Here on the wintersowing forum, no question is a stupid question. Check out the FAQ for this forum and check out wintersown.org. That will have most of the answers you will need, but ask away if you have more. Basically wintersowing is using recycled containers as miniature greenhouses in which you sow your seeds, and let mother nature do the rest. It is easy, fun, and addicting. Plus, you won't meet any negativity here....just more people making you want to do more! Good luck, and welcome.

Welcome, just1more!

Winter sowing is the process of sowing seeds im winter using recyclable containers. We throw the containers on top of the snow (even under the snow) and let nature takes its course.

Take a look at the FAQs at the top of the forum page - they explain it all. When you've read a bit and still have questions, come on back and ask 'em! Someone is always around to answer.

PV

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Winter Sow

CAUTION! wsing is highly addictive. Before you know it you will be asking everyone you know to save their old milk jugs and ice cream pales.

hee hee hee, welcome. I just started wsing myself and it is great fun!

As the prior winter sowers said the FAQ's will fully explain what winter sowing is. What you may not learn by reading the FAQ's is that WS is the best discovery for gardeners to finally eliminate the months of winter blues. No longer will you have to just browse catalogs waiting for spring you can now essentially garden all year long and you'll find the winters truly seem shorter, not warmer just shorter. Enjoy

alot of what I've been reading is about freezing temps outside and snow etc. Well in Middle GA, there is no snow, and the "freezing" consist of a scattered few early morning hours of below freezing temps...and then relatively warm sunny days...in the mid 50's typically....so what I'm anticipating is a bunch of mini "greenhouses" the recylced containers, etc. just sitting out and getting cooked for the most part...am I overthinking this? or is this a real possibility in an area that does not have a true frozen winter?

You DO have winter! It's just milder than those of us who have to shovel snow. RJ, WS is based upon a plant's ability to reseed itself in the wild. Obviously, in Georgia you have plants that grow from seeds each spring--they sprout from seeds dropped from plants the year before. WS will work for you. You mentioned an important fact, you have temperature swings--so just add more ventilation, sow containers that have over 3" of soil in them because deeper soil retains more moisture, and place your containers where they will not get direct overhead light at midday.

T

thanks trudi, I'm going to give it a try :)

RJ: I wintersow in OK and we rarely have snow!!! I mostly use seed trays with the clear plastic lids for my containers. I do start giving the trays extra ventilation as soon as I see green sprouts. Because I reuse my containers, I have a few holes for ventilation and moisture, but when I need to start increasing the ventilation I start moving the lids sideways....with a weight holding down the lids so they don't fly off...chicken wire is a wonderful invention!

When I get really good germination, I take my lids off all together. In the South we do get warm even in the dead of winter. It was 71 degrees yesterday...and 30 degrees today.

Watch your moisture levels once you take off your lids, mine dry out pretty quickly between the heat and the ever-present Oklahoma wind.

Lisa