1. Get your new beds ready now.

2. Get your new beds ready now.

3. Get your new beds ready now.

Ditto.
No cheap soil - ever ever ever ever.
No cheap soil - ever ever ever ever.
No cheap soil - ever ever ever ever.

Quadruple the amount of containers you THINK you will sow, and that will be closer to the amount you will ACTUALLY sow.

Keep a jacket and a flashlight by the door so that when you want to check on your new babies in the dark they are handy.

Meet a lot of new people now...you will need them to pass off extras to later.

1. use larger containers rather than small, gallon milk jugs are the best
2. place in shade or only morning sun
3. in spring, if in doubt, open jugs completely

Karen

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions;
2. Make sure your containers are deep enough;
and 3. Sow as many different varieties as you can - then you will know what you will like for next year and you can narrow the list down as you go on

Carrie (Good luck!)

1. DON'T sow with a heavy hand...every seed WILL sprout!

2. DON'T sow with a heavy hand...every seed WILL sprout!

3. DON'T sow with a heavy hand...every seed WILL sprout!

I'm still telling myself that!

glo

1) Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

2) Expect at anytime to be overwhelmed by Winter Sowing compulsion and all that issues from it.

3) Some people whom you thought you could trust are going to be snarky and laugh at you for sowing seeds outside in the winter in recycled junk, and it will hurt your feelings.

=============

Those three I think I are the biggest emotional hurdles to Winter Sowing. Take the advice from above which is all so good--you're going to have far more seedlings than you know what to do with. Start prepping your beds this Fall, get good soil on sale, learn to trade for seeds or buy them on discount, and visit this forum frequently for the familial affection we have for each other. Nobody knows the heart of a new Winter Sower better than the people here, you'll need hugs every now and then, and we'll give them to you over and over again.

T

1. Have patience. Don't expect things to sprout in your zone at the same time as others in your zone or in colder ones. There are too many variables.

2. Read the FAQs. You might even like to print them out and keep them on hand the first year.

3. Get involved with the exchange forums even if you have very little or nothing to trade. If nothing to trade, get familiar with the term SASE.

1. Buy your potting soil now, and at least 3 more bags then you think you'll need.
2. Don't be skimpy with the amount of soil you put in the containers. This is one time, "less is not more".
3. Start preparing your containers in late fall, don't wait till the weekend your going to sow seed.

wow, this is great! keep 'em coming!

I do realize I have to prep early, especially the beds.... I'm biting my fingernails (which I guess is a bad idea for gardeners!) because I can't start my main bed until the toms are done for the season. Though my new garlic bed is empty and I'll be finishing that this weekend.

I got the winter rye here:
http://www.superseeds.com/products.php?search=winter%20rye

I got the idea for a cover crop from my boyfriend (whose house I'm slowing moving into, and yard I'm quickly taking over : )

He's surrounded by corn-growers and they routinely plant winter rye as a cover crop for the winter. I'm going to do the same thing they do and till the rye right in... it apparently lends good nutrients to the soil. I also have a wall of marigolds growing in the bed with the toms, and I'm going to turn them in too.... only the toms are going (and getting discarded) as I had some fungus problems this year.

The whole main bed (getting expanded to 40-50'x3') is then getting a heaping serving of composted horse manure (which I have plenty of access to as I have a small herd of pampered manure machines), along with some perlite for good measure, and then coverd with a blanket of straw. Thats the plan anyhow, I'm hoping its a good one as I'm shooting from the hip here.

I am going to sow a vast variety of things (not just plants, but varieties of plants) I'll have 5 beds including the big one, and room for 8 large containers, so this will be a great year for learning! I plan to keep a journal so I don't go bonkers.

great tip on the germination rate, and as I can see from the overwhelming majority, I should NOT sow with a heavy hand! And make friends....

Finally, I will have to forgo the idea of recyling containers and buy some pretty ones.... sadly.... my boyfriend is an extreme neat-nick and if I had a row of 'garbage' setting around his yard, he would flip out. I'll troll around and see what kind of containers I can get... as long as it looks organized, orderly and relatively easy on the eyes, I should be able to get away with it.

He's thankfully ok with my taking over his place, and loves to garden himself, but only as long as I keep everything extremely tidy (I coil the hose, clean the tools to a shine, organize the fertilizers, and sweep up any errant dirt and mulch every time I play in the garden).

I know it sounds extreme, and it is, but on the flipside, everytime I reach for a tool its shiny and clean and ready to go... which is a very nice feeling.

Finally, I just want to say how much I love the positive vibe of this board!

