PV, you are my wintersowing twin, lol!

We both know our similar history with KMOTGG, and this year, I just started my WSing two days ago! This is the latest I've ever started in my 9 years of WSing!

Because of that, I have a feeling I won't do as much as I usually do (yeah right, lol). But I'm being a little more selective with what I sow. Probably won't be doing any perennials, and started with 10 containers, mostly amaranthus. I don't plan on selling at the farmer's market this year (another "yeah, right!") so I won't need to sow as much... which doesn't mean I won't still sow more than I need, even if I don't have as much time...

:)
Dee

Talk about down to the wire, 9 days to go :) Although it sure doesn't look here like Spring is going to land on us all at once, high wind advisory for tonight, wet snow possible in the morning. 41F right now at 1 PM.

I sowed some things Sept, Oct, Nov and not much of anything then in Jan or Feb. I have a little stack of seed packets in front of me I hope to do this week (tax prep is coming first, have a self-imposed deadline there) but none of them are things that need a long chill...

One I hope will germinate is a bright red dwarf perennial grass that's new to me, uncinia egmontiana, caught my eye in the Plant World catalog but looks like it should have been sown fresh for best results...I'm hoping a chilly damp March will kick start the seed :)

But we've gotta be getting close to the Gardens North annual sale, they usually have something that tempts me for late sowing there.

You aren't the only one PV. I haven't even started yet and I usually have about 500 containers outside by May 1.

I'm far from worried though, and you shouldn't be either, least of all after the results I found from last year, compared to my prior 7 years of wintersowning.

Didn't start anything till April 8 last year. Couldn't get to any of the ground to get anything out till then. I had more than 7 feet of snow in my yards to melt first.

Since none of the seeds I planned to sow needed any real cold strat, the perennials would have gone out in Feb, just because they where perennials and have less to put out when I started with annuals.

Anyways, the end result was no different than any other year. Seeds that went out on April 8th germinated when they had the prior 7 years, as did all the other seeds that went out after that.

All my seeds did get sown by May 1, more than 500 containers. Only 4 containers had no germination in them and I wasn't expecting any of those to germinate. they where an experiment to see if sunflower seeds that where 25 years old, but still in their original unopened commercial packet would germinate. they where my only duds.

So the concern I had last year as to what would happen was for not. and this year. Well I'm living in New England, known for crazy, bizarre weather and rapid weather changes, but this is crazy even for us.

Expected temps this week are highs near 70 degrees. I have no snow on the ground, the most we've had is 6 inches and that only lasted a few days. We have had some really cold temps though, without any snow to protect those perennials, so it will be interesting to see what has survived and what hasn't over the next several months.

But, worry about starting this late. No way. The friends I do have that have started WS at the normal time and live either in my town or in neighboring towns, many of them have had all, some or most of their seeds germinate and then lost them to the crazy cold temps that show up.

Remember, we are trying to throw some bit of curve on mother nature and sort of fool her, she doesn't like that, so she lets us know about it.

Fran

Hi pvick, I've noticed your beautiful Perilla magilla before in pics of your amazing balcony garden. What's the secret to overwinter it? I tried a cutting of it inside but managed to kill it. We had 2 wks of torrential rain & dark skies and somehow I did not realize how dark it was. I should have moved the pot outside as it was warm enough. Just did not realize until it was too late. How do you overwinter it? Thanks! Best wishes, River

I'm not worried about starting late, seeing as how most of what I plan are annuals anyway. I had to push myself to get the ones out today - not really feeling it, ya know? Usually by now I've got at least a container of alyssum sprouting. Hope my spinach makes it this year - last year, it got so hot in spring that they bolted before they got a chance to grow.

Snow? What's that? I think the little bit we got here this year was gone before it hit the ground. Bite my tongue, but I missed snow this year.

River, the only way I've been able to overwinter the perilla was by taking cuttings; the whole plant never made it inside for me. I usually start the cuttings in water - they root easily - and then transfer to dirt. They may start out small, but that is one plant that grows by leaps and bounds. Last year, I did not take any cuttings from the plant, so I will be perilla-less this year.

