Lessons learned for next year #2

Thanks Grampapa,

I got my paint markers from our craft store and a few were sent to me from a couple of D gardeners as gifts... I love them... I bought some Plant Markers from the co-op to place in the garden beds, (once we get them in, in the spring). Once I have all my containers done I am going to start arranging what is to go where. lol

I have my seeds all sorted out for Jan, Feb and March sowing. I have been going thru the garden books my DH has bought me, I love the one on Michigans Native Plants and this last one he bought, it has all the perennails and annuals etc A thru Z all seperated and for each zone. Has alot of great designs in it to... It is really going to be interesting to see how all my garden beds turn out lol...

I am also going to be doing a garden bed (along with 4 Lg container pots) at our Church, I am also the assistant youth director & Jr class teacher. I thought since I was WSing anyway that I would have the kids do some too. Then set the jugs behind the Church where it gets the morning sun and shade in the afternoon, That way they can check on their plants each week and feel they have a part in the garden too :o) DH really liked the idea. Their ages range from 6 to15. It's going to be a very interesting project :o)

Connie

Karen, I just started gardening this past spring and tried some of those (didn't like them at all) and none of the seeds made it. I didn't soak the pots b4 using them (didn't know you were suppose to.) don't know if that would have made a difference or not, but I won't use them again.

I am trying different things to WS in, to see which I like the best.
Gallon & Half Gallon Jugs
Aluminum pans with the clear tops.
16/20 oz styrofoam cups (made little wire domes for them)
The Baggie method
And what ever else I get my hands on rofl
For our youth group at Church I will use the 1/2 gallon & gallon jugs.

Connie

debnes, When you use the foil roasting pans do you find that you have enough soil? I keep reading that you need 4" of soil.

Zen I heard at least 3 to 4"s deep is okay, and those are at least 3"... :o)

I wonder if it depends what you are sowing in them?

Connie

Connie~ such a splendid idea for the youth!

Thanks Garden6, I hope they are as enthused about it as I am ;o)

Connie

Alyrics - Try cutting the slots in an X shape on the bottom of the jug, them push the plastic flaps up. Do several of these and you'll have lots of drainage.

Steve

I think any age kids would have fun with this. Even if they are old enough to pretend they don't LOL

Last yr my favorite container was the domed plastic pans that rotisserie chicken comes in at the grocery store. For things that can be planted out early like pansies or Johnny Jump Ups they worked great and gave lots of head room for the seedlings. they are way too shallow for most things though. I would use them for herbs also - like basil etc. Just sow thinly so the root systems aren't too crowded.

You have to get foil pans that are deep enough or it just won't work. - the seedlings roots get matted together and you have to pull them apart in chunks, Actually that was ok for some annuals - things like marigolds, etc.

I liked the large yogurt containers also - plenty of room for roots, and I cut out the center of the lids and put plastic wrap across them with holes in.

One thing that is different at my place is my seedlings are not in full sun, so I am always trying to increase the light to them so they aren't spindly.

It drove me crazy to have to keep unwrapping tape off the milk jugs and then try to re-tape it. But I know.... lots of people love them.

I believe I have enough soil zen.. And it is plenty moist in the pans with the lids, even though I have holes in top and bottom..

I put some daylily seeds in a gallon bag with about a 1"cylinder of soil in the bottom. They sprouted and I have already transferred them into pots.

Right now we are having freezing weather, and more to come. Some of the seeds require that in order to germinate, so I am glad we have this time here in FW climate, even if it is usually pretty short.

It looks to me like what we have here is the difference between winter sowing in the 'south' and winter sowing in the north.

kb,

Winter Sowing was developed on LI, which is known as the North of the South. LI is zone 7 with 8A microclimates. It gets really hot really fast in Spring and Winters are erratic, they could be mild or very VERY cold. I am WSing as usual and I expect the usual results.

I guess I'm just thinking about the difference between Texas and Ohio. Our winters aren't anything alike!

