A newbie checking in... Keep meticulous logs. Post your successes and failures so that we can all benefit from them and most of all - have fun!

Dorothy

-label with cut up mini blinds and plain old pencil--it does not fade (I put the name and date)
-when trying to open the jugs after they sprout, do not try to pull the tape off, especially if it is duct tape, just slit it. It can be taped over again if you use the container again.

One thing I always tell people I'm "coaching" is that it should seem so easy it will feel like cheating!

Although I am not newbie, I was glad to see the tip about asking for milk jugs at Starbuck's. I am not a coffee drinker and even though I have picked up lots of coffee grounds from them, I never even thought about their milk containers.
I also use a soldering iron for making holes, but I do it with a fan behind me, blowing any fumes away. I usually do just a few at a time, leaving the room after so the fumes can escape.
I have read many tips about using cut up blinds for labels, but I don't have access to them. I fashion the plastic from detergent/fabric softener containers into very neat little labels. I have crash test scissors from Lee Valley which cut through anything to cut the containers into strips (I do this while watching TV). I use the Lee Valley permanent pen for marking the name and origin of the seeds. That way, I can re-use the labels, removing the prior name with nail polish remover if necessary.
I also keep meticulous logs both for exchanges, and for sowing. By so doing, I can send my first-hand experience to anyone to whom I send seeds I have collected: sowing date, origin, sprout date, plant out date, flowering/fruiting date. It also allows me to send a 'thank you' and a pic. to the sender of seeds.
I must keep looking for used mini-blinds to see how they work.

Northerner, I found my mini blinds in my neighbour's garbage. She was throwing three of them away. I have also seen them at the thrift store for a couple of dollars. If you have a freecycle group in your area, you could ask for them on there.
If you know of someone who is getting mini blinds for their windows and they have to shorten them, you could ask for the extra slats that they take out to throw away.

For a wet climate go apx 1/2 inch up on the sides of the milk jug & make holes in the sides as well as the bottom. I made 3 to 5 holes in each side & this helps the jug drain when the ground is sopping wet. If I ever had too many holes I could cover the milk jug with a clear plastic bag & punch holes in the bag.

To prevent mold spray container with solution of water & hydrogen peroxide (1/9) or spray with chamomile tea before adding seeds. I have sprayed twice & still have black fly or fungus gnats probably from 2 weeks of heavy rain. Bottom watering is recommended for sprouts if containers dry out. I am thinking of bottom watering with the hydrogen peroxide solution to get rid of fungus gnats that are in the sprouts even when the jugs are open.

When the sprouts have 2 sets of "true leaves" in addition to the original set of "seed leaves" or cotyledons you might wish to transfer to a styrofoam cup with holes punched in the bottom or a homemade newspaper cup or put out in your garden depending on your weather. I stockpile styrofoam cups: my gym provides free coffee & I take the cup home, I go to meetings where styrofoam cups are used that I take home & re-use (recycle centers will not take styrofoam so I have to recycle myself). Round newspaper pots dry out so square are recommended: push together so that all sides are touching & keep in a bin where you can bottom water, keep newspaper moist or it sucks water away from plant. Some people punch a few holes in the plastic bin, which sounds tricky to have enough holes to drain but few enough so pots get bottom watered. I am reusing my styrofoam ones but for someone else below is a video on making the **square** origami newspaper pots:

Here is a link that might be useful: Video - How to make square origami newspaper pots for garden seedlings

Ooooops, I transposed the parts of hydrogen peroxide & water. I mean 1 part hydrogen peroxide & 9 parts water. Spray the container with this before adding the seeds to prevent mold or spray with chamomile tea.

My tips would be to take the time to make quality labels and containers... it will save you time in the future.

Make a neat detailed plant tag with name, plant size, color, light and water requirements. Sit down at the computer comfortably to lookup plant info and make tags. Paperclip your tags to the seed packets and sort them based on when you need to sow them.

Then when you are ready to sow you can whip through it pretty quick without having to stop to write up a tag or write on the jug with wet dirty hands. It will also save you time when you have to plant and can't remember how big something gets or how much light it needs. Spring comes and goes so fast here that I have a short window to get that stuff in the ground before it gets too hot.

If you plan on sharing extra hunks o seedlings, make the extra labels ahead of time too. That way when you go to plant you can just rip off an extra chunk of seedlings, throw it in a small pot, and stick the label in, so it is all ready to give to a friend.

If something doesn't germinate or dies, wipe the dirt off the label and try it again next year. Use the same labels for annuals you do every year. A good label with a paint pen or garden marker won't fade for years. The small garden markers are easiest for me. They don't need to dry like a paint pen and don't fade like a sharpie. The finer point lets you make a neat label with lots of info.

