I guess I should have mentioned the reasoning behind my question... I was wondering if putting the bottles in too much direct sunlight would be harmful. I saw in another thread (I think it was token's) where he had a container not do well because it got too much sun and baked the seeds. The container next to it did fine because it was better covered/shaded by his tunnel.

Make sense?

Hi, Carol, welcome to the WSing forum.

In winter I don't think it matters too much how much sun they get. The weather is cold enough for most of us that they won't overheat. That will vary according to where you live. But remember that the sun for someone in zone 3 Canada sun is one thing, for someone in south Florida full sun is a totally different animal. You're in a fairly warm zone, too.

As spring comes sun exposure is more important. The sun beating on a container makes it much hotter than the air temp. If you can find a middle of the road, part-sun exposure, I think that's best. I keep mine on a patio with northeast exposure so that they get sun only in the morning when the sun isn't so hot. In four years of WSing I haven't fried any with that exposure. Others put them under a deciduous tree which, as it leafs out in spring, will provide dappled shade. Full dark shade might not give enough light but full hot sun all day might be too hot. I think it makes more sense to wait another week or two for sprouts in part sun, than to try to rush things with full sun and end up losing them to overheating.

Another consideration, you want them to get some rain and snow, so out in the open is preferable to under roof.

Karen

Hi Karen,

Thanks, that's what I thought. I think I'll put them up against the eastern side of the house where they'll get morning sun. That way, too, I'll worry less that they'll be blown over.

I can't wait to get started! This whole thing is so exciting, and its a great thing to involve the kids in. (They range from 3-15 yrs.) I am so looking forward to seeing my 3 yr old's face as she discovers little tiny plants growing where she put a seed! I'll have to keep a camera handy this spring for sure.

Carol

In the hoophouse, my seedlings fried because they got too much sun with the top on the container. So just be mindful of temperatures and you should be okay. Remove the top if it's really warm. I won't really need to worry about that until mid March when the air temperature is in the 60s during the day constantly.

Mine are in partial shade under an oak tree. It's dappled sunlight for the most part. The East side of the house should be fine. The sun angle right now isn't high enough to fry seedlings yet. But in another month or so, it will be.

womaninthewoods - Welcome to the WS forum! I second Token's advice. My hoop house is in full sun. On a sunny day with outside temps of 35-40, the temp inside the hoop house is 80-85 by early afternoon. I open up both ends to get cool air circulating. When I am away for the day, I open both ends.

Most of my WS containers are next to the hoop house so they are exposed to the same conditions. They are open at the top, so that helps. In February, we often have a few days in the 70's so I need to keep an eye on them, and be prepared to uncover or move them.

Just to throw a different prospective in the post, I put mine on a Platform on the north side of my house and they are there until I see enough sprouts to need to remove upper half of the container, then they go on the west side of the garage or into their respective beds. jim

Hello Token, Pam, and jmc~

Thank you for chiming in. I will be sure to keep an eye on the temperature of the containers' interiors as the weather gets warmer, which hopefully won't be too much longer! I'll probably go put them out near the garden under the trees as the temperatures start to rise and the sun gets more intense.

Carol

Welcome to wintersowing! I'd recommend sowing some bachelor buttons..they are the first to sprout (for me), and will give your kids a real boost..(and you too) when you see those first little green shoots!
Have fun!

Thanks Wendy! I'll get some next time I'm out. :)

I posed this same question (re sun/shade?) on the Canadian WS Forum, and I seem to have my answer now. For winter it doesn't really matter. When one has to be careful is in late winter/spring when the days start to get warmer. Then partial shade is safer for the newly sprouted seedlings.

I'm new to WS but trying to learn about it and would like to try it. In the deep south so not sure how well it will work here. Zone 8

Welcome to the joy of wintersowing. Over the years many in Zone 8 have been successful using this technique. Here are some results of wintersowing zone 8 search.

Winter sowing zone 8