I got ten jugs put out today.

http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/2007/01/sow-n-go.html

I noticed some of you close your flaps with tape and consider it a pain to reopen and reclose the tape. My friend, Digsgardening, showed me her way of closing her flap on milk/water jugs. she just pokes one hole near the edge of the upper flap and one close to the edge of the lower flap and uses a twist tie to loop into the two holes to keep the flap-lid closed. It's easy to open and peek in. Also, there is semi-ventilation along the seams. I'm tieing mine down this way using Christmas ornament hangers. They bend well like a twist tie.
Deborah♥

I never found the need to open mine.

kbaumle, what a neat little row of jugs!

alyrics, I was wondering why you would need to open them? can't you peek in the top if you want to see how they are doing

gram

Thanks for the tip on using the ornament wires, Deb.

kbaumle and gram, I like to open mine to water them if it's a dry winter. But most importantly, they are so much easier to open when the time comes to plant in the spring. Last year I used duct tape and it was hard to get the containers open to plant the seedlings.
Digs

thanks, digs. I didn't think about watering.

I open mine when it warm up in spring, so the babies don't fry. It can get way too warm for them contained in there. Once the weather warms I start with more holes, then open the top but keep attached in case of a deep freeze. Eventually I just discard the top half. It makes them a whole lot easier to care for.

Karen

gram - half the fun is looking at your babies all winter while the garden is brown! If they were all hidden except for peeking down the hole of a gallon milk jug I'd feel cheated. Especially when they are just germinating - nothing cuter than a pan of purple Opal Basil babies in early March. I did a lot of experimenting last year with watering with dilute H2O2. We also have really erratic weather in the spring - we are not considered safe to plant annuals and vegetables till the last week of May but the daytimes can hit the 70's in April and dip below freezing at night. If I have warm weather I need to open the lids for ventilation or move them a couple times a day. I can't see how you could water tiny seedlings thru the hole of a milk jug without smashing the ones right below the stream of water - maybe Trudi can tell us what she recommends. I learned that one quick and went to the Dollar Store and got some $1 plastic trays to place under the containers and watered from the bottom. - Easy to tip out and empty if its been rainy.

I also learned an important thing last yr - my first yr which I think has been mentioned - if not in this thread than in the Veg Forum but it might help someone to mention it again.

Wet your soil mix very thoroughly a day before sowing. If you don't, you could rinse the seeds off to the side of your container when you water for the first time - esp if using a soil-less mix like Pro-Mix that repels water initially. I had delphiniums growing up the sides of containers and none in the center - ditto for clumps of poppies that all washed over to the edges of the pan.

The dilute H2O2 solution was an interesting test. It is supposed to provide extra Oxygen to the roots. I believe it helps keep the soil sterile and fungus-free. Some plants really loved it like the dahlia seedlings which shot up every time I used it, others like poppies got scorched leaves and some died when exposed. There are a lot of threads from last yr on this and my personal take away was not to overdo a good thing. If a little is good, then leave well enough alone because more can kill them.

aly, thanks for the explanation. this is my first year, and I'm full of questions.

Maybe I just got lucky last year, because I never needed to water. Once it warmed up in the spring, I just took the duct tape off and the top stayed on because of the hinge, so if I needed to water or air them out by then, I could. Maybe this year will be different. And really, you can see the whole surface of what you've planted through that little hole. ;-)

kbaumle - remember last year you were about 3 weeks ahead of me with all your blooming perennials? I'm in the snowbelt - that may be the difference even though we are both northern OH.

I do remember that. There are so many variables that what works for one might not work for another, but I love that we can share our methods and results here, because it's all knowledge! :-)

I prefer bottom watering, too. When sowing I moisten immediately before sowing, enough for several containers, then I fill and sow. When the jug is complete, I bottom water to make certain that it is well saturated. I let drain for a little while, then place outside. When the containers are out there, I also prefer bottom watering. One overhead method that does work pretty well, though, is to use my 2 gallon pressure sprayer with the wand stuck into the top hole. I have also used a misting sprinkler attached to my garden hose, but that's messy and I always ended up getting a shower and getting cold and wet too.