For containers try to use ones that can be rinsed and reused so you don't have to prep all new containers every year. Heavy plastics like vinegar jugs last longer than thinner milk jugs. Containers closed with twistie ties or ones that are nested together can be reused easier than ones with tape on them. If you rinse them out and don't bang them up they can be reused several years. Containers that you have to cut to get the seedlings out just mean you will have to make more, plus you can get some nasty scratches and cuts trying to wrestle the seedlings out of them.

Jugs with handles can be looped together with twine and hung from a hook attached to garage rafters to keep them out of the way and in good shape. Plus your fancy jug chandelier is quite the conversation piece :)

Maybe it's because I'm not using milk jugs, but regular 2 L pop bottles, but I've been making all my holes easily with a metal skewer.

Just thought I'd share for those who don't have a soldering iron....

Also, thanks for the chamomile tea tip, river crossroads! I think I will need that in the spring.

river, have you had success using hydrogen peroxide for the gnats?

The only thing I've found that works is BTi, (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) - I keep it on hand for seed pots. Gnatrol, Knock Out Gnats, others - or in a pinch make your own solution by floating a mosquito dunk in a container of water over night and using that to water your seedlings. Bit problematic when your pots have the gnats and don't need water, but if you have the granular or liquid commercial product you can just drizzle some into the already moist pots and the naturally occurring bacterium will find it's way to the gnat larvae....it's the seedling root eating larvae in the sowing medium you want gone.

Mixing some additional grit into your sowing medium can help some (to keep in mind for next year) but in a winter wet climate, the gnats are almost a given. Need to add it when you water or about once a week for approx 3 consecutive weeks to stop the breeding cycle

Shop around for best price, it's all the same - bought my last supply here: (smallest size lasts me easily year or two and that's its shelf life anyway so you don't want a huge container at once), Safe for edibles, pets, birds, water features if you have those and have mosquitos too :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Gnatrol

Make sure you have enough soil in containers. One of my newbie mistakes. After you water the container it packs the soil down.

Lots of soil!

You can't have too many holes in your containers. Make them large and make many. Think of the large openings that commercial trays and plastic pots have. That is the one thing I will change this year when doing my ws containers/jugs. Make more and larger holes!

Serenae, thanks, the chamomile tea tip is really from Taryn & quoted in Trudi's faq for the ziplock Baggie Method, Growing from Seed forum. Seems mold can form in the ziplock baggie just as it can form in a ws container. I have not seen any mold so I am happy.

Morz8, thanks, I do indeed still have fungus gnats & I got out my mosquito dunks, scraped some off with a plastic knife, threw dry particles in the open jug & lightly misted. Soil is very wet from heavy rains so I do not want to add much moisture. I can make a solution & use for watering when the weather dries up a bit. Thanks!

Last pic (jan 25) shows the dust from the dunks. My ws pics

I bought a hand-held battery-powered drill from wm for about ten dollars, and a pack of different-sized bits for around $5. The drill uses four 2A batteries that last a month or more, depending on usage. I use those heavy-duty kitchen shears that cut through almost anything to make the cuts. With those, a sharpie for marking and ruler for measuring, I can prep a container in just a couple of minutes. No fumes, no cuts, no pokes :^)

River, looks like you clearly have some on there, hopefully with enough moisture to release the BTi - a lot of the dunk is 'inert ingredient' so any kind of measurement isn't possible. And why I like a granular or liquid product to mix with water, but you can't overdo, there is nothing there to harm your seedlings.

I used the dunks first winter I encountered gnats, no one local carries BTi in any other form and still don't - I have to send for it. The dunks worked, just be patient.

I looked and looked for used blinds to no avail. I went to Lowes and bought the smallest one for $2.97 and now I have a lifetime supply of plant labels. Pencil works great on them. Thanks for all the great tips. This will be my first year ws. I am so excited!

You know at 2.97 for a new set I bet is still cheaper than 100's of plant labels!! Good thought!!

Bumping this up for the benefit of other WS newbies.

Sow the classics, they are classic for a reason....

I went to Home Depot and asked for the pieces of blind that they cut off when sizing them for a customer. I got hundreds of 3-4 inch pre-cut labels that way. Totally free.

Free is always better! I never thought of that! Great idea.

Using a electric drill exclusively now for making holes - - those fumes kills me! The drill is scary for about 2 seconds and then you'll see how easy it is!

My black and decker electric sissors are FAB for cutting jugs quickly and easily. It charges up and then the wire disconnects, making it completely portable to cut jugs anywhere.

Foil tape instead of duck tape. Just much easier to use as it has a paper "backing", so you can cut of pieces in advance to use as labels, etc.

Use less of a footprint in your yard and store your containers neatly on shelving units. I get mine at yard sales cheap. I now do so many containers that the shelving are alpabetized! The unit has Allysum to Dianthus, the next Ephorbia to Lily's ,etc. Really helps during that frantic planting time in the spring when I use to run around saying.. "Where did I put that jug of columbine?"