Show Us Your Babies...

I have babies! I checked my containers today and it looks like the babies are starting to grow. Our weather has been warm the past few days. I'll post some pics tomorrow. I have Blue Fescue, Several Rudbeckias, Black Hollyhocks, and more! I hope those Cherry Brandy Rudbeckias come up. If not, I won't be a happy camper!

Please post some pics of your babies!

I wish!! I've only started my first batch still...sigh.

I just have little "sproutlets" to borrow a term from the other thead. It makes me feel like I am so behind getting the rest of my containers sowed.... is it wrong to still be "winter sowing" in containers in July! LOL. I have only done 28 and I still have LOTS of seeds left.


The ground is still frozen here, and they are sprouting right on top!

Hey art n garden, are those tops still on there? I think they are supposed to be left off........ seems one of the standard practices. But I am a first timer with this, is there a reason you left the caps on?

I can't share pix cause no camera, but will say we had big snow the last few days and I was a touch concerned as I have several containers sprouting -- figured the spinach and kale would be just fine but worried a bit about sunflowers onions and poppies -- anyway, snow melted down enough today that I could check and they all are doing just fine!

and then I got to thinking, why am I worried about sunflowers? They grow in Kansas, where it often gets much colder than it has gotten here, the strew their seeds down in fall and then do just fine.

I was reassured. ;-) Sproutlets are tougher than they look I guess.

Sunflowers??? I never heard of that...

Of what? Wintersowing them?

Here is a pic I took today of some of the larger sprouts. I have about 80 containers germinated, but most are still very small. These are several different hollyhocks, container and basket sweet peas, soy beans, MG Scarlott O'Hare and Granpa Otts, borage, poppies, etc.

Tonya

I never would have thought WS sunflower seeds. I have some...now I wonder if I should try it!

Well, I pretty much decided to try wintersowing everything! Mainly because I have no good way otherwise for all the seeds I want to germinate.

And I believe sunflowers fit the bill pretty nicely, actually, anything that self-sows in nature is a prime candidate. Anyway, can't hurt to try, you can always hold some seeds back to sow via some other method for insurance.

Great job, Tonya! Mine probably won't look that good for several weeks. Our weather is just now getting Spring-like. I'm SO looking forward to Spring!

I took a bunch of "baby"pictures the other day. I carefully laid the labels flat so I could tell what was what in each picture. Unfortunatley the sun was too bright and labels are white so there was a glare and I can't read the labels in the pictures so I gotta go back and re-take the pictures.

Thanks echi. This is my first year at WSing and I am having a blast! Dreamin g about what my beds will look like!

Ah, yes Kyla! Thank you, I can never remember ... on or off, on or off. I just sowed them last week, so no harm but I'll go take them off.
I got another big batch sown yesterday, can't wait for sproutlets like you guys!

I have a while to wait still. I never get sprouts until March.

Karen

I got another big ole snow dump on mine....... plus the power keeps going out so I will catch you lovely people later . Hopefully before spring, LOL!

There was a dusting of snow here last night. I was surprised to a see a couple "sproutlets" today, Coreopsis and Rudbeckia hirta. This pic is the Coreopsis tinctoria:

Nanny, I wintersowed Sunflowers last year and they did great! I was advised to sow them later (in March) because if they germinate early frost could nip them. I had much better luck than I had in the past with Sunflowers; when I direct sowed I always lost a lot to slugs or cut worms.

Found my first sprouts yesterday, English Wallflowers!

I am going to give it a try then!! I have had no lick with direct sowing...just what the chipmunks plant!! LOL

here's my hens & chicks sproutlet babies. First seeds I've ever sown.
I need a purple ribbon! lol
Do ya'll need a microscope to see them? lol

I see them!!! lol

Wow! I've never seen hens & chicks as seedlings! Cool.

I was bored and got on eBay. Found them for a couple bucks.
Can't wait to see how they turn out. XD
It's supposed to be a mix of whitish ones, pinks, purples & greens. Should be fun.

