first time to winter sow

Need a little help here PLEASE. In the picture below where my picnic table sets, it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Is this a good spot for WS? behind the garage is South the side of garage showing is east. Also stuck a pic of all the seeds I have collected (way over a 100), one box is of seeds I collected on our trip west, the other box is seeds I have bought and collected from DG. I have a big big list of all of them, but will not put it here, way to long.
To name a few. Snapdragons, columbine, lilies, cleomes, poppies, different grasses, and many many more varieties.
Anyway if someone can instruct me step by step (please short version) I know how to do the containers. have saved tons of them.
My need is the soil, what to use (please no compost, I haven't any :( .) But if you can name what I need to buy. Like Miracle Grow for seeds. What else I need to put in it and how to take care of it, I would like to start in January. I am zone 5b.
I have been reading and reading but it gets to confusing and my eyes literally have gotten worse. I get my new glasses in a month. but until then I need help. I have read and reread the wintersow.org site and lots of info here on dg. Even with the bi-focals I have, things are starting to get blurred. It is really aggrevaiting to me, because I love to read and it seems the more I read the worse my eyes get :(.
So anyone that can help me, it would greatly be appreciated.
Connie

Hey Connie -

That spot is pretty good for WS. Morning sun is gentler all year long, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about the containers drying out.

As for soil, I use any of the potting mixes: Miracle-Gro, Pro-Mix, Shultz, etc. Or any good brand of potting mix that is available in your area. You wouldn't need to add anything to the mix. I don't think you'd need to buy a seed-starter mix; my experience with a seed-starter mix was less than successful. Couldn't seem to keep it moist enough. The one kind I will warn you against is any of those cheapie brands of potting soil - you know, the ones that cost $0.99 for 99 lbs.? LOL? They tend to turn to concrete. That's a pretty universal observation among WSers.

OK, you've got the spot, you've got an idea about the soil, you've got the seeds (nice collection), and you know how to do the containers. You are there!

But the short and sweet way I do it -

1. Fill containers with soil (don't forget drainage holes) - at least 3-4", since the soil will compact a bit as the months go by. Bottom-water containers (some people pre-moisten the soil). When they've taken up all the water they need, let them drain.

2. Sow the seed. After sowing the seed, I usually spritz the top of the soil with a spray bottle. LABEL the containers - don't forget! I've graduated to using aluminum tape on the sides of the containers, but you'll get lots of ideas about labeling. Use whatever works for you.

3. Cover the containers with whatever you plan to use. Don't forget the ventilation holes in the top. If necessary, provide some headroom between the soil and the top; of course, you won't have to worry about that until the seeds actually sprout and start to grow, but it's a little bit of prep work (especially for shorter containers) you won't have to worry about later.

4. Put the containers outside.

5. Start the next batch of containers.

I know what you mean about the glasses. I had perfectly good vision until I started wearing glasses 10 years ago (only for reading). My eyes have deteriorated to the point where I'm wearing trifocals now. Can't see a thing without them. Yikes!

I hope this has been helpful to you .......

PV

You have been a great help, I get my new strickley for the computer glass in a month. have to wait until I get my new bi-focals next week to give them the old frames. I had #50 stigmatism and now it is at #100. besides being farsighted.
The eye doctor said regular reading glasses would only make my eyes worse because they don't have what is needed for the stigmatism... And with me on the PC every day doesn't help, thus the special glass for the PC...

I have a question, what is the best thing to use to cover the containers with?
I have glad wrap, but not sure if that is thick enough.
I have lots of gallon jugs but not enough so was going to buy some alluminum pans from the dollar store. I also have some 4" pots can't think of what there called but they are suppose to rot in the ground (NOT) I thought about using them, don't know if that is a good idea or not, I do know they hold moisture.

You can just use cheap plastic bags - grocery store bags, drycleaning bags, food storage bags, whatever. People even use those clear plastic underbed storage bags, or just put their containers in clear plastic Sterlite-type boxes. If you can see your hand thru it, it will work. I use mostly use 4" plastic transplant pots, and they fit nicely into gallon food storage bags, with plenty of headroom ( get them from the 99-cent store). You could probably pull one of those over the tops of your gallon containers with a pretty snug fit.

If your 4" pots are peat pots, they could work, since they sound pretty big. It's the peat pellets that folks seem to have the most trouble with. I wouldn't plant them in the ground though - you're right, they don't break down well and the poor plants never really form good rootballs.

PV

Thanks for helping and sharing with me.

Connie

I love the gallon water containers - I leave the top off and when I'm ready to plant, I throw them out! By the way - I do the same thing PV does...Miracle Grow Potting soil at least 4" in the container that I've cut in half and put several drainage holes on the bottom. I saturate the soil and let the water drain. I sow the seeds on top and sprinkle a little soil on top. Very important - label the container!

Oh I will label label and label,
I created a raised garden in the front yard this year and used plants from the nursary, in the process of working on that, I started a bunch of seeds in containers on my front deck and forgot to label some of them, Trying to guess what was what was very awful rofl... Considering I had never done it b4.
I learned that lesson very quickly :)

Connie

All excellent information.

I also like to add a few polymer granules to each plastic container of soil. You don't need but a few granules because they expand when water is added. It's nice to have a little "extra insurance" that your container's soil won't completely dry out, but don't forget to still water them!

What do you folks think of using those clear plastic cups with lids, that Dunkin Donuts, for instance, uses for iced coffee? Already has holes in the top, plenty of head room, I have a couple of them.

xxxxx, Carrie

Carrie - I used them this year for tomatoes and peppers. The hole in the lid was a bit too big, I thought, so I stretched a piece of plastic wrap (with ventilation holes) across the top of the cup , then put the lid on. When the seeds sprouted and more ventilation was needed, I removed the plastic wrap and put the lid back on. Worked fine.

PV