flwrs4ever: Welcome! We love new members.

Everything you need to know is in Trudi's FAQ's. Please look over them and it will give you a good knowledge base. Then come back and we'll answer all your questions.

Unlike some forums, this one is very friendly and you will be warmly welcomed. We're so happy to have you.

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: Karen

Karen

thank you for pointing me in the right direction..my hubby will be very happy that he will be able to eat at the table this winter..last year I did it all inside, and it was stressfu, I am going to try this method this year.

Have you used the trays that are like mini green houses for this type of germinating ? I am ondering if the plastic covers will hold up in the snow ? I have a bunch of them from last season I could use if they will work. If not I will be making the family live in chinese for the rest of the summer...LOL

thanks for the warm welcome, and for your help !

Always,

Kym

Kym: Sorry about that. I meant to label that link above "FAQs" but I wrote my name instead. I guess I was really tired when I did that last night. I tried the link and at least I sent you to the right place with it!

Some people do use those mini greenhouse type containers I think. I'm not an expert as I have only done the wintersowing twice myself. But I prefer deeper containers. I like gallon milk jugs with a depth of potting mix of 3 to 4 inches.

These containers will be fine all winter outside in the snow. But in spring when the weather starts to warm the potting mix can dry very quickly as the sun heats up. I work and can't babysit the containers all day and water several times a day, and a deeper container like milk jugs or 2 liter pop bottles will hold the moisture much better. My first year I tried some smaller, shallow containers like deli chicken containers with clear plastic domes and similar things but didn't have very good results with them. Besides overheating and drying, blowing away in our windy weather was also a problem. I like milk jugs and 2 liters better. Maybe some others will jump in here and give their opinions but I think milk jugs are the favorite by far.

Tell your hubby not to count his blessings yet about ending neglect and avoiding the table to eat. Some folks do their wintersowing in their kitchens and clutter it with dirt, seeds, and used milk jugs all winter! Some of our families learn to adapt to neglect in fall when we're collecting seeds and drying them all over the house on plates, all winter while we're actually sowing, spring during plant out time, and summer while we garden. Families learn to cope!

Keep reading all you can, follow this forum, start collecting seeds, collect milk jugs and buy big bags of potting mix. By winter time you'll be ready to start.

Note that at the top of the first page there are links to wintersowing gallery and exchanges.

Trudi's site is also a great source of information. I'll link you to it.

Start of wintersowing in January. "My jugs" are the tiny holes in the snow.
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Finished products
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Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersown site

Kym, if you'd like a newbie grab bag of seeds that do great with WSing, email me and I'll send you some.

Hi Kym,

Welcome to Winter Sowing! It's a great experience and lots of fun!

Trudi

Hiya Kim! Welcome to addiction :D

Vera

Welcome, Kym :-)
Wsing works well for me and I'm in the land of snow, when it comes to winter. We had 7 ft plus this past February--probably the most snow we've had since I've been WSing-- and the jugs held up famously.
Feel free to ask questions.
This is around the time of year I started learning about Wintersowing 3 years ago. So you've come at a good time!
(And yes, it will save room on your dining room table...except for sorting packs of seeds...:-)

Linda

Welcome! This was my first year wintersowing, and now I won't do it any other way. I had planned on doing about 20 jugs my first year, and ended up with close to 100. This truly is an addiction, but my kids eating bell peppers tomatoes, cucumbers, zukes, and greenbeans don't seem to mind. In fact that is one of the things I love about it. It is so hard to mess up, they help me do everything. If you need more seeds, visit the wintersowing seed exchange page. Everyone here is so friendly and generous. They will really help you get started! Good luck!

Don't ever be afraid to ask any questions - sometimes you may think the question is silly but no question goes unanswered and always with enthusiasm and politeness (that has always been my experience as a newbie).

I check the forums all year round - this is a forum that is active all year round and the comaraderie is special here.

Good luck and remember, you will be addicted!!

Carrie

Welcome Kym - this place will change your gardening life. Be forwarned tho - the first year you will go NUTS with WSing - the second year you promise your self that you will cut back - not gonna happen - the same for the third year. You will find everyone on the forum to be very helpful and informative but DON'T expect us to help you 'curtail' your habit once it starts - we will only 'enable' you :):).....

Lynne

Welcome! This past winter was my first year, & I was amazed at the success I had. It really works! I have some Lunaria & poppy seed if you would like some (saw them on your list). Send me your address. I can afford .41!
Maggie
etravia@hotmail.com

Boy oh boy, we got us another one!

