Winter Sowing 2011 MA Discussion

Crit asked in another thread " what seeds do you wintersow? Can you do anything that naturally seeds? Like zinnia's, marigolds, etc. What do you do? I would like to try but don't want to waste the seed if it will ruin them. "

coleup replied "Crit Did you know that there is an entire Forum here at DG on wintersowing?

Here's the link

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coldsow/all/

And here's a link to a Winter Sowing article by MA's own go to seed lady and gracious hostess to MA spring seed swaps, Critterologist

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/585/

Judy






WOW...THANKS!!! I'm still very confused about it. Will go there Crit

lol Crit! I'm in the same boat. That's how I found those links today!

I don't have a clue yet if I'm too early or too late! Maybe I'll see you over there.

Judy

I have already put out seed that said 'sow in fall' ... but haven't done the regular seed. One place I read for Z7 was to set them out in March. Crit


Gita wrote:
For you all "Never done it before"...I have ONLY tried Winter sowing once!
SO! I am in the same category.

I know the most "advertised" container are gallon milk jugs cut in half---
but I have to say--that they are hard to "hinge"----meaning to open up and see--
or open up and water.
They DO seem to work OK--but I found then hard to manipulate...

If I may suggest an alternative--try the larger Salad bar containers with the snap-shut
lids. Just melt some holes in the lid for air-circulation and some holes in the bottom for drainage.

I am SOOO tempted to try it again...but such containers placed in some protected,
out of the elements place is also out of sight--out of mind for me. I would never check on them
for watering or anything like that...Perhaps letting the elements take care of it would be OK.

These are like a ,sort of, outdoor "terrariums"...They are semi-covered and semi-watered by natural
condensation. but I think one still needs to pay attention to them to some degree.

I have several seeds that I KNOW need Winter sowing...
Basically, any plant that would, normally, drop seed in late summer/fall and which would, naturally,
germinate, on it's own, in the spring--having spent the winter in the ground. There are many!

I need to look over all my seeds and try to do this as well...Yeah! Right! ME????? Gita





Crit
I have planted seeds outside that said to sow in the fall or winter. I real also that 2L pop bottles (I seem to use those a lot don't I? LOL) make good sources for outdoor watering. Just cut 2 snips in the top one to make a tab to slide over the bottom one.

Gita posted
Check out the 2 links posted above...They are good information on Winter Sowing..



We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1150081/#new

FYI ... The Mid Atlantic Forum has a winter sowing expert. It's Jill M. Nicolaus (critterologist)

Here is an article she wrote concerning winter sowing of annuals

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/959/

Another article by Jill that might interest you is

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/556/

MARY

I do not buy anything in a gallon jug--so i have to be a bit more creative.

Just took a picture of the below to show you. These are lg. trays that food comes in
when "they" order something for a party at the HD. Like Chicken wings, sliders, etc...
The bottoms are heavy, black plastic--about 2 1/2" deep, and the lids are pretty high.
They snap together tightly.

I have used these for growing seeds indoors too. You can fill the whole bottom with soil mix,
OR--These also hold 4-cell packs.
For that matter--you could still use the cell-packs inside this for winter sowing.
Easy way to separate different plants....Just gave myself a good idea!!!
The top is clear too--about 3" high, so you can see inside w/o having to open it up.
Also--maybe because it is black--it may warm up nicely on sunny days.

I have a bunch of these--as I am a recycler--and will grab one (at HD) before it
hits the trash can. You can, probably, buy these as well in a Party Goods Store.

NOW--imagine how many cell-packs you could fit into the tray a sheet-cake come in!!!!

I, generally, find many food containers very usable for seed-growing.
The high lids--for saucers, etc.....

Gita

Here is the whole tray--snapped together.
The overall depth is 5".
G.

Gita, Sally has volunteered to supply empty milk jugs to anyone attending the Feb 26 Seed Swap Her teenagers empty them daily. lol

I also love your creative approach to new uses for throw aways. Im currently eyeing those clear plastic zippered cases that comforters and bedding come in...They look like portable cold frames or minigreen houses to me.

Gita,
Starting a seeded multi-pack inside a roasted chicken container is pure genuis!! I will have to do some this time around.

I find that while gallon milk jugs work very well, they are a pain to collect, store and cut. It takes a lot of mix to fill them and of course there is the re-sealing, which seldom meets with great cooperation. Also, there is the stabbing, burning etc. of drainage holes with its occasional first aid requirements. Additionally, I dont always need all the plants that I tend to seed using that size jug. The real work comes when one has to deal with all the seedlings that one has encourgaged to sprout. I would rather start fewer plants of each species and do a wider selection. I'm getting old and lazy and look for ease of action. To demonstrate lazy I'll paste a post of mine from another forum:

"For ease of aquisition and preparation I go to a local restaurant supply store and purchase deli containers. A sleeve of 50 quart containers and a sleeve of 50 lids runs about $11 total. I put a 1/8 inch bit in my electric drill, invert the stack of containers and drill about 8 or 10 holes in the bottom. By drilling the stack I perforate about 8 cups at a crack in just a few seconds, and no trips to the ER. Likewise with the lids. Not as large as using milk jugs, but a whole lot easier."

To use I just take a quart cup off the stack, add 2 rounded cups of starting mix, tamp down a bit, and add the seeds. Label, water, pop on a lid and I'm done. Last year's results were comparable to the starts I did in gallon milk jugs at the same time. While the containers are not as tall as gallon jugs, I just remove the lids when the seedlings get too tall. Another piont: It's a lot easier to remove the plants from these containers. I used all types of containers last year and found gallon jugs to require the most effort overall.

Blushing---Ahem....Thank you, David!

While the trays I pictured are nor, exactly, Roasted Chicken containers---those will
work as well. Anything with a 2" or so bottom--and a high dome is doable.
That is why I, often, recommend salad bar containers--even though they are a bit flimsy.

My mind IS forever creative and resourceful.....Must be in my genes...never to settle for
the common, the mundane. I like to see if I can do it differently----MY way.


On this topic--another suggestion. Rooting AV leaves.
If you can envision the pot and clear top that Venus Fly Traps are sold in, this is the best
type of a container to propagate a Violet leaf.
You can always find a 2 1/2" pot--or use any cup/container of that size. Then--just put a clear,
plastic drinking glass over it (best if it fits inside of the bottom cup) and you have a perfect
set-up to propagate a African Violet leaf. It will self-sustain in the moisture under the top glass.

Glad to oblige!
Thanks, Gita

well done, greenthumb99

Would you all just go ahead and put the sown containers out in THIS weather?????

Somehow--that seems too brutal..Like--dig through 10" of snow and put the container down?
I know snow is a great insulator--but it is all over here.....

G.