I tend to like taking the path less travelled, and always am interested most by 'alternative' ideas to ordinary things... and I find the same thing over and over... an idea that really works, a 'golden' idea, always draws a passionate and positive crowd of helpful friendly people.... I just love that, and I'm getting a great vibe about WS.

I'm not quite sure how I got here, but so far I like it!

thanks all and keep 'em coming! i'm taking notes!

1.) Don't leave your bags of potting soil stacked up outside if you live in a cold area, or you will end up with one big frozen stack of bagged potting soil.

2.) Practice waving to your neighbors in your pyjamas so when you are out in the snow checking your containers for sprouts which you know are not there yet you will seem completely at ease smiling and waving as they look at you in confusion out their windows.

3.) Pay no attention to Carrie when she speaks in foreign languages and says things like "narrow down your list for next year". (She's still a little new at this so she isn't quite up on everything yet!) ;)

:)
Dee

1. Make sure your eyes are not bigger than your space.

2. Ditto

3. Ditto

3. Ignore the first 3. There's ALWAYS room for one more plant ...

PV

Label those containers!

Buck, your container ghetto will look better if you use all one type of container - even if it's two liter bottles (my fav - best germination rate and all round success). I just don't understand these significant others who have such major issues with wintersowing. For heavens sake...it's not like you are painting the house purple. Or stashing your garbage out front. Sheesh. Thank goodness my dh has NO OBJECTIONS...he likes to live.

Tell me...does this look bad? {{gwi:428306}}

Or this? {{gwi:428308}}

O.K.

1. Yep, good soil and fill 'em up! You need room for roots - and moisture.

2. When spring comes be very watchful about watering - they will dry out quick once it warms up. And once they have tiny leaves they do need a bit of fertilizer.

3. Have faith. You will be amazed how early you can plant them out and how well they will do. I had bachelor buttons that breezed right through 14 degree temps out in the garden. No problem! Just do it!

1. Get those sprouts in the ground ASAP because they will grow twice as fast in the ground.
2. If you plant anything late (after June 15th) put it in a pot 1st and let it get bigger don't put it directly in the ground. Yes I know that this sounds like I'm posting one tip and then saying something different but the big thing here is the "planting something late" part. I found this out when I had a couple of sprouts that immediately didn't look like they were going to make it when I put them in the ground so I moved them to a pot so I could place them out of the direct sun. Well the one's that I put in the pots grew at a pace that wasn't even close to the ones in the ground. I figure it was those 1st few days in the shade & keeping them out of the real heat that gave the plant that extra boost that it needed to get going. So don't put those little sprouts out in that kind of sun.
3. Keep track of what plants work well for you and remember you don't have to WS every plant in your yard. Don't drive yourself nuts trying to start plants that won't work with this system. I'm thrilled with the # of plants that I'll never have to purchase again (Marigolds, Cosmos, Sweet Peas, Basil, Tomatoes, Blankets and Sweet Alison) and I'm sure this list will grow even bigger by next year.

Strouper

I only have one to add:

Know your limitations:

If you are the type of person who has excellent taste and finds spectacular deals (at least *you* think so), and will buy a really cool thing (plant, decoration, rug, can of paint, *whatever*) but you find it still in its original packaging/container 2 months to 5+ years later hidden in the "craft room", please *control yourself* when collecting seeds for wintersowing because - as glo said - every seed will germinate, and if you overdo it you may find yourself at the end of summer with some very pi$$ed off plants that had high hopes of getting put in the ground when they sprouted for you in the spring, and yet here they are still sitting in these friggin' jugs/2-liters/whatever-you-could-find just trying to get a little of your attention for the last 4 weeks of their lives, and you will feel VERY VERY BADLY about it.

Or so I hear....

What everybody else said! Particularly Donn's.

And make sure you have some kind of holding bed, or a plan for excess plants to be in a place where they can continue to grow and be watered en-masse. Makes things easier so less un-transplanted seedlings and plants fry.
(Thanks for the link on the rye seeds!)

Linda

Getting good potting soil is important, but also maintaining the gardening soil that you will eventually be growing in is top priority. Head over to the soil forum and learn about composting. The Winter Rye is a good idea to build up your soil, and it can be tilled in early spring/late winter. I've done it but don't use a rotor tiller I turned it by hand and thats heavy work, :).

Label all your containers, and label plants as you plant them in your garden spots (something I routinely forget to do with the exception of tomato plants)but then again, I like surprises!