Welcome, Kym!

You've been pointed in all the right directions already, so not much to add there. But read the forum; if there are particular seeds you are curious about, do a search and some you're bound to find useful info.

Any container that has good depth will work fine - you really need at least 3-4 inches of soil to make life easy and not have to worry about flats drying out. To a great degree, I think that's why folks like the milk jugs (plus they afford us any amount of jolly jokes!).

I personally garden on a very small scale (tic), and find that 12 and 16 oz. plastic cups work great - enough depth for soil and enough headroom when the seedlings begin to pop. But ... I summer-sowed some sweet william seeds in a half-gallon milk jug and I may very well be a convert.

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Just have to get my cat to drink more milk.

And as a heads up, there's spring, summer and fall sowing too, using variations on the basic winter sowing theme. All fun .... and very productive.

So again, welcome - and enjoy!

PV

Wow, thank you so much for all the warm and comical welcomes..I think I am in trouble...my hubby thought last winter was bad with me trying to work on seeds and I honestly didnt do many...I can see me doing a hundred gallons of them...LOL and yes I see as to how I will still need to be using my table, so I guess be wont be having anymore family dinners..LOL ( they are over rated anyways, right ? )

Ok, so I have a few basic questions, and I dont think I saw them in the info I read, if I am repeating questions..sorry. If I use a plastic milk jug in the wintertime...it is best to use it whole ? So that the air circulates from the hole in the top..if I am right...then what is the best way to add soil? What is the best way to water the jugs in the spring once to seedlings begin to sprout, a mist from a spray bottle ? How often do you cut away part of the jug, to add more air circulation ? I would think with 100 jugs that would be time consuming in itself. Also, do you put the jugs in a more "sheltered area" like against a wall ?

I guess I am going to start begging my friends to all save milk jugs for me..but hmm..where oh where to put them..LOL

Karen, I love how your basket of snow turned into such lovely flowers ..LOL Is there a reason why you put them in the basket, or was it just convienence?

Thanks again for all the info and help, if anyone has any pointers or reccomendations of dos and donts I would love to hear them...if not I am sure I will be here in Jan asking a lot of questions as I sit in my mound of milk jugs, with my table full of seedsand soil wanting to know what I got myself into..grin.( and just think I will have all of you to thank !)

To do a milk jug--

You cut around the "equator" of the jug, leaving one edge partially intact, making it the hinge. Add some small cuts in the base, fold back the top along the hinge, add soil to a three or four inch depth. Sow the seeds, right the top and tape around with duct tape or packing tape. Stash outside. Make sure the cap is off. Easy.

There are a lot of variations on this, some people make a "flap in the side" and reach in to add soil and sow seeds. Donn, uses the corners as a frame support--or something like that--if he reads this I hope he'll post his pictures--and other sowers too as there really is no wrong or right way to do it. WS is very variable basedupon the sower, whats on hand, and what's wanted from the results.

T

Here is a link that might be useful: Some flat ideas--click on pictures to expand.

Kym: Take a gallon jug and cut to form a hinge. Right under the handle, cut thru 3 sides but not thru the side with the paper label. Fold back to form a hinge. Cut plenty of holes or slits in the bottom for drainage, and do not use the screw on cap. Just discard it. Fill the bottom of the jug with potting mix, 3 to 4 inches, and wet and mix it well to moisten, drain, and sow the seeds. Bend the top of the jug into place and close with duct tape. LABEL, preferably on the bottom, (I use paint pens) so it won't fade from the sun. Put outside and wait for your babies to be born. Rain and snow will provide moisture and natural sunlight is your light source.

Everyone uses their own variation and people become creative. Some close the jugs by punching holes in top and bottom and using twist ties. Others label with Sharpie, but that faded for me, but the paint pens don't.

This works well for most perennials but most of us wait until spring for tender annuals.

I can't find a good picture of my milk jugs but this might give you some idea.

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Karen

As a tip, if you're saving milk jugs to WS in, toss out the caps before storing them. Sometimes we don't rinse as well as we think we have and taking the cap off of a stale milk jug and getting a direct whiff can blow you over backwards from the smell. Peeeeeeeyooooo!

Great picts Karyn!

Hi, Kym ... I received your email this morning and responded but got a delivery failure notice. Apparently your inbox if full. Can you fix it? Need to get in touch. Thanks.

