There really is no perfect answer to your question. Some folk separate out each individual plant! And many of us end up planting the entire container because we get so overwhelmed with planting out. It also depends on what plants you have and how big they are expected to get. I know that's a wimpy answer, but it really does depend on individual circumstances.

Martha

Oh I LOVE your answer! I think I will do just that. Plant out the entire container! At least the plant will not get lost planted with other growing perennials. I did do that (plant the entire container as one plant) last year with a few annuals and it made a beautiful site. Very full! Makes planting out a lot easier. LOL Well I am out the door now to begin my task! Oh lovely winter sowing! Thanks for your answer Martha!

I actually sow each and every little plant, because not all of them will survive. One thing I've learned it to pay attention to plant height and width, because one plant can overshadow another where the weaker one will not survive.

Mary_max, you can plant out hunks any size you want. Some people cut the container up like a pan of brownies and let the strongest survive. Why not experiment a little? You can observe the results and see what works best.

I usually plant seedlings individually, so I've learned to sow fewer seeds in each container, so there's not too many. But HOS works well for a lot of plants, especially those that naturally grow in a bushy clump, such as Sweet Alyssum, Snapdragons, California poppies, etc. This year I sowed a flat of mesclun mix and plan to plant those out in little HOS.

I only plant in clumps when the seeds were tiny and the seedlings are so packed together that it would be impossible to separate -- portulacus and poppies are two that come to mind. With larger seeds I space out when I sow then plant individually -- think zinnia, tomatoes, sunflowers, etc.