Milk jugs

Thanks.....I may just need to use it if I find that I need to use containers that don't have transparent covers.

Oh, I forgot to say tops of milk jugs and juice jugs. Small tops, not larger containers. Of course cont. without a dome of some sort needs something for the greenhouse effect.

Ahhh.....thanks for the clarification. I was definitely thinking containers, not jugs.

Just so we're crystal, I do think it would work well on containers that are not jugs. Nicely:) Sorry about the confusion.

I'll have to give it a try.

I'm confused.
Marie, I like the idea of cutting up the zip lock bags. I may just use your idea of a rock to hold the top and reuse the milk jugs next year.

The hardest part of keeping the containers to reuse is storing them for the rest of the year. I've got mine roped together in two clumps hanging from the rafters in the garage.

I actually got the zip lock bag idea from the guy that ran the seminar at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. He said that they use a lot of zip lock bags, and had a cut up one when he was talking about the air-layering. He said that something about zip locks keeping the moisture in but still being able to breathe.

I had totally forgotten about that, I wonder how much I forgot?
I was thinking about the storage and then realized that I store them as I get them so they are here anyway so why not store the ones that are ready to go.

Last year mine were pretty mangled by the end of the year so I pitched them. First I had gouged big holes when the weather warmed, then chopped the tops off completely. When planting out I cut all the way down the side of some to get them out more easily. They were in no shape to re-use.

Karen

I probably won't reuse the milk jugs, but my juice bottles were seriously hard plastic........I'm sure they'll work again next year. I could barely put holes in the bottom of them.

nikki........a power drill works great for making holes.

I don't store my jugs at the end of the season, I just simply rinse them out and add them to the recycle bin. We drink a lot of milk, water & juice, so we seem to have plenty of plastic containers when I wintersow.

My local Costco also switched over to those white milk jugs as well...I hate the things! I keep meaning to send a letter or an email because it is impossible to pour a glass of milk without spilling milk all over the counter. God forbid one of my children would want to try and pour their own glass of milk. ;-)

Oh yea...Winter Sowing....I did a test with the Costco milk jugs and I found that a 1 gallon baggie fit over the jug real nice. Probably would not even need to secure it with tape. Once I finish with the "regular" milk jugs I plan on giving this a try with the Costco jugs.

- Brent

Just wanted to post this picture of my milk jugs the day after our blizzard last week. LOL. Take my word for it, there are 15 milk jugs under all that.

Oh, I believe it! I'm in NE Ohio and we got socked as well! That's what my yard looks like too! Tamara

kbaumle: How many inches of snow did you receive? Looks like your containers have a nice soft insulating blanket of snow to keep them protected throughout this winter!

Tamara: If you received all that snow too, than your containers will be fine. I thought you said on another thread that some of your containers didn't receive enough precipitation. Are some of your containers under an easement or too close to your house? If so, they probably need to be moved to an area of your yard where they can take advantage of the snow blanket provided by Mother Nature.

We got about 13 inches out of that storm. And now we're on the leading edge of that ice storm going through...

Bet your sore from all that shoveling! However, I'll take snow any day over those horrendous ice storms! We got ice instead of snow from that storm last week. Plus, we lost power because of downed power lines & trees.The Weather Channel is predicting another round of it tomorrow........GROAN!

we had some snow earlier - starting late afternoon... it was coming down pretty good - but now it's rain -- the temps have gone up a few degrees - enough to turn snow into rain.... then tomorrow it should be snow again -- but yea -- ice is the scariest stuff. we're hoping it doesnt get heavy/thick enough to take down power lines.

but -- my milk jugs are now covered again in snow.

How often is everyone watering their milk jugs? Water from the bottom?
Thanks,
Teresa

We got freezing rain and ice again last night. That stuff can be awful.

Bluegrassmom: Are your jugs frozen? Any germination? I haven't had to water anything yet because mine have been frozen for weeks. As of yesterday I couldn't pick them up yet because they're still frozen to the ground, stuck in ice. We had snow, then ice, then more snow last week.

I'm attaching a picture of my maple tree that I took about a week ago.

Karen

Well, I think I still have milk jugs out there. We got 13" and should get 3-5 more. The wind is whipping it around so there are some nice drifts. I will venture out to take some photos when I can get out the door.

Teresa,
While they are frozen there is no need to water, as a matter of fact that would be a mistake. I only watered once last year. We had a wet spring and the jugs keep a lot of moisture in. You don't want to drown those little seeds. Go by feel and water when needed. They won't dry out as fast as if they were planted in the open. It doesn't work to say every day or every three days because there are to many variables.

Karen nice photo.

Pauline

Pauline,

many of my jugs were dry to the touch and defrosted. I only added snow to a few of them - but with the weather that just past through - they all got snow/rain -- so i'm sure they will be good for a long while.

Terese

Shirley--yes, they are on my porch, which is the only place they are safe. But, like you said, they are blocked from the snow and rain. Someone suggested covering them up with snow, so I think that's what I'll do. Tamara

I put another 2 containers outside just in time for the 4" of new snow today followed by more sleet and freezing rain. Don't believe there are any new sprouts, but it's kind of hard to tell since they were stuck to my deck and surrounded by ice. We're suppose to have warmer temps this week, so a lot of it will melt and water my containers.

Karen: Lovely picture of your Maple tree sparkling in the sunlight.

Here is my winter sowing.

Okay...I finally started my winter sowing today, and after cutting four milk jugs nearly in half and trying to tape them back together (after filling) I was somewhat frustrated. DH happened to come downstairs at this point and asked "How's it goin'?" When I told him, he asked if I thought a door would work better than cutting nearly all the way around, so I tried it. It's going much faster, and I think it might work better. What do you experienced WSer's think?

Sorry, I clicked "send" instead of "browse". Here's the photo:

Not bad, eventually you will need to cut all of the way around to open them up to the elements before you plant them. It might be harder with the seedlings growing in them.

Here's how I cut the first four:

That is what I do.

It sure is going faster this way, so I think I finish and just cut them open when it's planting time.

that's how i cut mine too -- thought i had my images in this thread - but must be a different one.

Though i think i cut mine about a half inch higher, right under the handle, using that as the hinge, like you did.

MUCH easier than the first few i did.

-- then use the twistie tie to hold it closed.

Wow! I just found this site. I was looking for the proper way to germinate coneflower and strawflower seeds. I didn't know how much I don't know. May I winter sow my seeds?

I have successfully germinated coneflowers using WS...

zen: Where did they all go? :~0 Your containers are tucked in for the Winter with a nice soft blanket of snow until Spring thaw. Not a thing to worry about. Mother Nature is taking excellent care of them.

jasmerr: Good lookin' containers. Do you have any critters that may get into the ones with a "window"? If not, go with which ever one is the easiest/quickest one for you to make.

tina5333: Welcome to the Winter Sowing Forum! The best place to read all about it is at http://www.wintersown.org Both coneflower and strawflower seeds will do fine via this method. Ask lots of questions and we'll be here to help out and encourage you. Remember to post some pictures too. Good luck!

tina6333. Welcome. If you didn't find it yet this link in the winersown site it has lists of plants that can be winter sown in each zone. It doesn't cover all, but has a lot. Don't forget to look at the zones below yours as well.

http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Seed_Lists.html

Here is how I have been working with the opaque milk jugs from Cosco. I kind of like how they work.

- Brent

Brent, How big is the bag? It looks like it is big enough to tuck under the jug, is it taped to the bottom?

Pauline

I do the same thing for all my gallon milk jugs, except my bag is upright. They are 2 gallon bags, and I leave them open about 2 in. Tamara