Everything is coming up, but now its going to freeze. Yikes

The few flats I tried to WS this year have done really well. Thing is, its been up to 80 around here for a few days, and very warm for a few weeks, and now this weekend we are going to dip down to the 20s, maybe snow first of next week. What should I do with the flats. Are they really ok out there with all of the tender new growth? Sorry I'm new at this lol.

They really are OK! If you're really nervous about it, you could cover the flats with an old sheet or blanket at night when the temps dip. But it's not really necessary.

I don't have a lot of sprouts yet, but I do have some poppy and pansy seedlings that emerged last month and have lived very happily through some seriously cold days and nights - way below 20 degrees.

Whatever you do, don't bring them inside.

PV

Thanks PV. I guess I just got the jitters about all of those seeds being planted lol. I really love this stuff!

Ansonfan, there are almost always some that make it, even in a really nasty freeze.

I thought your name was Arsonfan at first. I was a little bewildered. Duh!

I'm in the same boat. 26 containers with sprouts and I just don't think I can cover them all. The tops are still on the containers but I think that's all they're going to get This leap of faith is becoming a pretty steep leep. I'm not worried about the poppies; they've already survived 3 degrees. It's the rest of the stuff...

Karen

It has been the weirdest weather year I have seen in a long time. We have hardly had a winter here in southern NC, then all of the sudden March is taking on a Jekyl/Hyde personality!! I guess I should be just as concerned about all of the other plants in the yard that are either in bloom or budding out, but I have seen them weather the strange stuff before. It seems that the little seeds are just to tiny and helpless to play this kind of hard ball lol. By the way Zeppy, Anson is the county that I live in, and love a lot.

I'm glad I decided to put my wintersowing containers in an open cold frame. When the forecast says below freezing, I just put the top down. But then, of course, I have to remember to open it again. I may be planting some things out this weekend. The silene in particular really needs to go, it's crowded and in too shallow soil; live and learn. I planted the bachelors buttons which had outgrown their container in a protected place and they are growing well.

I'm impatient this year and really pushing things; betting on global warming in a way. I have started 2 flats of various things indoors, under lights, on heat mats. I love those heat mats; I need them because my lights are in the basement, which is about 62 degrees at all times. Outside in the garden I went ahead and sowed a number of things that will do well ONLY if I'm lucky! But I have so many seeds, I figure, why not go for it?

We're having freezing temps again the next few nights. The only WS sprouts I was nervous about were my bachelor buttons... they sprouted up quickly, and their leaves are touching the top of their salad container. I was afraid direct contact with cold plastic would nip the leaves, so I've put them into my little zip-plastic-covered mini greenhouse. I'll have to water them there, but I should be able to take the lids off the containers & give them a little headroom.

I like your attitude, MsG -- go for it!

So, folks, what happened? Everyone make it okay?

So far so good, here.

I was devastated. My lupin sunrise froze the night before last when it only went down to 35 degrees. There are a few that might make it, though. Last night some were moved to the garage and some just covered with sheets or blankets. This cold snap is supposed to last about a week!

Karen

I moved mine into an unheated and unfinished greenhouse. It doesn't really offer any protection from the cold, but maybe some from the frost. So far my plants are doing ok, but the next several days should be the real test for them as it is supposed to be dipping pretty low here at night. I hope for the best : ))

Because of my setup, keeping up with watering has been more challenging than keeping the seedlings from freezing at night. I can put the cold frame lid on at night, but during the day the drying winds have made it necessary for me to water at least twice a day.

I have been much less ambitious than most of you. I have only 20 containers. See my arrangement in the attached photo. I'm growing a little bit of lettuce to the left. The rabbits haven't yet figured out that it's in the frame!

I've left mine out and kept the caps off of the milkjug types. Temps went into mid 20s at night with considerable winds. Everything's fine.

Sheesh. You know how I moved my bachelor buttons into what I thought was the additional protection of the plastic mini greenhouse on the porch? Well, they are the only thing that froze last night. If I had left them where they were, they probably would've been fine, but I moved them to "save" them and -- Wham! They're gone. :-( I sowed most of what I had on hand, too... several different colors & varieties! If anyone has a bunch of BB seed... please Dmail me... maybe I can tempt you with other things on my trade list in exchange... Otherwise, I'm sure I can find at least the standard blue ones at WalMart!

Karen, I've got extra Tall Purple Lupine seed (collected from a friend's garden last year).... Dmail me if you need some. Who knows, maybe you have extra Bachelor Buttons, LOL.