Judging by the numbers after your screen name, it looks like you are in Suffolk County as I am and a few other members. We usually have a good long growing season. As for artichokes...I'm trying that one this year, the plants are big, but so far no stalk is being produced. If there is no stalk being produced by the first frost, I am going to try and winter them over by cutting down the plants and covering them heavily with mulch (chopped up leaves).

Most of all remember gardening is fun, just as winter sowing is fun.
Alberta

Lindakimy, yep thats the plan I have.... one type of container, this way it looks a little more 'professional' and hopefully he won't bug out. Your place doesn't look bad at all to me, but I know my man... if I leave my shoes in the wrong place he gets snippy. : )

Also, someone else gave me a great link to how another person built little greenhouses out along her trellis... I'm gonna try a combination of both.

strouper, great tips thank you!

roflol, thank YOU! yes, I can get compulsive... thats the main reason I want to physically place the containers in the places they will go, so my plan for planting is mapped out. If I take everyone's advice, and expect 80%+ germination, then I am going to have buckets of seeds left over... which would be all too tempting to 'sow anyhow' then I'd be in the place you described... having poor little plants wither away in containers and feeling badly.

I plan to sow with the expectation of nearly everything coming in, so hopefully I'll only have a few dozen homeless plants when it comes time to transplant.

Alberta, thanks. Actually, my garden is in Camden County NJ, though I personally still live in the north. I think my growing season down there is a tad longer, but about 10 days... and the soil, though depleted, is nice and sandy making drainage a non-issue which is nice. I'm not worried for my current toms at all in this rain we're getting... though the cold is unpleasant.

Labeling is a great tip, and its going to be key.... I'm trying to companion plant, and do some succession planting too... all of the veggies have slightly different likes when it comes to fertilizer, so a good labeling system & map of the place will be very important for me.

Here is a link to some data I found about growing artichokes in NJ:
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/subcategory.asp?cat=1001&sub=1001
scroll down, its pdf article FS044

I'm going to try the 'shocking' trick and see if I can get them to produce in the first year. I hear they're very bushy plants, so I'm only planting 4 - and even at that they will be robbing my toms a bit. I don't expect sucess with the artichokes, but man I'd be thrilled if I could get them to come in.

Artichoke has to be my all-time favorite.

Thanks all so much! This cold snap we're having here has got me itching to get going already!

I am in agreement with everyone's advice. I'll expand on a couple of things.
1. Label your containers. Yes, and do it on the bottom of the container on duct tape, because UV light is not your friend here.

2. Label your plantings. Yes and again choose a method that will hold up to sunlight. Do a GW search to determine which of the many suitable methods you prefer.

3. Uniform containers are more visually appealling. I like 2 liters and milk jugs for different reasons, but the visual mix might offend your boyfriend. The nice man at Church's fried chicken has been saving his 1 gallon mayonnaise jars for me all year. They have the heavy plastic of a milk jug, and the accessability and visual appeal of a 2 liter.

For a humorous take on the life of a newbie check out the link below

so true, digger, - - LOL ... I was just trying to keep at least one person from having an incurable addiction!!

Okay, SOW A LOT EVERY YEAR, SOW MANY VARIETIES EVERY YEAR.. feed the addiction

Carrie

Alright, Carrie, now you're talking, lol!

;)
Dee

I'm pretty new too, but here are a few things I am going to try to practice next year!

- When you are planting your containers and have the seed packet out, make the garden labels right then and stick them in the side of the container (old cut up vinyl blinds work real well) in addition to labeling the outside of the container. This way when it suddenly gets warm and you need to get all those babies in the bed, you'll have the garden labels all ready.

- When you plant out the babies, think Big groups of seedlings. Some of my favorites got "lost in the sauce" because I liked them so much I was trying to spread them around to different beds. Mass=impact... put at least 7 or 9 seedings together (they always say to plant in odd numbers...)unless the plants are going to mature into something huge.

- If "keeping it organized" is a priority, think vertically! Invest in a shelving unit (or many) that can withstand outdoor conditions. My favorite, I picked up at a thift store--- 5 shelves, about shoulder height and only one flat wide (or 6 jugs) was great out on the deck for WSing. It does double duty as I have moved it to my kitchen after the seedlings were planted and serves as a space saving place to dry paper plates full of seeds for next year.

Best of luck to you!
Nancy

My top 3:

1. Good potting mix is more than worth the extra $$$. Be generous with it and use LOTS in each container.

2. Plant thickly with bushy/clumping annuals, and even with some taller annuals. (Zinnias come to mind - I planted them thinly this year, and while the few flowers I got were magnificent, there weren't enough plants to make a mass statement, and they looking gawky on their long stems. I could have planted them three times as thickly and been much more pleased with the result. You can bet I will next year!)

