sure informative. Now all I need to do is find some soil. I wish I could find some Sunshine Mix #2. It's the seed germinating soil. Does anyone know who might sell it? I knew where to get in when I taught in California and Texas.
Kylaluaz= Thanks for the website. By the way, where is Weed? I taught in Porterville which is just south of Visalia.

nbgard - your part of Texas brings back alot of memories. Like floating down the river attached to the designated cooler tube. My friends always made me in charge since I didnt drink! I did alot of camping along the Frio! I sure miss all that German sausage too! They dont know what good food is up here! Their idea of BBQ is hamburger meat cooked in sloppy joe sauce in a slow cooker served on a bun with chips!

Hemo-I ordered alot of the same seeds you have. I especially cant wait for the Rudbekia 'Cherry Brandy' It looks gorgeous in the catalog. I just hope I'm not to late to get started!

Bookerc1 - thanks for the info! I love gardengate! I haven't been able to look at it just yet. I will when I am done here.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and information! You all rock!
Shirb

Hi Shirb. I'm having trouble finding good potting mix as well. I think what I bought last fall and have been using is fine but it is sure not going to last much longer at the rate I am going! I hate the thought of having to trek up to Yreka where the WalMart is, but may have to, the garden centers around here are closed til sometime in the spring.

Weed is a tad north of Mt Shasta, pretty near to Oregon, center of the state (on the East-West axis that is.). Dry country pretty much, especially right now, drought year.

Did you notice that wintersown.org will send you seeds for an SASE? ;-)

Shirb: As far north as you are, you're probably okay to start WSing now, although I wouldn't wait much longer. I bought a huge bag of MG potting mix to start mine in and I've almost used it up.

Elaine: You and Otis rock as well! Great gardeners here and some good tips. I've learned so much on this WSing forum.

Everybody have fun and get those seeds started!

I am planning to winter sow this year and I've been reading all the threads and kicking myself for not saving more gallon milk jugs!

Anyway, I have a few questions:

1 -- for the brown boxes I see in pictures that are holding your milk jugs (nbgard) -- did you poke holes in the bottom for drainage?
2 -- How much seed would you sprinkle over a gallon milk jug -- about 10 seeds? I don't want to waste ... I figure I might direct sow some in the spring as well.
3 -- I have a lot of small opaque yogurt containers and clear plastic strawberry containers, but I people are recommending 4 inches of soil. Could I get away with 2 or 3 inches or am I courting failure?
4 -- I have a rubbermaid container that I have poked holes in the bottom. I thought I could use it for ziplocks or small cups. But it has a blue top, not a clear top -- should I not use this blue top? (I feel the purpose of this is to save money, so I'm trying to use what I have on hand ....)

Thanks so much!

Hi Shirb, glad this part of Texas has such fond memories for you. Tubing is a lot of fun, although I did get caught in a hail and lightening storm while tubing one year! That wasn't fun!

Hope all of y'all are staying warm up there in the snow.

Tonya

Hi Sandstreet,

I didn't poke any holes in the boxes, but we are in a drought right now, so not sure how they would do in NY with no holes. I have been watering my jugs some and they drain pretty well from that.

I'll let some of the folks answer the other questions who have done this before this year. I have done some containers with less than 4" of soil, but can't attest to failure or success of that.

Tonya

>>1 -- for the brown boxes I see in pictures that are holding your milk jugs
No, you dont need to. If they are cardboard, as mine are, the excess water will drain right out

>>2 -- How much seed would you sprinkle over a gallon milk jug
Much if this depends on the plant, and seed size. Say if they are poppies, you'd want more than 10. for something that tiny - i take a "pinch" and sprinkle. Say they are Holly Hocks.... 10 would be fine.

>>3 -- I have a lot of small opaque yogurt containers ....4 inches of soil. Could I get away with 2 or 3...
some of mine may be 3". i have found any less than 2", the plant just not do as well. The roots need room to grow. Plus they tend to dry out faster once it warms up. I had a lot of failure due to "death" because of lack of soil.