PV

Same here. Weather was weird and so many other things got in the way of sowing containers for WS. It's late winter, nearly spring, so I am not sowing anything that needs vernalization. No biggee, I got enough bushes and trees from previous years.

Thanks, pvick!

Hi PV
I just got started last week myself, did my tomatoes and sowed some poppies too, :) This has certainly been a crazy winter, I don't believe the ground froze at all.

Alberta

I did 9 jugs of perennials in January, then nothing else until a few days ago. I sowed a few tomatoes and sunflowers. I haven't started any other annuals yet, but I will soon.

Karen

Yep, I'm really late this year too! I did sow 9 containers of mostly lettuces, and a couple of perennials back in mid-February, but I usually have 30 - 40 by now. Like you, PV, I'm hoping to at least get some tomatoes and petunias done this week. Since most of what I'm sowing this year is annuals, I'm not too worried about the late start either.

Due to my short growing season, the peppers have to be started indoors, and I have sown close to 60 different kinds this year. Yeah, I know, it's completely out of control, and I have no idea where I'm going to put them all, but they keep me going during those last few weeks of winter, when I can't get out and garden yet.

Bonnie

PV, & everyone else, I'm relieved to hear that so many others are getting this late a start WSing their annuals! This will be my first year WSing & I was beginning to think I'd bloopered the whole thing with my late start, but looks like I'm in good company in similar zones, so I'll go ahead & exhale now & just get on with it!

So far I've only got peas, spinach, onions, various lettuces & some delph's sown. Have lots more annuals to do, a few perennials that don't need much in the way of vernalization & of course some vegies.

I soaked my spinach seed in diluted H2O2 solution this year & will also do my other hard seeds this way. I also use the same water solution to moisten my potting soil & then water seeds in with. This has been my damping off prevention method for indoor seed starting for years. My sowing records indicate that it also reduces sprouting time & generally increases seedling vigor overall compared to using only water. I've only seen this mentioned here in the forums in a short thread from several years ago, so I'm curious whether anyone here in WS forum has tried it or uses it with the same positive results?

I�ve just started my winter sowing today. Sowed my first 10 containers, mostly lettuce, spinach, onions and herbs.

So you�re not the only one starting late... :)

Hello Pvick, good to hear from you. The weather is weird, you can work the soil all year round this year. I started already, but, now I'm trying to cut back. Last year, was too overwhelming 300+containers. I'm going to fish out the Zinnia's and MG's that I want to sow and call it a day.

Except for those few cups of toms and sunflowers I mentioned above, I still haven't started annuals. I hope to do some this weekend and take advantage of this beautiful weather. I think spring is pretty much here to stay. I know we might still get a frosty night or two, but I just don't think it will be sustained for any length of time.

I have taken advantage of the weather in terms of spring cleanup of my flower beds. I'm way ahead of my norm in that department. I've cut back what remained of my perennials from last year and weeded the beds. So while I'm behind where I'd like to be on wintersowing, I'm way ahead of the game on cleanup.

Karen

I'm with you, Karen. Just finished prepping three more containers for tomatoes and some flowers - probably petunias. I'll cut back the dead stuff in my pots and freshen them up; clematis are leafing out and other stuff is beginning to poke thru the soil. Need to go get some more soil, too.

Yeah, spring is here.

PV

I started some about a month ago, but put out a whole lot more this last week and will do some more today, hopefully the last.

Like you, Karen, I'm way ahead on the cleanup. We did the big veggie garden back in Jan. when we had one of those 50 degree days on a sunday, and I tilled my smaller veg garden in Feb. and have the peas and spinach in there already as well as a few broccoli. I fear this warm weather might not be good for them, though.

It's been a weird, weird winter here in SE PA, if you can even call it winter. We had snow in early October and really nothing since. I don't think a week has gone by in which there wasn't at least one and usually more unseasonably warm days. It's thrown everybody off. My SIL was saying last week that she was way behind in getting her seeds in (and she uses a hot house). I pointed out that it wasn't even spring yet, it just feels like it has been for a couple of weeks.

Caryl