3. Take photos of your garden through the gardening year, and make a note (somewhere where you'll actually READ it, like in your seed box!) of what WORKED and what DIDN'T WORK visually in your garden. My memory may be flaky or give a rose-colored-glasses review of the year, but my pictures don't lie, and sometimes I get new planting ideas over the winter looking at last year's pictures. (And saying, "Ugh, THAT didn't look as good as I thought!" or "Hey, I need to plant more of that!")

Laurel

Just one caution...don't overdo it.

If you want to keep yourself and your family, friends and neighbors positive about your new hobby, don't collect so many seed, and sow so many containers that it becomes a negative either for you because you are overwhelmed or for anyone else because they become less than thrilled because you are spending all your time doing it, or you have filled up the house with drying seeds on every surface for months at a time or you talk constantly about nothing else, or you have winter sown containers hanging around the yard all summer, etc. etc.

You have been warned. [g]

anything over 200 containers has negative impact on your time-family starts asking for appointment to see you...
Make sure you take vacation during planting time- you going to need it to plant all your babies. Try to develop good local network and figure out who might possibly be interested in your extra seedlings- you will need it.
try figure out what kind of plants and garden you want before you get too deep and end up with bags full of unused seeds- having some idea what you are want/ must have/ dream/ realitly check is helpful. There is always next year to try.
Aluminum tape with indented names works best for me. Possibly label in couple of different ways so you know what you growing. Extra label for planting stuck in the container will save you time during spring busy season. Have some space for "lost label" plants- no matter how careful you are, some containers still will end up 'unknown".
I will be loading up on my favorite soiless mix Promix pretty soon- once stores run out of it they might not reorder it until next spring. Not all soilless mixes created equal- choose the one that you like best- usually it will be most expensive one ;) don't skimp on it, it is worth it.
not all seeds are easy, some need many requirements to germinate properly- do your reseach. Usually compaines such as Parks, Ferry Morse etc will carry easy to germinate/ grow varieties. There are plenty of places to find rare/ hard to germinate seeds as well but consider you might wait year or two before they germinate- see if that what you want and can do.
If palms and cacti do not grow in your neighbourhood- good chance those plants are not for your zone and probably not the best candidates for winter sowing. If you still want to grow them be prepared to deal with special care needs like overwintering.
Unless you winter sow annuals only- consider moving and getting yourself nice several acres of property- small suburban lots gets full after couple of seasons ;(

Only a first timer this year... so what do I know. But for what it's worth:
1) Patience patience patience patience, gratitude gratitude gratitude gratitude.
2) A mix with soil gives the roots something to grab on to when they do sprout.
3) Make little pots from half gallon milk jugs to give all those extra plants to people you love.

I beg to differ with some of the above, mainly the comments having to do with sowing large quantities of seeds/containers. :O)

Many of us have sown large quantities in one season and we are still married, regognize our children and can identify them by name, and know where the bathroom is in the house. We may however...
1. Be in the kitchen and recognize it as a potting area,
2. See our favourite room as the deck with it's beautiful white carpeting in February and landscaped wallpaper,
3. Be recognized by our neighbours more by our 'derrieres' than our faces,
4. etc.

Truly, plant as much as you wish. Your family will adjust as I'm sure you will. Reality checks have a way of creeping up on you. Listen to them and all will be well!!

Label your plants with permanant magic marker, not ink that fades. Make the letters big and bold.

Do not put your labels on your lids, which get lifted to vent and then mixed up when you return them that night or discarded

Do not decide to HOS transplant early to more containers and figure that as long as the containers are close together you will be able to remember which are the extras conatiners of that plant. Label everything and in two places is not too much.

KimKa (who still has three containers that I don't what they are and just figured out another one is shasta daisies.

I am not very experienced, but I have a few tips:

1. Keep a detailed journal of everything you plant - a simple table with Name, Date, Result (germination date, plant out date, flower/fruit date). This comes in so handy in the winter when you are trying to remember what you want to repeat, avoid, etc. Pics. are also nice.

2. Use the container label for the garden - saves time and you can re-cycle them.(I make mine from fabric softener/detergent/oil containers and use a UV-proof permanent pen from Lee Valley).