>>4 -- I have a rubbermaid container
is the container clear? I have not used the big ones, like Grampapa did last year, using the baggies inside.
I would think that is the sides were clear, and that enough sunlight got in, they would do OK.
I had the smaller, shoebox type that had the blue lids... i cut the center of the lid out, and used plastic wrap.... it did work OK... but back to the soil... there just wasnt enough... so i wont be using them again.

HTH

Terese

Yes the container is clear. But I worry that with the blue top, not enough light will get in. OK, I will try to figure something out ... maybe a really thick plastic on top.

Thanks!

If the material is translucent enough that you can see the shadow of your hand through it when you hold it up to the light, it'll let enough light in for your seedlings. I actually like less transparent lids because they provide the partial shade that seems to work well for me.

I've done plenty of winter sowing with just 2 or 3 inches of potting mix, but I think adding polymer moisture crystals to my mix makes a difference. You will want to transplant or up-pot these seedlings a little sooner, because once the roots fill up the depth of the soil they'll start getting rootbound.

Let me take that back ... my supposedly 'blue' top is actually a white top (with blue handles). And I CAN see the shadow of my hand through the top! Is this really enough light? I will just drill air holes in the top (already have drainage holes in the bottom) and I am good to go.

Sounds good to me. Remember, light will get in through the sides, also. Even through the white top, it'll probably be more light than actually gets through to your window sill. :-)

Second what tcs said about the boxes/seed size, etc. One of the WS threads suggesting recycling the cardboard boxes this spring in new garden areas, cover with dirt and water and till under after a few weeks of decomposition, sort of a lasagne garden thing. I'm going to try that out, too, with my boxes.

Hemo -- that is what i did last year with my broken down C.board boxes... though i did it in the Fall.
this year i have some real heavy duty one, even with nice cut-outs for handles.... I may get a few years out of these babies.

I should get to some more WS;ing tomorrow ... got some more milk jugs, and i'm making a mental list of what i need to sow. Too busy today... so hopefully tomorrow.

I'm so glad someone brought up the "how many seeds per container" question! I gleefully went out back today with my little pile of seed packets, paint pen and watering can to do a little super-fast WSing while DD napped. I opened the first sed packet and looked down at all 50 seeds and thought it seemed like way too much for one jug and wished I had asked first. So I only sowed a couple jugs and then stopped so I could ask what you guys did.

tcs - you said 10 per jug worked for you, so 50 shasta daisy or dahlia seeds, 5 jugs? Those are the two I have in jugs right now. 50 seemed like too many for one jug, so I split them between two jugs, but it still seems like too many. I don't think I can retrieve the daisy seeds to start over, but the dahlia seeds are bigger - would you go back and thin them out so they have a better chance? I am more excited about the dahlias than most of my other seeds.

Thanks for your thoughts!

-GB

Last weekend I sowed McKana's Giant columbine, Irish Eyes rudbeckia, nodding prairie onion, blue flag iris, Little Bluestem switchgrass, foxglove, and some kind of perennial lobelia. I used a motley assorment of gallon milk or water jugs and 18-ounce yogurt containers. I filled the opaque yogurt containers right up to the top and sprinkled the seeds on the dirt, so hopefully they will get enough sun. Put the yogurt containers inside a cheap clear plastic tub with a clear top. For the next batch I'll use clear half-gallon seltzer water containers. We go through a couple of those a week.

I have a packet of bachelor button seeds that say they're annuals, but I have some that come back for me. Any one here in zone 5 have luck WSing bachelor buttons?

The bachelor's buttons should WS very easily, as the things self-sow like weeds, all over the place. I would just scatter them on top of the soil and put em out there - and beware them taking over your garden after you plant them.

After 4 miserable days with a nose like a running faucet, a head like a marshmallow, and the energy of a sloth, today I had to shovel snow on top of it all. The good news is that I checked my mailbox on the way back in and found some delectable seed delicacies that came all the way from Jonna in Belgium. And so, with my last bit of energy and my last seed-starting mix, I wintersowed these seeds she sent:
potentilla turczaninovii
gentiana cruciata
gentiana asclepiadea

Now to a hot shower, to sleep, perchance to dream..........................