I finally started!! So who is sowing what?

Great list of wintersown seeds, nikki. Sunny is right, it is very organized.

Nikki - are some of your containers closed on the top, and if so why?

I am also completely new to ws, and if a plant grows for me I feel lucky (although I raised a bunch of gauras last year from seed (not ws) and they tuned out great).

I got seeds from Valueseeds (one more order coming), from Wal-M, HD, and one order from felco.com for just tomatoes and beans. I am using Scott's Potting Soil/Seed starter.

I have started sowing and have the following in jugs now:

Larkspur
White Mallow
Amaranth Fat spike
Penstemon Lilac Frost
Shasta Daisy ‘Silver Princess’
Agastache foeniculum
Cerastium Snow-in-summer
Echinacea sp.?
Viscaria Cherry blossom

In my ignorance, I put an annual and a perennial into one jug (divided by a coffee stirrer)........

A most exciting thing happened today: my jugs got snowed on - lightly, but none the less. I am in zone 7a.

I love to read this thread (and of course some other ones) and I feel I know many of you just by reading and seeing what excites you - and I am learning so much and getting new ideas. Thanks all.

Well, we haven't had much winter here ... but I finally got started! So far I've planted sweet peas, sweet William and nicotiana seeds. I've also started my tomato seeds. I've been having fun playing in the dirt! I'll be doing more. Decisions decisions!
~Elaine~

We finally had a dusting of snow and cold wet this morning. Don't want to talk up anymore but was happy to see it just on principle. It doesn't seem "natural" not to have actual winter weather this far into the season. The 70 degree days in Dec. and Jan were a bit weird too.

Yes, I did have tops on some. I wasn't sure when I first put them out, and I just poked holes in the tops of the tape. Then, I read that your suppose to keep the caps off. So I pulled most of them off, but the tape is really sticky, so I figured I could wait until the weather's a little warmer and take them all off. I wasn't sure why, other than water get in, the tops were suppose to be off. Someone said they would get too warm also, so I will remove them soon. I hope I'm understanding that right.

".........and this is the very most important step.......take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. You've baked them to death. Okay, put the lid on secure by snapping down the rim or sealing with tape. Now the seeds are sown." http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Making_Flats.html

Welcome to wintersowing Clementine! It's a blast, isn't it? Gardening in the middle of winter :D

Nikki, I have the 2 liter bottles and when it's cold I leave the caps on (soil is moist) and when it's warm I take them off. I found that the ones with the tops on grew sprouts faster than ones with tops off (not sure yet if that is good or bad...lol!) Also, if I know it's going to rain I'll leave the tops off as well. Probably more messing around than needs to be done, but I like to run down and check on 'em so it's not an issue because we have no snow here!

Elaine, it's hard making those choices isn't it? I just picked out some more seeds to start this weekend. Not sure where I'm going to put them all but...lol. I can live with that problem, since there isn't a flower in the yard!

~Sunny

Yes, I have holes all over my containers. The bottoms, below the tops, and even some in the sides. I suppose with the milk and juice jugs, there's enough of a tent (green house) effect to take the small tops off? Yes?

Yes, I think mine went a little fast with the tops on, so I took them half off, I do worry, and like to check on them too much also.

Goodie, I was doing it right - I have slits around the bottles so the hot air vents out. So that's good to know. There's so much info at Trudie's WSing site that I can't remember it all!

~Sunny

I always use tops but have plenty of holes in mine. Works for me. :-) Good luck everyone!

Is there any place that sells small quanities of seeds per pack? There are so many that I would love to try but I don't need full packs of 30 different items! I am a bad seed saver. I now wish that I had keep some of my Lenton rose seeds, columbine, and other favorites.

Hi bluegrassmom,

I don't know of any place that sells small quantities, say under 30 - but I'm sure if there are some that you want, and just need a few, you can get great trades. Most people have a few extra of things and will send several different types for just postage. Try the seed trading forum - everyone here is very generous!

The least expensive place I have found is www.valueseeds.com

Happy growing!

~Sunny

Pinetree Garden Seeds and The Fragrant Path sell slightly smaller seed packs and the prices aren't bad. Valueseeds is the overstock outlet that carries seeds that are from Thompson & Morgan at a waaaay lower price and $1 S&H. Can't really beat that=)

Thanks, Sunny for encouraging me. So far I have only 5 jugs, but at least I think I did them right, I stabbed them with a serrated knife in the bottom several times and a few also where the bottom turns up (I read that someone advised doing that), then I did the same on the "shoulder" of the jugs. I leave the tops open all the time. I have them in a bulb crate (scavenged from HD), mostly in the shade, but some sun in the afternoon. I am still waiting for seeds, then I'll do some more. Most people look at me blankly when I say something about wintersowing, Never heard of it (as I hadn't). So even with all my ignorance and bumbling I am an expert here.

You are right about valueseeds, they don't send a lot of seeds, but at least for a beginner that is just right.

Thanks for posting about Valueseeds, it sounds like what I am looking for.
Teresa

I have been slow to start. It wasn't really winter, for pete's sake! After 3 weeks, I have only 8 containers.