3. Be very careful with 'bonuses' on seed exchanges. I ended up with more than 70 packets of seeds having requested only about 20, and felt 'obliged' to plant them all. It was overwhelming since my beds were not prepared, and I still have seedlings suffering in their containers.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this winter sowing experience and being a part of this forum. I look forward to logging on everyday and seeing what everyone's doing. It's like having a special family here: from whom to get advice, and shoulders to cry on when things don't go right. What a privilege!!

What a great thread!!! Thanks, Buck for asking this question. I am new to winter sowing too....this past winter was my first. I intended to plant about 50ish containers and did over 100. I had one I forgot to label but now know that it is monarda lambada and it is blooming nicely. I had two containers that the labels faded out...still don't know what they were. I discovered halfway through that I really didn't need to plant every seed in every packet and I got over the guilt rather early of not sowing the gift seeds that I really wasn't interested in. I do still have plastic containers out in the yard with seedlings in them....blooming nicely...kind of like container gardening but yucky containers for that purpose. My husband still loves me and encourages my new obsession ;*) he even tilled me a holding bed for my perennials. I am in a weird part of zone 5 and have discovered that most of the annuals I love don't germinate soon enough to provide the blooms I want for the summer. There are a few that did fine though and those I will winter sow again...the others I will either sow indoors or purchase. I don't know what zone you are in but I want to point out that the warmer zones get results a lot sooner than the colder zones (I know that is obvious but it was frustrating that they had sprouts and I had snow!). This has been a fun and wonderful experience for me. It really helped with the winter blues and has improved my garden with plants I never would have bought but have grown from seed just fine. The friendship and generosity on this forum is exceptional. I'm glad you joined and I'm glad I joined too!

Bonny

1. Paint pens work nicely for labeling.

2. Water...after the lids come off, watch the soil moisture, it can dry quickly. Also related to water, plant your seedlings out in sections if possible. I find watering is the problem once they get in the ground. If I've planted them willy-nilly and there's not enough spring rains, then I've had losses.

3. Plant the seedlings out when they are very young, seedling leaves to first true leaves. You will be amazed at the roots on your babies, and this will give those roots room to be. Don't fret over the cold, they've already been out in it :)

Lisa

Label, Label, Label....I can't agree more- make sure you label the containers. I have had so many mystery containers- not on purpose. On one hand it has been fun seeing what pops up. But it helps knowing just what is in the containers.If I can offer one tip this would be it:)

I'm still new at this myself, but here goes..

1. Don't bother wintersowing Zinnias or Marigolds.. On nice warm days, mine germinated in 2 days.

2. California Poopies were planted out just before we had that late, extended freeze.. and they made it! Nice and hardy, I'd recommend them for newbies! And they make sooo many seeds.

3. Wintersowing will start a new addiction, which is seed-saving.... be aware.. I've figured out where the seeds are on plants where I never had a clue before!

I'm a little late to this topic because I had to think about my top 3 priorities. Here they are:

1. Don't just label - DOUBLE-LABEL! I label the outside of the container, but I also stick a plastic stake on the inside that I can then bury with the seedlings when I plant out. I use a lot of large yogurt & cottage cheese containers with an inner circle cut out of the tops - then I cut those circles into pointed strips and stick them inside the container. It's recycling the whole container, but also I have a label ready to go in the garden.

2. Keep some sort of database. That way you know when you planted and when they germinated - or that they didn't germinate. This is my second year of WS, and I've really referred a lot to last year's database.

3. Dare to plant some things you wouldn't have otherwise tried. Sometimes they're the best, and if they don't work, you didn't waste much. WS is for the adventurous! Last year I just didn't believe that tomatoes could be WSed. This year I tried it, and it's rapidly becoming a new obsession (salsa, anyone?)

thanks so much everyone! These tips are so valuable to me!!!!!

I didn't see this one touched on yet:

1. Line up your sources for containers if you don't have any:
Office "memo" to everyone
Recycling Center
Friends, neighbors, PTO, daycares & starbucks (last two likely use LOTS of milk)

2. There are as many types of, and ways to prep a container as there are winter sowers. One is not necessarily better than any other- only to YOU.

3. Don't wait til the middle of winter to find out you don't have enough soil, and can't get any (some WSers find they are very remote and either can't get to a source, or the 'sources' don't stock soil in the winter months). Do your homework before fall is gone to see what your options will be for getting more soil later, or stock more than you think you'll need "just in case."

lynnem, erm, excuse me ---- what was that you planted for your second tip?? = :- O

lol, I'm sorry, it's late and I'm having a such a juvenile and immature moment. I'm really roflol now. ;-)

And aaaaaamen to your third tip. It is addicting!