Propagation: first time to winter sow, 1 by pepsidrinker

pepsidrinker wrote:
Need a little help here PLEASE. In the picture below where my picnic table sets, it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Is this a good spot for WS? behind the garage is South the side of garage showing is east. Also stuck a pic of all the seeds I have collected (way over a 100), one box is of seeds I collected on our trip west, the other box is seeds I have bought and collected from DG. I have a big big list of all of them, but will not put it here, way to long.
To name a few. Snapdragons, columbine, lilies, cleomes, poppies, different grasses, and many many more varieties.
Anyway if someone can instruct me step by step (please short version) I know how to do the containers. have saved tons of them.
My need is the soil, what to use (please no compost, I haven't any :( .) But if you can name what I need to buy. Like Miracle Grow for seeds. What else I need to put in it and how to take care of it, I would like to start in January. I am zone 5b.
I have been reading and reading but it gets to confusing and my eyes literally have gotten worse. I get my new glasses in a month. but until then I need help. I have read and reread the wintersow.org site and lots of info here on dg. Even with the bi-focals I have, things are starting to get blurred. It is really aggrevaiting to me, because I love to read and it seems the more I read the worse my eyes get :(.
So anyone that can help me, it would greatly be appreciated.
Connie