Galilee Blue Double Larkspur and Carmine Double larkspur were so gorgeous last year I WILL have them again; I don't have the carmine sown yet. Sowed 4 containers of the galilee blue. I have plans to carpet areas with White Sweet Alyssum, so I started a few containers of that. It won't be enough. Finally did 2 of "Bouquet Magic Coreopsis", which has not done well in my garden, but I'm giving it and me another chance.

Several flowers really don't need to be sown in my garden because they reseed prolifically: certain zinnias, texas hummingbird sage, sunrise cosmos, and Nigella.

I have more seeds, but need to get more containers. Fiji water bottles are my favorite.

tap tap tap tap peaking in my containers. Tap tap tap tap It hasn't been cold here, so I don't know if this is gonna work or not????

Well I did a second flower round this weekend:

Monardy didyma and monarda fistulosa (Bergamot)
Agastache Honey Bee Blue and White
Sweet Autumn Clematis
Rudbeckia Hirta Autumn Colors
Galliarda Arizona Sun
Iris pseudacorus
Salvia Coccinea Forest Fire
Bachelor Buttons

This week I am focusing on my fragrant flowers for next round. Then another group of veggies after that.

This is so exiciting to see what ya'll are doing! My PC harddrive died, so I'm having to write everything down in a notebook until DH gets the data moved and onto a new drive. I hope I can keep track of everything...lol!

~Sunny

I am still not sure about WHEN to sow certain seeds. I am in zone 7a. I have sown a couple of perennials as well as some annuals, but I think I should perhaps hold off with annuals?
As an example: marigolds reseed, which means that they are in the ground through warm and cold, wet and dry from the moment they hit the ground in the fall. They will germinate when THEY are ready to. Therefore I think I could sow annuals that reseed themselves now.

How about annuals that don't reseed? Should I wait with them until perhaps the later part of February or even into March? February can be quite cold here still (relatively speaking).

How about vegetables? I noticed that IO1 in southern Georgia already sowed tomatoes, but she is in zone 8b. I guess the question is: would veggie seeds (or annuals, for that matter) rot if sown now and having to sit and wait so long till they can germinate?

I think I am asking about things that have already been discussed when we talked about the unusual winter we have had so far, but would it be possible to get a more precise answer? I did not see anything on the wintersowing site about when to sow tomatoes, for instance, and the database is not that clear either. There are three entries for tomatoes, two of which were sown in March, same for peppers, In many cases, the spreadsheet just says YES for "germinated".

Hiya clementine,

I believe the general rule of thumb is reseeders are wonderfully eligible for wintersowing. Many people here (in the forum) also wintersow their maters, and Trudi includes maters in her wintersowing freebie seed packs.

Tender annuals and perennials I believe most people wait another month or so. If my understanding is correct, with proper drainage the seeds will not rot, but will germinate and grow when they are ready. If it says germinated in the spreadsheet, that means it sucessfully wintersowed - so feel free to sow away :)

I hope this helps you,
~Sunny

Hi Sunny, you are in the same zone as me. I looked at your earlier posts about what you have sown, and it looks to me like you also have perennials and annuals in your lists at the same time. The reseeders are a no-brainer of course, but I was just worried that my precious seeds might be lost, but I guess I'll have also make that famous "leap of faith". I will certainly report back about my progress, and I know you will too. It is so wonderful to hear/see what everybody is doing, don't you think? Tomrrow I am going to see if I can still get some seeds out of my caryopteris!!!

C.

I did a few more gallon jugs today :-) that's a total of 14 containers, not many by some of your standards, but I'm feeling pretty good about it

1 Hibiscus moscheutos (3 colors)
2 Gentiana (andrewsii, flavida, and crinita)
3 Ruta graveolens (rue), Foeniculum vulgare (bronze fennel), Foeniculum vulgare azoricum (Florence fennel)
4 Antirrhinum majus (snapdragons) 'Night and Day' and 'Lipstick Silver'

Go gram, go! I received some new seed catalogs today and I'm just drooling - but trying to behave. I really need to focus on my edible plants for my garden, but boy, it sure is fun to dream!

I really enjoy seeing what everyone is planting :)

~Sunny

gram: I WSed some hibiscus last year. They did great and bloomed in their first year.

Karen

Karen, was the hibiscus the hardy type or tropical? First year and bloomed, I'm impressed.

The hibiscus was a hardy type. I don't know the name. I had saved the seeds from a big old one that's been in my yard for a long time. I only planted a few seeds and I think they all germinated. A couple I put in a shady, protected bed, and they did well but did not bloom. The 2 I planted out in the open in full sun had several blossoms each in late summer/ early fall. Very pretty- they looked just like their mom.

Karen

Hi y'all ... one thing I need to clerify is I start my maters from seed in my laundry room and when they sprout, put them under grow lights until they're big enough to pot em up. I use Dr. Carolyn's wonderful mater planting instructions over in the tomato forum. It works for me. :-) I don't sow my tomato seeds outside. Sorry if I misled anyone by my earlier post when I mentioned that I had started my tomato seeds. I did them inside ... and my babies are under the grow lights now. :-)