Pitd...I have cleared email, I am soo sorry....didnt even know it was full, so thank you for telling me.

Ok, thanks for all the pictures and extra info...I think I finally got the gist of it all...except how you all think is the best way to water the seedlings ...I always seem to have trouble at that time.

Thank you so much for sharing this info, I am not rushing the cold weather, but I sure am looking forard to trying a new way to get my new garden going.

I thought I would tell ya all a little about me..I live in RI, along the coast, and am lucky to have just over 2 1/2 acres..we are in our second summer here, and this is the first year we are planting. I had a small garden in my old yardn but moved in the dead of winter and couldnt bring it with me...worst part of the move. I have two teens 13 and 15.

I look forward to getting to know you, and learning for you, thanks so much for your help !

Watering is easy. First, you soak the soil before you sow. Ma nature freezes the containers, so there's no bother until spring. Once my containers start germinating, I transport them one by one to dappled shade and place in a shallow pot dish. Normally, I don't need to water more than once or twice before plantout. That's because they are planted out when they get their first true set of leaves which is very early on. We're having April showers by then, so Ma nature tends the plantsouts.

As for the best method - bottom water. Fill a 2" dish with water and let your jug soak its feet. That way you don't disturb the soil or top or dislodge your seedlings. It takes a few minutes while you go do something else.

Thank you all soooo much !!!!! I am SOOO excited !! I just cant wait to get some seeds in the dirt, and I have to wait till JANUARY !! ( I have plenty to do till then , really, like weeding, and movingplants, and etc)

But it is nice to have something in the winter to look forward to.

Thanks for sharing so much info, I just know I am gonna go crazy...and um may be begging for someone to plant them for me come spring..LOL

flwrs4ever, I'm with you!! I've been reading up on WS so much and saving milk jugs for it. I honestly can't wait to get started!! Not that I'm rushing Winter!!

I actually tried this method but a couple weeks ago and I have lot's of seedlings now! My lupins have just got their 2nd set of leaves which makes me really excited!!
One question I do have is how do you know what the seedlings are big enough to be transplanted into you're flower beds?

Do all you milk jug users add more vent holes on top or just use the cap off method??
Thanks,
Chelsie

Chelsie: In spring as the weather heats up I increase ventilation by increasing the hole size, then eventually remove the top half of the jug completely. In spring I plant out perennials and hardy annuals when they have one or 2 sets of true leaves. That's in spring.

In summer heat you have to be more careful. Since your seeds have germinated, I'd open the top half completely. Sounds like they're ready to plant out, but if you're having the hot weather that we're having, the heat might be tough on them. Might be better to just open and leave in the shade until the weather cools off (soon, I hope).

Karen

Chelsea,

Way to go with the seedlings ! I cant wait to get started either, but have no interest in putting on my winter coat, or turning on the heat:)

My family thinks I am crazy, all I do is talk flowers, and read about them or am online trying to learn more. My son is the funiest about it, always compaining, but them I find him out there looking at a flower, or fixing one that has fallen over..its cute to see a teenager secretly in my garden :)

Welcome, flwrs4ever. I also lurked for a good year before I started posting. This is a helpful and friendly site.

I smiled and gave a small chuckle thinking about your teenage son secretly fixing a flower. Gotta love those kids.

This is my third year wintersowing. Two years ago I used mainly ziplock baggies which worked well. This past winter/spring I started trading seeds and ended up with 500+ milk jugs of mostly perennial plants. I still have sprouts in jugs waiting to go into my unfinished front bed. Lots of work to do before September but it is fun work.

I think I will use a combination of baggies and jugs this winter. The baggies take up much less space, Also, I will plant fewer containers. Yeah, I know we all say that, LOL.

Bobbie

OK, here's one dumb question and a regular question. :) Do you just transplant the seedlings to your beds, and if so, when? (After all danger of frost? or some other time?) Does this method work well with wildflower seeds that need to be stratified, or am I better off just direct sowing that type of seed in the fall? Thanks for any help you can give me!

In the spring, I smack those sprouts into the ground when they get their first true sets of leaves. The nice thing is that the plants will tell you when they want to be planted. You don't have to calendar it.

I'm not sure which wild flowers you are referring to, but I do some plants direct and many winter sown. It just depends on how much control I want over the germination process. For instance, my bachelor buttons are established annual reseeders and I don't need to winter sow them any more. Ditto nigella and larkspur. It's really a control issue for me.