Don't dig them out. The snow provides insulation, as well as water (as it melts).

Nope, leave all that snow right where it fell. It will water them as it melts. As long as your containers have plenty of drainage holes, they should be fine. Mine have been out in the weather since December.
Eileen

fisheggs,
No need to dig them out, unless you want to peek inside for sprouts. I uncovered the ones I keep on my porch just so I can see that I don't have anything yet.lol
The green wave is coming! I think it started late March last year.
:)Laura

Well that is sure easy, then! Thanks!

You're very welcome. Just keep in mind the easy part is not digging the snow off them. The work begins when they sprout and you don't have beds prepped where you can plant them. After the snow melted today I walked around the beds and mentally figured how many of my WS seedlings would fit where there's space between the established perennials. Looks as though I might just be able to squeeze them all in this year but Lord help me next year!!!

Gardenweed..just "shovel prune" the perennials you didn't much like to make room for new ones. Going this spring in my garden..Sea Holly..mine are just a gray shade..no steely blue..looks like a weed.."Outta here!" Same with Globe Thistle.."Gone!"..I also have an ugly sticky white flowered spreading plant called "Soapwort"..also gone this spring.
They're all going to be replaced with digitalis and geum..same height, much prettier.

Rowena,

I'm in Ithaca too. I say leave them covered. My containers were sitting on the porch. I have six so far, corraled in an old milk crate. After I and some of the other tenants did some serious shoveling, I dug out a spot next to the porch so I could bury the containers in snow. I did this because I was concerned that having them right next to the house, and a foot from the door, might lead to them getting too warm during a thaw and sprouting early. It's my first year wintersowing, but I trust the voices of experience on this one.

Just want to say "hi" to Rowena and Edie from a neighbor in Elmira! So far the closest ws peeps I have found on yjos forum.

Hey daisydawnny, rowena and edie- I'm a neighbor about 3 hours to the west, but have spent lots of time in Ithaca- just love it. (esp the Cornell Plantations!) I would need the BIG farm tractor to find my jugs about now! I haven't seen this much snow since the early 80's. At this point it's hard to imagine sprouts by late March! Let's see who has the first sprouts, since we are all 5a!
Linda

Hey to all you NY neighbors,
I'm in Ithaca too!
This is my first year winter sowing and I'm hoping for lots of success. I'm still doing a lot of indoor seeds too - this way I can directly compare the two methods.
I'm mostly doing vegetables, with some flowers.

I'd leave them alone. I was perusing the perennials thread, and they were saying same except those are in the ground, of course, ones with the huge accumulation of snow, will take a little longer to melt off, might even be a plus.

If they show signs of getting waterlogged in a depressed spot, I'd move them though but not until. Plenty of drainage holes aren't always the answer if they're not draining fast enough or taking more in.

I've still got some snow on mine because it's the north side, but I packed a little more under a flat that was crooked.

So if you see your snow melting unevenly, maybe you might want to do what I'm doing so your containers don't topple unless they are on something solid way underneath; some of mine are; some aren't.

Thinking ahead, much shovel pruning will be done. Also will resort to planters I've accumulated for some of the annuals. I might start a thread soon about my newest containers and what might be nice in them, but not tonight.

I hope I don't start to see photos of flooded yards and swamps from all the snow some of you have gotten, saw some of that last year. Those containers had to be rescued out of that. Higher ground, you should be ok.