Wintersowing container question

ok, so I started this past weekend, but I have a major concern....did I overwater my containers? Now I am reading how people mist or 'sprayed' their containers before planting the seed. I've never done any seed planting before - w/sing or otherwise. I poured the water in and let it drain - it was definitely wet when I sowed seed. Is this wrong? I do have alot of drainage slits. I used gallon jugs and put 3 slits in each quadrant as well as 4 down the center seam. I also put several all the lower 'walls' of the container.

Any thoughts?

~Anita

Anita

sometimes seeds will mildew/mold when they are too wet, but you are probably ok. Drainage is the biggest thing, you don't want them to sit in water. When I plant seeds I water rather than mist. Hang in there, you will or should see, seedlings in no time.
Good luck!

Thanks April -

Hi Anita! I'm new to this site, but I've been wintersowing for 4 years. I always thoroughly wet my containers (with the soil in them) in the sink before sowing the seed. I let them drain for about 15 minutes and then sow. As April says, drainage is key, so as long as you have enough drainage holes you should be fine. Just keep an eye on them, especially as it warms up outside. If you think they are becoming too wet, you can always poke more holes in them. It also might help to have the holes along the very bottom of the sides of the container, rather than on the bottom itself. This may allow for better drainage (I've started putting my drainage holes there this year, although I've never had a problem with bottom holes in the past. Just an extra added precaution!)

Good luck!
:)
Dee

Thanks Dee - I plan on being very holely this weekend!!!

~Anita

Anita--you are going to become soooo addicted. Some suggestions for a newbie (based on my own mistakes):
Don't sow too many seeds in one container.
Keep your containers moist during dry spells.
For your first year or two, use seeds that are readily available in garden centers. They will be the easiest to start.
Be patient, some seeds take a long time to germinate. (I had hardy begonia that didn't germinate until July this year)
Don't be discouraged if you have several failures the first year. You'll get better over time.

Seed sowing is a terrific way to get through January and February.

I am sure I will be addicted as the seed choice far outweighs the plant choice in local nurseries!

Good suggestions Kaite!

I just wanted to agree with Katie's point about not getting discouraged if your first year doesn't turn out as well as you had hoped. My first year I had about 40-50% germination, which wasn't what I had hoped for, but certainly was much better than my indoor seed-starting attempts. The second year was better and last year, my third year, I had plants out the ears! Granted, I did increase the number of containers each year (first year about 30, second year 85, and last year 220) but my germination rate itself was higher too.

You might want to keep some notes on how you prepared your containers, where you put them, (sun, shade, wind, etc.) and the opening-up process. I didn't - lol! - and wished I had, because then I would have remembered what exactly I did and how to make changes for better results the next year. I guess I was more lucky than methodical!

:)
Dee

I plan on being HUGE on record keeping this year. This way I will hopefully know exactly what worked and what didn't.

~Anita

Hey again, Anita! Not only did I find you over on the Upper Mid-West forum, but just after I posted the above, I saw your New Year's resolution to keep better records, lol! I know I SHOULD make the same resolution, but I know I most likely won't keep it. I'll just try my best without the resolution - less pressure!

:)
Dee