I keep my containers on my patio where they get morning sun only. In spring they can get hot! I can't imagine leaving the lid on until plant out time. Maybe the difference is that I am zone 6, hot and humid Cincinnati.

Karen

Last year I used zip lock baggies with the zipper. I put a cloths pin to keep it partically (sp) open and as the weather warmed up I unzipped them a little at a time. I numbered and wrote the name of each one on the bag with a sharpie. I also kept a list of what the numbers were. I planted 32 bags and everyone of them sproted. Some of the names faded but the number stayed. They were covered with snow several times. The only ones I lost after planting them in the garden was my poppies. It was my first attempt and winter sowing and I was shocked at my sucess.

Betty

This message was edited Jan 15, 2007 5:40 PM

That is interesting. How did you keep the bags from falling over?

I wondered that about the baggie method also

Zen on the winter sown site, I believe it shows the baggies sitting in the aluminum pans... That is what I am going to use to sit mine in...

Connie

Connie,Thank you.

Pauline

Your welcome Pauline

Happy winter Sowing :o)

Connie

I put mine all togather in an old rubber tire filled with mud. When you put the dirt in the bags you can make them stand alone.

Betty

I haven't yet begun the winter sowing. It is on my list today to take some time and organize my seeds. I have a whole section of a very large cabinet pretty much filled with seeds that I have either ordered, saved from my garden last year, or had some wonderful other gardeners send me. Oh yeah, have also picked some up in stores when they were stocked.

We have a wedding in the family next Saturday the 27th and things are a bit hurried around here. All of my supplies are ready and waiting even though I need to buy more seed starting soil soon.

This will be first time for me and I am loking forward to doing it. Thank you all for suggestions and tips. i am glad that this forum is available.

I hope that everyone will have a great weekend.

Ruby

Today is the day for me to WS. (If no urgent chores appear!)

Thanks All! I am soooo psyched to try WS for the first time!
I've ordered my seeds: Morning Glory "Choice Blend", Black-Eyed Susan Vine " Spanish Eyes", Caldndula "Zeolights", Cosmos "Candy Stripe", Forgett-Me-Nots "Spring and Summer", Marigold "Lemon/Tang Gem", Portulaca "Double Blend" and Sweet Pea "Singing the Blues."
The WS method...which appears to be to just let Mother Nature do her thing...sounds good to me. I will be eager to read everyones' reports. And an additional thanks to whomever provided the great excel spreadsheet template for tracking...:-))
Anyone have any experience with WS Impatiens? I have always bought flats of them which is so costly.

Getting everything ready for winersowing and regular indoor starts:

Oh I am so behind. I think I had better order the rest of my seeds this weekend.

I was going to do more yesterday but got lazy LOL got to get more out today!

On someone's advice, last year I kept all of my containers in cardboard boxes with the tops cut off. It worked great! It kept them from tipping over, but most of all, when it came to watering, it held the water just long enough to bottom water. Then the excess water drained out. I could water with the hose on mist and fill the box with a higher spray. I think it helped keep the containers from drying out, too. Maybe because the containers were so close together? Plus, when I'm done with the cardboard, I use it under my mulch. I plan to do this every year now.

For markers, I use mini blinds, too. You can mark them with a regular number 2 pencil (although a softer lead writes darker) and it will last through winter. I've had them last through two winters.....enough so I had to erase the pencil to re-use them.

Merryma, I learned something new from you today! I'll try the cardboard boxes. I've been pondering what to use to keep them from being tossed and knocked over by my dogs. For markers, I do use mini-blinds and also plastic forks and knives too. Haven't tried writting with pencil though. I've been using garden ink markers. I've listed my seeds I've wintersown in my journal and also a database I'm trying out on a trial run. http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/viewbycat.php?catsort=name1&cat=45455 I'm writing the RID number on my containers too. Probably over-kill but I like keeping records anyway.
edit to say= when you click on the 'prepare to print' it prints out a nice list of all your seeds and notes. I fold the sheet and keep this in a ziplock bag with the reserve seeds. http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/printbycat.php?cat=45455
Deborah♥

This message was edited Jan 21, 2007 9:48 AM