Here are my favorite precious babies. So cute. They are Delosperma cooperi (Iceplant), a hardy perennial succulent groundcover.

Here it is blooming

Here are many more of my babies. Have 2 more flats other than this one. All sprouting with the Deno method---moist kitchen paper towel.

My understanding is that you leave the tops on the containers until it gets warm & there's been germination.

Jsorens: blomma's pictures aren't wintersown sprouts. They're "Deno method" starts, not even outside I don't think.

Karen

kqcrna y
You are partially correct. They are wintersown with the "Deno method". All that means is that some were stratified in the refrigerator. Seeds don't care where the cold comes from---outside or fridge. Few varieties require the flunctuating temp outside. That is what my coldframe is for. Having said that, I can get the same result from the fridge by returning the ziplock baggie to the fridge and/or freezer after warmth. I did that with Clematis and Penstemon. I have one Clematis sprout and several Penstemon sprouting with more coming.

I don't have to wait until warmer weather to germinate the seeds. My 26 varieties of Deno sown seeds have already sprouted and are happily growing under grow lights on 2, 4 ft long shelves.

Here is what the Deno method does. These are hardy Geranium 'Vision' seeds just prior to potting. They were stratified in the fridge for 1 week. Started on 2/17 and sprouted 3/11. Those without roots have swelled and ready to sprout, and did.

And here are those seeds growing in a 6-pack.

blomma: No, I am correct. From the wintersowing site: "Winter Sowing is easy to do! With this creative and easy germination method you will be able to start hardy seedlings for pennies. Winter Sowing is done outdoors during Winter using mini-greenhouses made from recyclables; there are no heating devices, no energy wasting light set-ups or expensive seed starting devices"

I am familiar with the Deno metod, and aware that strat can be done in the fridge and seeds can be grown under lights. Your information is not new. It just is NOT wintersowing and this IS the wintersowing forum. Your posts are confusing issues so that members don;t know who is doing what.(as per Jsorens post above) I don't care how you grow your seeds but would appreciate it if we could limit conversation to the subject at hand, wintersowing.

Some of us have followed this forum for years and have formed friendships over our wintersowing. There is another seed starting forum at Dave's which is not dedicated to wintersowing.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/germination/all/

Karen

I agree with Karen. I think the Deno method is more like the old way of sowing seeds and then growing them under lights. The winter sowing method is much easier to me. You just leave the plants outside and they are much more healthy and vigorous than growing under lights or with any other method.

I keep seeing this Deno method mentioned here. It's almost like someone is trying to force it down our throats rather than letting us discuss the subject we are here to talk about. Winter Sowing is a specific way of doing things. Deno or whatever they call it isn't the same thing.

You should see the difference in my seedlings outside that were winter sown the right way compared to mine under lights. There is no comparison. Winter sowing is da bomb!

kqcrna: My bad! Didn't follow the thread as closely as I ought to have. :)

Jsorens: Not at all. We're all getting confused because in every thread someone keeps taking the subject away from wintersowing. Not your fault at all. Unless you go back in the thread to see who is talking about what there's no way to tell.

We come here to talk about wintersowing and how our own seeds are doing. Well, OK, maybe some of us just like to talk about our jugs ;-0

Karen

Ditto what echinaceamaniac & Karen said........

"some of us just like to talk about our jugs ;-0".............LOL!!! Karen, you cracked me up!

Just like a guy to pick that one up. But hey, I'm keeping on the subject of "show us your babies"!

Karen

I've got to get some pics; I separated sprouted containers from those that haven't yesterday, and have 56 sprouting, out of 130! Woohooo!..spring is really here!

Well, I know I've been tempted to post photos of my indoor babies... just because my WS jugs don't have any sprouts yet! ;-)

I put my pics of some of my babies on the wrong thread! lol

Here is Praire Sun Rudbeckia

Larkspur babies are doing really good!