Okay, I want to WS next January...

Okay, I want to do this next January, but the milk jugs will drive my dh nuts -- not to mention the neightbors!

I have no sun I can use because of the bulbs I grow, but I do have some steps that get enough sun. Everywhere I have sun is so visible from the house, I can't just plunk a bunch of milk jugs out there.

What would be the downside of putting out 4 made-to-size wooden boxes along the lines of window boxes? I could have 4 of them, each 3 feet long and about a foot wide. I could make them whatever depth I want. They could be covered with either glass panes or hard, clear plastic (that looks like glass). I suppose I could slide plastic dividers in the boxes which would (should) segregate the different varieties of seed I would like to sow.

I'm not sure this is the answer because the wood would besolid and not allow light to penetrate, but does anybody have any ideas of something I could use that is better looking than milk jugs?

Thanks,
Suzy

LOL-- so you don't like the look of milk jugs strewn all over the place?!! Pretty soon you will get used to it and so will your neighbors!

Well, I went to Home Depot at the end of November and purchased some black plastic window boxes (very cheap) and covered them with plastic -- you could use plexiglass maybe but the issue would be allowing ventilation and rain water to reach the seedlings. Big Lots has their large plastic window boxes on sale right now too.

you could build a stylish cold frame such as 'Martha' built (at the jail, I think), too.

There are some other ideas on Wintersown.org. too.



Interesting point you bring up--I'll have to watch for the posts! t.

Hey again! Just sent you D mail.

So, after all is said and done: Did your window boxes work last year? Also, what kind of plastic did you cover them with? Saran Wrap would smother seedlings as soon as the seal let loose (somewhere arounf the first real snowfall or heavy rain here). And as long as I'm picking your brain, what material did you use to separate the different varieties of seedlings?

I'd love a cold frame -- just no room on the ground that isn't underplated with bulbs and still protected.
I imagine the jail has bigger grounds than I ;)

Suzy

Why do the seeds need to be covered?

I think the cover is to maintain a certain amount of moisture and humidity in the planter, it keeps the birds and squirrels from feasting on your seeds, and it keeps too much hard rain and ice from damaging your seedlings and seed bed. It's important to make air/moisture ventilation slits in the plastic.

Maybe in Georgia you don't have the severe weather swings we have in the spring--the covers help to mitigate those.

I used semi-opaque large garbage bags (cut open)--covered the boxes over with the plastic and set the edges of the boxes on the plastic to hold it down. Worked OK. I wish I had propped up the plastic better so that the rain would have drained off and the seedlings would have some air space.

The plants in the plastic planters did fine. I need to work on my labeling, though. The indelible marker I used was not indelible.

I will definitely winter sow again. It's fun (and sometimes a bit of a challenge) and you can grow so many things that are not readily available in the garden centers (and save loads of $$, too!)

I suggest looking at Wintersown.org for ideas, too. Lots of information there.

It was kind of a mess but I had a ball...

I used 5 inch deep roasting pans from the Dollar store, too, and covered them in giant Zip Locs. Have to find a better way to prop up the plastic covers though....

If you used your custom made boxes, you could cover them with plexiglass and maybe prop up one end a little bit to allow air through or drill a few holes to uncork(?) as needed.. Then later in the spring you can elevate the plexiglass a bit more (to make room for seedling growth.

You would have to be mindful of the watering, though, which 'not worrying about watering' is almost the whole point of wintersowing.... also, you would not have to put your boxes into the sun until it's time for them to germinate as long as they drained well.

Mine were in the shade of the north side of the house most of the time (from January until, say March/April) and then I moved them to a sunnier spot.

After doing this for two or three seasons, I have wondered why no one has invented such a 'box' as you are talking about. Maybe you should put a little more thought into it!

I would buy it. And you could probably get 'Martha' to invite you on her show! LOL

I see lots of $$$ here!!

Although I couldn't stand the look of the milk/water containers, I found it was the easiest thing to use. I've already started saving them. I use the gallon size for large quantities and 1/2 gallon when I don't need as many plants.

Yeah, I think you're right. I already put cardboard down on a spot that isn't visible from the house and only visible to noisy neightbors I don't like hahaha.

Now, not wanting to sound like a winer...does it seems like you'd be planting babies from April - August if you sowed a lot? ALL those teeny tiny plants.

I guess my question is this: I usually buy flats and flats from the garden center. Would ws annuals be that big by the time I would normally buy annuals?

Or would I be better off sowing direct for annuals and wsing the slower growing perennials?

Thanks for the reply,
Suzy

I wintersowed everything except for a few that I forgot about and those I got from the nursery. My impatiens were beautiful, but they took a long time to mature. I decided to get a flat or two from the nursery of those. My one bed was perfect with the flow of growth. I'll probably keep that the same. I guess it depends on what you plan on growing.
I think the wintersowing got most off to an earlier start because the container acts like a little greenhouse. They are hardier too, so they go out earlier than greenhouse grown plants. The first year is definitely the big learning year. Every year after is learning too, but the first really gives you the feel for it. I will always w/s now!

Hi Suzy -

WSing perennials is the way to go! Annuals - well, it depends. On what annuals you sow, on when you sow them, on when you get your flats from the nursery. Generally, I'd venture that WSed annuals will not always be as large as your store-bought flats when you buy them. They'll most likely be sturdier, more healthy-looking plants. Once you get them transplanted, they will catch up to and overtake the nursery plants. And they'll probably still be going strong when the nursery plants fizzle out.

Before WSing, I had been "outdoor" gardening for two years. I used to start a couple tomato plants and some kind of flower (marigolds, mostly) on the sunniest window sill I could find. Didn't do too bad, but my repertoire was ... limited. To say the least.

Winter sowing opened up the entire plant world to me, it seems. I'm now growing plants that I had not even heard of 5 years ago. I've never done any extensive indoor seed-starting, nor direct sowing, so I can't really compare the methods, but I know that my winter sowing efforts pay off - big time - and it's the way to go for me.

FYI: Here's an album of WS plants over the years: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13288778@N00/sets/72157594242547020/

I don't use milk jugs, because my "garden" is a 20'x6' terrace, eleven flights up, and I don't need that many plants; nowadays, I use 4" transplant pots - one pot per seed variety. I really only need/can use 2-5 plants per variety, usually, so these work well for me. I'd be leery of planting directly into your wooden boxes, but perhaps you could use them to camouflage other containers? I think that as long as the containers are kept moist and get light from above, it wouldn't matter if the sides of the boxes are solid.

Whatever you decide to use, I think you'll be very pleased!

PV



This message was edited Aug 21, 2006 9:11 PM

ditto!!!

Pvick, what are you using to hold up the plastic covers over your pots?
Deborah

Deborah - I use pieces of old venetian blinds, or sometimes tongue depressors.

PV