Critterologist: Thank you for your kind offer, but a nice Garden Web member has offered me some and I accepted. And I'm afraid I'm no help on the BB's. Mine bit the dust too. They actually went downhill last weekend when we had that 5 inches of rain in a couple of days. I think they drowned slowly and I pronounced them dead yesterday. I held back a few seeds which I'm going to sew to replace them. As of yesterday everything else looked OK but still kind of wet since last weekend. I hope all the others make it.

Karen

critterologist: do you have the "Grow Rack" with a zip up plastic cover? I bought one of those from WFF and was keeping it on the deck. One night, even though it had two shelves holding quart size plants and I had tethered a ten pound dumbell to one of the legs, the wind blew the whole thing over and all the clay pots were cracked up. Several young plants lost their lives. I had a seedling heat mat in there and a thermometer and it was in the 20's outside; the mat kept it above freezing inside the thing but it's just so light it blows over very easily. Right now it's in the garage doing nothing.

Update on my search for a garden helper:
I really lucked out! I am paying $18/hour, but I have hired a man who has gardened organically for 20 years, that is, a real gardener. He knows a lot about growing vegetables etc., but much less about ornamentals. He and his wife produce all their own food, including eggs and meat (rabbits). His wife works and he cares for their child; he was once a live-in nanny. My 7 year old daughter adores him and he doesn't mind the fact that she goes out and talks to him while he works.

This message was edited Mar 19, 2006 7:24 PM

MsG, that does sound like a fabulous stroke of luck! Keep him happy! :-)

My mini greehouses sound like yours... Here's a photo of them with some seedlings put outside to harden off... I put the row cover over the top. The front flap zips into place. I'd rather have had a taller one than 2 short ones, but at about $5 each on 90% clearance at JoAnn's, I wasn't going to be picky.

critter: Yes, I have the same thing in size TALL with four shelves; it's probably much easier to blow over than your short ones. Plus you got an incredible deal on them! I don't think I'll be able to use mine until I devise a more effective way to anchor it.

You've probably seen the wall brackets you use to anchor shelves or dressers to the wall (so kids can't pull them over and smoosh themselves). Would that work, or would it damage siding or something?

Aack!! Snow in tomorrow's forecast! After the Bachelor Button fiasco, I think my WS containers are going to go into the basement tonight.... It's gotten warmer outside than inside on some days, so I really can't see where a day or so indoors will mess them up.

critter: I don't know, I thought bringing WS stuff inside was a no-no. I thought you could put them in an UNHEATED garage or something, but not inside the house. Risk such things as damping off as the ws ones have been exposed to the elements, germs, etc?

Our temps are supposed to drop tonight, then freezing rain/sleet mix, then snow and back to freezing rain tomorrow. Low tomorrow night 16 degrees. I'm in a quandry as to what to do, too, since I have 25 containers with seedlings.

Any veterans have any input here? My husband does a lot for me but I think asking him to park his new Cadillac outside so my flowers can have the garage might be pushing it a little too far...

Karen

critter,
Don't bring your sprouts inside. They will be fine outside. Just remember that they were born outside. If every seed in your sprouted containers have germinated then move them to a more sheltered spot or cover with sheets. If you only have a few sprouts in each container then leave them be. But in my experience bringing them indoors is not the best idea.

Michelle

I have way too many plants, and way too little knowledge or experience to deal with them all. I'll be sad to lose any, but they're staying out.

I am glad I didn't transplant any into the gardens yet, though.

critter: here's Triud's recommendation:

http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Stormy_Weather.html

But there she is talking about wind; basically, about the flats or containers actually getting blown away. She's not talking about snow or other precipitation and cold.

Edited to add that I don't subscribe to any one way of doing this sort of sowing: just pointing out the difference above.

I'll give a report of what survived after this ice storm.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2006 3:30 PM

True, Zeppy. But she doesn't mention EVER bringing them into the house!

Karen

We've been having such unseasonably warm weather (which the greenhouse effect of the containers amplifies) that I'm not sure this is "business as usual" for these seedlings. Perhaps I'll put them up against the house & cover them... or the garage might be a good idea.... it'll get down to 40 out there, but not below freezing.

BTW, I still don't have a single Columbine sprout! Most of these seeds were stored in my fridge (double ziplocs) since I got them last winter (didn't manage to clear an area for direct sowing in winter like I'd planned), so I would think they'd be fine.... but, 18 big containers! and not a sprout in sight! I guess I don't have to worry about moving those to a more sheltered location, at any rate, LOL

Hmmm... I just checked the forecast, and while they are calling for snow tomorrow, the forecasted low is barely below freezing... my sprouts have made it through colder nights than that... perhaps we're worrying unnecessarily. But putting them in the garage probably wouldn't hurt, anyway...

