What have you wintersowed so far #4

Hemophobic: That should be a safe assumption on the wintersowing forum, but blomma has changed the subject in so many posts that many folks lost track. Hopefully we can get back to wintersowing discussions and keep it there soon. We just need to keep it on track.

Karen

Carrie, you naughty girl, I thought you'd claimed that you hadn't sown anything yet! LOL Seeding on the sly, were you?

We had a lot of rain and wind yesterday, so I was anxious to see if my containers had survived (and stayed put in their boxes!). Much to my surprise, I found sprouts in several more of them!

I have from before:
Mix of gaillardia, monarda, echinacea, and achillea (DS container--looking good!)
Evening scented stocks
English Wallflower

New sprouts:
Nigella Oxford Blue
Cosmos Seashell Mix
Chocolate Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)
Peachleaf Bellflower
Something else--label didn't show up well enough to read in photo!

So, it has begun! I have three more milk cartons saved up that I need to sow into, but just no time to DO it! LOL

Booker

I didnt check for sprouts today... it's COLD out.

but sown some more containers. all were QT sized and only one gallon.

HollyHock Country Romance Mix
Holly Hock Black
[wanted to do some Yellows, but for some reason, i can not find my seeds] **shakes fist**
Limerock Dreams Coreopsis
Hardy Adgeratuim [probably spelled wrong... can't read my own writing some times]
Spicata Wheatstraw Celosia
Rud. Green Wizard
Cosmos "Limara"
FanFair Gaillardia x grandiflora

I now have 29 jugs/containers with sproutlets out of 55 containers.. I'm pretty pleased about that :)

but I have a couple of jugs that one day I'll see a tiny sproutlet and the next day, none.. where did they go???

I've had germination and I still need to sow a few more things. Now is the time I tend to do alot of my annuals. Here's the latest list of sowings and germinations- http://www.lakehousecreations.com/wintersown_2009.htm

Nice list Anita.

very impressive - I wish I was that organized ^_^

Michaela, you are very organized! Compared, to me, for instance, you are a paradigm of organization!

I like that organization too.. I'm going to create an excel spreadsheet this weekend.

But I have to admit I got a chuckle out of "Big yellow flower from Hicks" :)
Gotta love mystery seeds!

Here is a picture of my W/s containers. DH is not happy.

Another picture of my ghetto

I worked all day to move everything and hide them behind these temporary panels.

Here is the other side of my screen.

Now my containers are all safe and sound, looking much better in their new holding pen.

That's quite a stash, Lynn. You'll be planting out all summer.

Karen

Take DH to Lowe's or HD and let him see the prices of the plants you now have for very little except your effort and that'll put a smile on his face!

Great job, Lynn. Keep us posted on your successes (and failures). The failures are important, too.

Oops. Thomas Edison said there are no failures, just things that didn't work.

Jeez, it's only for a couple months -- and tell him how much $$ you'll save! Mine are all over the deck and the DH is not happy either.

OH Lynn, that looks fabulous!!

[crap... i just heard 1-3 inches of SNOW!! dang, and i thought that was all over with]

anyhoo.... i dont think my DH was too pleased that first year, with the ghetto .... but when he saw all the plants, and yes, how much money I didnt spend on plants... i'd actually hear him on the photo talking to his friends about my new "hobby". now he doesnt mind... it;s more like... OH, it's that time of the year again.... ???

at least you have a place to "hide" all your containers.

Kinda liked the "ghetto" It all will be good.......

Wow, Lynn, you have quite a bit there! Nice! I don't have nearly that much. You're really saving a lot of money there!

Karen

ya, Lynn, you'll have the last laugh on this one.

I sat down with DH last night and showed him in one of my garden books all the plants that I"ve been WSing and he was VERY impressed :) Now if this cold spell doesn't kill the baby sproutlets, I'll be more than thrilled! I did throw some poppy seeds in a container and got it outside yesterday before the storm hit as I thought I remembered someone saying that they need a cold spell to get started..hoping I'm right anyway LOL

Chris... in your area... did you just get hit with snow? I saw the beating parts of KS took... it's on the way here, but certainly not that much snow. They are guessing up to 5", but i bet [hope] less than that. with the warm temps coming, what we get should be gone by Monday anyways.

I havent done anymore Ws;ing ... i'm really out of containers.. though i do have nursery pots.

I need to go thru my seeds to see what i still HAVE to do this year. I"m hoping i have more Agastache Rupestris, Sunset Hyssop ... as that is something i can't have enough of.

Terese

Terese, they said we'd get anywhere from 3-5 inches here in the OKC metro area and as usual they were totally WRONG! We got a dusting and that was it. The panhandle did get a lot of snow with huge snowdrifts, but ours was more rain than anything. Luckily, it didn't drop below freezing, so that wasn't a problem!

