I am new to winter sowing too, and living in chilly zone 4 I'm assuming that I can only w/s perennial plants and trees that are indigenous to Vermont where I live. Is this so?

Last fall I W/S-ed fireweed seeds in a container that has sat outside and I'm hoping these will pop up this spring. I winter sowed the remainder of the seeds directly in the ground along the fence where I want them to grow. I also have sown spruce tree seeds, wild daisies and blackeyed susans (rudbeckia) into the ground last fall. These plants should be able to weather frost since they do so naturally, but what of the other plants that I read of being winter sowed? Is winter sowing for these zinnias, cosmos, other annual flowers and most vegetables only for the warmer zones?

I do start some annuals in containers and, while I leave them out during the days, I bring them onto my enclosed back porch at night to protect them from our late spring frosts that persist through memorial day.

Thanks for any light anyone can shed on this.

The winter season extends from mid-December thru mid-March, so anything sown during those months would be considered "winter sowing".

Our method is as you say, rjinga. We put seeds in makeshift "greenhouses" largely using recyclable containers of all sorts. Then we put them outside and leave it to "the weather and mother nature to complete the process". The method does not necessarily speed up their growth (the seeds will sprout when they know they are ready), but what it definitely does is produce healthier, hardier plants, giving you great satisfaction long after nursery-grown plants have pooped out. Two of the biggest advantages of WS plants is that there is very little, if any, damp off, and you don't have to go thru the hassle of the hardening off process.

We do tend to sow mostly perennials and some hardy annuals in the winter months, leaving more tender annuals for late winter/early spring sowing - using the same method.

There's really no set timetable for when to start your seeds - it's largely a matter of knowing your own particular climate/microclimate, and dealing with your own personal comfort zone. For example, I (zone 6 in my balcony garden) start tomatoes in March and they are in the ground by May. But I have started them earlier too.

Take a look at the FAQs at the top of the forum page for ideas of what can work in your respective zones; if you don't see what you're looking for there, just come back and ask your questions. We've got lots of WSers in both of your zones, and they will be more than willing to help you out.

Take a chance with the method, it's a lot easier and much more carefree than you might think.

PV

As phyl says, we start on the solstice 12/21 and winter sow until spring. There is no timetable. The seeds will not germinate until they are ready no matter if you sow them 12/21 or 1/21.

Spedigrees, you can sow all kinds of seeds, not just natives. Look at our zone lists - there's a lot available.

We are not sowing indoors under unnatural conditions and we are not direct sowing outdoors. We are creating artificial greenhouses out of things like milk jugs and 2 liter bottles and then leaving them outside for mother nature to deal with.

Read the FAQs and check out Wintersown.org. I think a lot of your questions will be answered there.

one thing i like, well two things i like that i read, no nats, and no mildew. i am also very new and very freaked and kinda really anxious about this!! LOL ummm those aren't the right words either.LOL :')) i just can't wait!! in a happy way to see if i done this right!! i always get them to a certain stage in the house and then they die, so this will be so cool!! :'))

I for one am smitten with the whole thing because it is showering mail-order seeds this week and FINALLY I can plant them out without trying to build some sort of nursery in my hot, dry, dark, rather cluttered sparerooms.

I am making GREAT little planters out of recyclables--which is a wonderful and Earth-friendly thing to do. I will be able to use them every year and restore this bit of scared land where they built my house.

I am working on a woodland garden with lots of mountain laurel, moss, berries, bulbs, and wildflowers. I am overlooking the Shenandoah River and it sorely needs restoration planting because of the type of clear-cutting the developers tend to do! They take away the top soil, and then you have to basically buy it back from the Home Depot.

So I am working away at the project and having a great time at it.

I think my plants will be a lot healthier, having gone through winter before sprouting this spring.

I thank all of you experts for your ideas!

Oh tansymoon..you're in trouble! Once you see how easy this is you will never go back to indoor sowing. I know, because up until I discovered winter sowing last year I was driving my whole family crazy by spring, packing every "semi-lit" window surface of the house with flats of weak seedlings, begging for light. I could hear them begging "please let me stay under the florescents a little longer" but they had to go to a window as I had more seeds to start! It was so stressful.

With WSing, it's all outside. All well lit. All happy seedlings! No dampening off, no weird flies,no mold, better germination rates. Be ready - - - the next thing you will be smitten with is seed collecting from this summers plants and then seed trading. Welcome aboard and eat your wheaties - - you'll need the strength to plant out everything you grow and dig new beds when it doesn't all fit!

Nancy

I am also a newby and am excited, but am wondering if I should wait to start mine because I am in zone 4 in Minnesota. Also, do you need to water them often once you start, or does mother nature cause condensation which takes care of the watering for us? We are looking at -24 degrees actual temp again this weekend - you can't possibly put containers out now, can you? Just an FYI as well - I have way too much seed and would love to share - email me if you are looking for something in particular and I can see what I have! Any info for wintersowing in bitter Minnesota would be greatly appreciated too - maybe an actual "seasoned" sower fom here...anyone? Thanks for all of your help! My email address is: jwilken@charter.net

Mngardener- go for it with perennials!!! You can start now. And no you won't have to worry about watering until it is consistently warm outside. Here in zone 5, that wasn't until the middle of April for me. Good luck, and get sowing!

