Winter Sowing

Let's see, I'll be starting my perennials around the 21st of Dec. and keep sowing them throughout the winter, then around march I'll work on the annuals. Supposedly, you can put your plants in the ground once spring has come and they have at least two true leaves.
bloomlover: I've read that the best time to ws annuals is in feb and march, never having done it myself, I can't tell you for sure.
Mobi

bloomluver2003 - I'm in zone 6b (think it's now 7 according to the new zone maps); I started poppies in February and March and transplanted them to their permanent pots when they had about 3 sets of true leaves. They did just fine....

PV

Aaah, PVick, that is a beauty.

PVick, is that Lauren's Grape? I have some seeds I will try this year, I can't wait.

Sue - Don't know if they are "Lauren's Grape or not. I originally got the seeds in trade about two years ago, and they were labeled as "blue poppy - papaver somniferum". Definitely NOT blue! They were my first poppies ever; since then, I've collected seed from them. The picture shows them just tad bit darker than they really are, but that's pretty much their true color.

Now I have to go look up "Lauren's Grape"....LOL!

PV

LOL! I have a poppy weakness. I'm going to experiment with some other somniferum seeds this winter. I'm going to winter sow right into the garden and see if they come up this spring. Did you find the Lauren's Grape. They are to die for. So beautiful.

So now, Anything going on here this year???
Shirley

I have been sowing lots and lots of yoghurt cups full! They are on the cold porch, which is now at ZERO degrees. A real test of this system, but I am confident after last year's successes.

PVick, the "blue" is most likely refering to the seeds. A lot of times they're called "Turkish Blue" but the flowers are lavender, pink, or white.

Started my winter sowing (6a) for the first time, so far I have sowed in gallon water container:
Jan/Feb. 2004
Columbine seeds
Lychnis - 2 different kinds - 3/12/04 sprouted
Alaskian Daisies
Hollyhock seeds - 3/12/04 sprouted
Salvia seeds
Perennial pea seeds
Babys Breath - 3/12/04 sprouted
Loves lies bleeding - 3/12/04 sprouted
Malva - 3/12/04 sprouted
Blanket Flower - 3/12/04 sprouted
Poppy

More to follow...


This message was edited Mar 13, 2004 5:55 PM

Congratulations! Can't wait till you post pictures of your winter sown seedlings! NO damping off! Plus, they are hardy enough to go from your gallon water containers to your garden!!! Couldn't be easier!!!

I have planted 71 containers so far.

I have done 77 containers so far, more this week.

Way to go yardbird & Mobi!!! Can wait to see the pictures!!!

Are you going to plant all these seedlings or trade some away? I think you will ALL be very busy planting this Spring!! :~)

These seeds were sown in mid-January and I discovered them on March 10. Yippee! It has begun!

The seeds are (L to R, top to bottom): Chinese broccoli, scarlet flax, raddicho, scarlet flax (same pic...ooops!), purple kohlrabi and "freckles" lettuce. The kohlrabi was first to sprout last year too! This is about 2 weeks earlier than last year.

I have 50 pots winter sowing right now. Nothing to report as of yet. We had a warm spell that I thought might break dormancy too soon, but it didn't. Now we are back to cold nights. Just what the 'plant doctor' ordered. At least for the seed that require CMS.

Roshana, can you tell me how to make a multi-photo image?

lhughes - you can use the "collage" feature, if your photo editor has one (I use Photoshop 6.0). Just "copy and paste" your pics onto a new canvas....

Re: winter sowing - I've got 107 "containers" sown and the following have sprouted:

Alyssum
Anise Hyssop
Astilbe
Achillea
Dianthus, "Zing" mix
Shirley poppies
Red scalloped-edge poppies
Peony poppies, white and black
Purple coneflower
Sweet William
Malva Zebrina
Lychnis "Vesuvius"
Cape Daisy "Zulu Prince"
Painted Tongue, "Emperor" mix
Evening scented stock
Blue fescue
Asclepias "Red Butterfly"
Bachelor Buttons
Pimpernel "Blue Lights"
Nicotiana "Domino Lime Green"
Petunia "Avalanche" - red and white
Petunia "Purple Pirouette"
Dianthus, Garden Pinks (yellow)

Whew! Seems like an awful lot when it's written down....

PV

Wow! That's great success, PV! A few more of mine have sprouted but progress seems slow.

lhughes, I use the Irfan View photo program that garden wife suggested. Search for Irfan here on Daves. It's a free download. I use the "panoramic image" link under the "image" section at the top of the program. You can do images horizontally or vertically or horizonatally and put them together vertically too. Neat feature!

Bumping this!!

:)

Susan

bump...