Critter, my columbine ain't sprouting either. And I agree, we've been having some really wacky warm weather up to this point. I figure there are things I will lose. But they all sprouted so quickly; if I have to restart them indoors, I can do that.

Yeah, Karen, that's right. I get your point. :)

I checked my containers today that I sowed on Feb 25th - surprise!! I have babies:
Centaurea Black Ball, red Oriental Poppies, Sweet Williams ( dianthus barbatus), Shasta Alaska, and catnip. Basically out of that first sowing, the only things that haven't peeped up yet are Delphinium Pacific Giant, Nasturtium - which the seed coat is cracking on and Viola Johnny Jump Up - which I would have thought would be up first.

Critterologist - I'm just reading this thread after being off for a few - if you want a few seeds of Centaurea cyanthus 'Black Ball' I'd be happy to send some. I'll send D-mail.

I too am worried about tonight and the next few nights. There is no protection out there and its going to be maybe in the 20's for the next week or more with highs in the low 30's. I checked the 15 day forecast and the nights will be below freezing for the foreseeable future.

I have a question about 2 liter pop bottles - mine won't stay tightly closed around the seam where it was cut and somebody here suggested not taping it completely shut because its hard to get the tape off without shaking up the seedlings. So I just put a few small pieces of tape but there are big gaps - is this a problem? I think I could get a big bread bag over it and just tie it shut. The same thing happened with my milk jug which of course has a dahlia seed that I have no idea if this is going to work or not.

I read Trudi's website and she seems to be advocating planting out these little seedlings - yikes! I think her garden soil must be much better than mine. What has everyone else done in the past? My Centaurea have 1 set of leaves - they are so cute!

Thanks for the offers of BB seeds, folks! I'm going to see if I can pick up a couple more packets locally, and I think that will do me.... I was just whinging... sorry! (Although I've never heard of 'Black Ball' C. cyanthus..... hmmmm, perhaps a trade??)

I left my non-sprouting columbine containers where they were but moved the others against the house (still on the deck, but this will probably make the difference between a heavy freeze & a light freeze for them). Tomorrow will be overcast, but I may throw remay (spun poly row cover) over them after that, or just move them back into the partial shade under the bench on the landing. It's all about making educated guesses! LOL

I have no columbine sprouts, either (and some I sowed a long time ago). Info I found said germination is "slow and erratic", so lets not worry yet. I, for one, am worrying too much about ice and temperatures to want any more sprouts yet!

alyrics: I will post a link showing a great way to cut the 2L pop bottles. I've been doing this and it works great. With this method you don't even need tape; the top will stay on. Be sure to follow to the link with pictures which are easy to follow. It was posted on the GardenWeb WS forum by a member named davidlee.

Karen

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wtrsow/msg1212534423639.html

Cool method.

Critter, the ice is just starting down here. Heads up!

The only thing I've done to my containers of seeds was to water them. The soil was beginning to get that dried look. I am not about to bring in 150+ containers because we MIGHT be having a dusting of frozen precipitation on the ground.

Yes, some seedlings may freeze, some others have not yet germinated, but try to remember that "only the strong survive"! Before you know it, the temps will warm up so quickly that you will wish that it was cooler outdoors!!

"Might " have a "dusting"? How about 3 in on the ground and possibly more to come? And a low temp of 19 tonight?

My aquilegia caerulea have sprouted, but nothing yet with A. canadensis.

Well, talk about much ado about nothing here! We got about 6 snowflakes this afternoon. the forecasted overnight low is only down to 28, and tomorrow it's supposed to be a sunny 50 degrees! (Note to self -- move containers back under bench in morning so they don't cook!)

I dropped by the Dollar Tree this afternoon and picked up *10 packs* of Bachelor Buttons ('Blue Boy' and mixed double) for 10 cents each. I'll get some sowed tonight & be good to go!

:-)

HI Critter - here is a photo of the Centaurea c. 'Black Ball' from Thompson Morgan website. It was super easy to germinate. I think I bought this to pair with Bells of Ireland - Molucella, can't even remember now. I'd be glad to send you some no need to trade, altho if you have any Knautia macedonia I would take a few seeds of that. I did a trade 2 yrs ago and when they bloomed last yr it wasn't macedonia but the pastel mixture instead.

BTW - we got down to 16 last night and I went out this morning and all the seedlings look just fine - even the condensation inside the lids was frozen. And the promised snowstorm went someplace else - we didn't even get 6 flakes - LOL!

http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/product/1328/1?SA=1113;set-country=us

alyrics: we got about 4 inches of snow. Feel free to come and take mine!

Karen

Any updates? How did everyone do?