Mngardener, it's not quite as cold here as where you are, but we have been below zero a few times this winter, and our highs haven't been ABOVE freezing for the past two months.

Here is what my containers looked like this morning:

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Those are the tops of 2L bottles and milk jugs nestled inside milk crates ... really!

This is my second year, and trust me, you CAN wintersow in your zone. Just hold off on your tender annuals until say April, but go ahead now with perennials and hardy annuals.

Happy sowing,
Bonnie

Winter sowing is so easy and costs so little. It enables you to garden year round and create gardens for a fraction of the costs compared to constantly buying costly plants in the growing season. It also enables you to grow seeds without having to worry about damping off and leggyness, and acclimatizing the young plants to the outside because that's where they sprouted. Basically, you go from this...

{{gwi:355687}}

To this...

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To this!

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MNgardener - NOW! This is precisely what we do. It's not too cold for seeds. It's too cold for plants, but they know that and know not to sprout. In places where some sprout early, they are able to handle the cold.

Ma nature is in charge and she is smarter than all of us put together. I just sowed some penstemmon. Last weekend it was snapdragons. All will be fine.

Thanks so much for all of the possitive input! Before today, I thought I was too early, but you have got me ready to start them this weekend! Tiffy, when I look at your pic of your containers outside, the 2 liter bottles look like you have the tops off of them, is this the case, or are they supposed to be closed up? Also, I originally thought that the south sideof my house was the best place because it gets so warm, but maybe this would not be a good place...any suggestions? Just to let you all know, I have tons of Ruby Giant coneflower, as well as another big hot pink/redish purple coneflower if anyone is interested in some - let me know and I will mail some out to you! Thanks again for all of your help - your excitement for the process is rubbing off on me! I was hoping that I could grow all of my plants, instead of buying them and it looks like thats what I will do!

Caps off. Go for it. This is the perfect time to winter sow.

why caps off? Wont they freeze? Should I keep them on the south side where it gets really warm during the day, or will this be a bad idea? Oh yeah...I have lots of different blanket flowers too - anyone want some bright color in their gardens - I could send you some!

Thanks again!

Although those are not my 2 liter containers, I have been known to winter sow them and the caps do stay off. The caps are off for precipitation and aeration. Yes, the soil and the seeds will freeze, but the seeds will only sprout when their time is right.

On the south side of the house is fine. I doubt that it's warm enough there these days to make anything sprout. The seeds will wait until it gets warmer.

Let's all remember that in winter sowing, a little bit of faith goes a long way into creating beautiful gardens!

I love wintersowing Rjinga..... It is also nice to start my annuals a little early in our HFGH..... I could not start this many perrr. without wintersowing....The greenhouse gives only so much room..... And Just remember all those milkjugs in the yard are minature greenhouses's Just have to watch the temps and zone you are planting in.. Barb

Barb,
What about the temps and zones we are planting in? I am in zone3/4 - Minnesota - any tips? Sorry I ask so many questions...just a little nervous... :o) Thanks for all of your help!

Jodi

mngardener1, I have been winter sowing in MN for several years. Works great.
Here is a link to the MN gardening forum with some discussion about sowing times.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter sowing giving it a go

Thanks so much, mnswgal - I am so excited! Any information that you and the others can share would be so appreciated! As you surely know, our weather is unbearable for us, let alone young plants, so I want to do this right. After all, -50 below windchill temps are bad enough for us! I have lots and lots of seeds that I would love to share for anybody interested - please help me get them to good homes...all you have to do is plant a few more containers, LOL

mngardener1 freeeeezinnn in Minnesota!

Mngardener, if you have seeds you want to share, I would recommend starting a thread on the WS Exchange forum, and list what you have, or post a link to your exchange page. I can almost guarantee there will be someone interested in receiving them, either in a trade or for a SASE.

We are finally starting to thaw here, I can see my containers now! Hang in there, warmer weather is coming.

Bonnie

tiffy_z5_6_can, what beautiful astilbe!!! If that is astible, how many seasons did it take to bloom? I thought perennials rarely bloom int he first year. Thanks!

Monica

Monica,

The Astilbes act like typical perennials in that they will bloom in their third year. Having said that, last year I did have about five Astilbe plants in another garden bloom which were only two years old, but that is out of many two year old plants so consider it uncommon.

My viewpoint is that it is well worth the wait!

MNgardener: Now is the time to WS. That's because you have the time. Think of it as banking your seedlings until the time when the weather is right to plant them out. If you wait, you will be busier. This way, you work and work while you have time, then later transplant and transplant only.

Tiffy, please tell me the variety of those pink astilbe.
I am looking for a tall variety.

Thanks.
Bobbie