Hope it misses you too :)

yea -- me too... my kids too. anyhoo... temps are supposed to be above freezing, except for over night lows... so that is when it may hit.

i was tempted to put all my boxes in my sun room... but i figured they should "weather the storm".

The storm just came through here the last 2 days. We were supposed to even get snow, but just got a light dusting. Thur. night was supposed to be 25* but it only got down to 37*. Last night lows were supposed to be 24* and only got down to 27*. The did cover my deck containers, but not my "out back" containers. They both did fine and not a smidge of difference between those that were covered and those that weren't. Now we are forcasted for lows in the high 30s for the next week. Maybe it will warm up again. :) I have been collecting more containers and am ready to plant out more tender stuff. However I have been so busy and sick I haven't done a thing! OH well, I guess there is still plenty of time.

My 10 yo DS keeps anxiously asking me if we should bring all the WSing containers with sprouts inside. I've been wondering about at least sticking them in the garage. No snow thus far, just icky freezing rain, but it is in the forecast.

Should I cover them, or just let them "tough it out?"

Our local paper had this article posted, with a few tips. Thought I'd share it, though it didn't really tell me anything I didn't know. I need to go brave the rain and shore up my hydrangeas, apparently.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/03/28/news/doc49cd537b70ec8703321952.txt

Thanks guys. :) I had to laugh at my description of that seed as well. I have to remember to ask the staff at Hicks what the plant is. I'm guessing a rudbeckia of some sort.

Lynn - I love your w/s den!

Terese, I love agastache, too. I have Black Adder http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/160889/ and Tutti Frutti http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/140378/ that I purchased last year, and both came through the winter just fine. I was thrilled, to say the least. One of my friends had heard that they were 'iffy' in our area.

Karen

I've heard the Black Adder is 'sterile' you have to get the plant itself. I will have to do that one day... though i am a zone colder.

Maybe it would winter-through if you mulched it.

Karen

Oooh, that Black Adder is really something! Great, just what I need. . .something else to add to my miles-long wish list! LOL

Angie: Give it up. I'm already hopelessly mired in a never-ending wish list. I'll either have to get a second job to support my wishes or you'll soon see me by the side of the road, holding up a sign that says, "Will work for plants"!

Other Angie.

Will work for plants - LOL!

Did a few more containers today;
Nasturtium majus Cherry Rose Jewel
Zinnia elegans Profusion Fire Hybrid
Zinnia elegans Profusion Deep Apricot
Zinnia elegans Profusion Double Cherry
Zinnia elegans Dreamland Ivory Hybrid
Zinnia elegans Profusion White
Zinnia elegans Liliput Mix
Zinnia elegans Pulcino Mixed
Zinnia tenuifolia 'Red Spider'
Zinnia elegans Scabious Flowered Mixed
Zinnia - mixed varieties collected from wild
Zinnia elegans 'Purple Prince'

Anita, have you wintersown Zinnias this early before? Reason I ask is, I wintersowed one jug of zinnia seed a while ago (will have to look it up as to exactly when) and they got mushed by freezing weather. I had intended to sow zinnias this week, but don't have that many seeds to waste on experimenting! I've been told this is way too early for zinnias; however, I realize the wintersowing process makes a difference, so I am trying to assess when I should actually sow mine. I am a zone warmer than you so I feel I can sort of follow your lead safely! LOL! But experience would help too.

thanks in advance,
Kyla

Well, I just planted three more jugs yesterday: Salvia, Mixed Barlow Columbine, and Pansy "Chalon Supreme Wildberry Mixed." I got them outside just in time for them to experience a heavy, wet 6" of snow. Hope that was a good thing! I haven't yet peeked at all my little green sprouts to see how they've fared. I'm almost afraid to look!

Kylaluaz
Wintersowing is mainly for perennials that require flunctuating temperature in order to sprout, called stratification. Most annuals don't need that and sprout too quickly just to be cut down by freezing weather. Zinnia is a tender annual. Likewise Nasturtium.

Since you don't have seeds to waste, I would hold off sowing them outdoors just prior to the time it is safe for annuals in your climate. That would be around tomato planting time in your area. Or you can start them indoors in jugs, set them out, and just watch the weather. Bring them in if cold weather threatens.

Most annuals usually sprouts quickly in warm temperature. If you want to plant them in jugs, just keep the container where it will not freeze when they sprout.

Booker... you got a lot more snow than we did. 90% of ours is gone already... we maybe got 2"

Terese

Well, I think I answered my own question, by going to the WS database, and in zone seven, numerous zinnias are recorded as sown in March and germinated, so I reckon the lid on the jug makes all the difference.

Blomma, I appreciate all your wisdom of experience but honestly, wintersowing is a different method and I had hoped Anita might see my question about prev. experience with Zinnias. I am learning as I go here, though......... some things (not all perennials by any means) seem able to withstand the freezing in their jugs, which I would not have expected. I have the impression that WS is a pretty good method of zone pushing for some of this and it is that edge I am exploring right now.

;-)