Winter sowing seedshow far apart should they be?

Dumb question again, but I am a novice about winter sowing:
How far apart do I sow my seeds in my gallon milk-jugs, 2-liter bottles, etc.? Do I just follow the instructions on the seed packet? I notice from some of the forum photos that the sprouted seeds look very close together. And there is that "clump" growing school of thought. I've never grown plants from seed, so I am a bit insecure about all this.
Thanks in advance,
Emily

Emily, Trudi from the Winter Sown Website just sprinkles hers all over... but if you don't want lots and lots of the same you could space them how ever far apart you want... Then again I guess would depend on the size of the seeds, there is no way I would try to plant the tiny seeds one by one... Just keep a few of each kind of seed you WS, that way if they don't make it, you have some to fall back on :o)

Connie

Thanks, Connie, for your advice. I'll sprinkle for WS, and keep a few back to sow under lights--and maybe a few back to direct sow. Should be very interesting to compare results!
--Emily

I do try to space out larger seeds, or at least scatter them a bit more widely. With tiny seeds, I generally sow in rows across my container... that makes it easier to break out a row of little seedlings and separate them into clumps... although many people have excellent results planting out HOS (hunks 'o seedlings), I seem to get better survival rates if I clump transplant into pots or cell packs and plant out after some good root growth has occurred. This year, I'm doing more sowing in deeper containers (hoping I'll like the results with those roasting pans from the dollar store), so maybe I won't have to do so much up-potting before plants go into the garden.

I will put them in rows of three, either 3 or 4 rows in a gal. milk container it they are large enough to handle. The tiny seeds I do a small pinch and sprinkle. I use a small scissors to cut some of the seedlings off as a way of thinning and then sow in hunks from there. I leave the plants in the containers until their roots are strong enough to go directly into the ground.

Thank you, I learn something everytime I open up the WS forum on my 'puter. I have already sown several milk jugs using a rather cavalier attitude towards spacing, but the next batch of seeds I sow is going to be more "row oriented," because that makes sense.
I'm going to go to our local dollar store and see what I can scare up in the way of roasting pans--using big flat pans would definitely make it easier to "row-sow." The search for containers is never-ending!
It's sort of scary--yesterday I was in our local BJ's big-box store, and I found myself eyeing all sorts of items that I didn't want or need, but they came in really good plastic containers for WS-ing!
--Emily

I like Trudi's spin on that: You buy this really neat WSing container and it just happens to have free food in it.

Karen

Hmmm....I think it was Trudi...

I just sprinkle and then cut them apart (hunk o' seedling). I works pretty well for me.