Hi Tammy, I divde large containers into smaller portions by cutting a piece of thick cardboard and holding it in place while I fill the soil. Works fine, and by planting time, the cardboard has mostly decomposed.

Hi, Tammy:

Some people find that when they put more than one type of seed in a container, one sprouts faster, and needs the lid off before the other one has sprouted. Keeping the lid on keeps it moist for the seeds to germinate (remember, we throw the screw-cap away, so by lid I don't mean that).

I don't have that problem myself, with cool wet springs and no full sun. I'm just tellin' ya, because other people get fried seedlings on a warmish sunny day. An idea is to use a couple of dixie cups or toilet paper tubes in each milk jug, as well as dirt to fill in under and around them, to keep things from drying out fast. Then you can remove things as they get big and leave the other seeds in the mini-greenhouse.

You could also do what I described above on a large scale, using a clear plastic storage box that you drill with top and bottom holes to make a huuuuuge "milk jug," and you can put full-size drink cups or 4" pots in there, and take them out when needed.

I planted 5 or more types of seed in one milk jug last year. I paid NO attention to which seeds were planted together. I made initial straight little lines which then got all mixed up when I watered.

This year, I bought keg cups from Costco and will plant in individual cups. I think this will help with planting as well. I never did figure out how to get the HOS out of the milk jug, without damaging the sprouts and jug.

Silver paint pens from craft stores worked well for me. The sun cooked off the black sharpie from my jugs.

Now to find totes to hold all of these keg cups...perhaps I can fit a few inside of my old jugs.

I tried dividing containers into sections, but seeds germinated at different times and needed to be planted out before others. I know many have success with this method, but as for me, it's one type seed per container this year.

Since containers are basically free, I'd recommend that you put only one type in each jug.

Austinhannahmom,

Try bread crates from your local grocery store, it holds about 40 cups and keeps it nice and tidy looking.

Lisa

Lisa, Dont they charge for the breadcrates? I thought the bread company takes them back to reuse?

I thought about individual cups, but wont they dry out quicker than milk jugs? Do you just cover the tops with saran wrap?
Tammy

Everyone brings up good points. When I have divided a container (like the big salad boxes, or a 2 1/2 gallon water jug) I try to put similar seeds together in the container. For example, this past year I grew 3 varieties of Rudbeckia hirta - Indian summer, Irish eyes, and Black cherry. They all sprouted within days of each other, grow at about the same rate, and I planted them out at the same time.

Tammy:

Yes, the less "dirt" a container can hold, the faster it dries out. And a big flat container like a lasagna pan dries faster than a deep one. Big drink cups won't dry out all that fast, but will be faster than a 2-liter bottle. Lasagna pans and other shallow things are tricky for most people, but some people swear by them. Maybe they work best for people who get the seedlings in the ground when it's still cool. I always have so much going on, my planting-out takes all summer.

Everybody's Spring and yard sunniness are different, so some people have to water containers a lot and use moisture-retentive miracle gro potting mix, (I think those are Colorado people) or take the tops off fast to prevent burning, and some people get so much rain in the winter & spring that they need extra drainage holes, and moisture-retentive mix would rot their seeds.

Some stores let people take breadcrates or plastic soda flats. I don't think they're supposed to. I...uh...have some, but I actually grabbed all of them from the trash at one time or another. Technically, they still belong to Pepsi, Coke and Panella, though.

You mentioned that you didn't have much success the first time you tried wintersowing, so maybe you could tell us more about what you did, so we can help you have better success?

Did you have several pretty big drain holes on the bottom? Did you throw the screw-cap away? Did you keep watch on shallow containers to make sure they were moist (condensation on the lid tells you that)? Were your seeds old? What type of "soil" did you use? How sunny is your yard, how wet is your spring, and how fast does it heat up where you live? Maybe we can spot a problem, and help you avoid it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to a good discussion about containers

stage rat, it has been many yrs ago, and I really dont remember what I did. I figure I prob bought cheap dirt, and used it sparingly, and wasnt very attentive. This time I decided to do it right. Especially since I have so much dampening off with seedlings (what the snails dont get,gotta fix this issue too). I bought several very large bags of good soil with fertilizer, and plan on putting in at least 4" of soil into each milk jug. I live in z6-6b. Winter's arent too bad. I know to leave the caps off, and cut a few drainage slits in bottom. I prob went overboard there as well.I assume I will only need about 3-4 one inch slits in bottom?I will also have them in an easily accessible spot. This area is covered in gravel, so I hope that wont be an issue. Its a little u shaped alcove, that gets all day indirect light, and not a lot of direct sun.I have a fuschia hanging in this area that loves it.
We dont usually have any extremes in weather. Last frost being around April. I think we can safely plant out around mid May.

Sounds like since I have almost no experience with this method, I should stick with gallon milk jugs as much as possible.
Tammy

two types of seeds in one container? Didn't work for me..

I have separate containers for each type of seed.

Carrie

I haven't tried the keg cups yet, but I do imagine they'll dry out quickly where I live. I suppose once things start to sprout, I'll be watering daily if not more frequently...

I saved a bunch of milk jugs that I used last year, kitty litter tubs worked really well too, and I'll also reuse those again - maybe slicing the top, or bottom, off at planting.

Someone here suggested using freecycle and I received a bunch of containers that way. I also bugged my friends. All who saved jugs received plants:))

I'm saving my tp rolls.

I don't know why you couldn't use quart containers just like the gallon jugs. I haven't had a need to sow just a few like that yet, but if I want to sow just a few, I could use quart containers and to keep them from falling over which would be easier for them to do, band them together with something, tape even.

Also I've got a lot of little white plastic cups from the supermarket, burn a large hole in the bottom, put the seed in that, then sink in the gallon jug filled probably two inches high with potting soil (displacement). That's what I plan to do with my pansies, tp rolls and the smaller cups.

Those I'd have to pick up to move carefully, but that's why I like the jugs so well, so easy to just move them by the handle.

You would still be using the 3 inches of soil, and I doubt they'd dry out much faster than one-gallon jugs. I use salad trays for starting the seeds I'm not to sow directly into the garden, works great. After germination, some of it I can slice up, use a spatula, plop on top of a 16-oz Solo cup w/holes in bottom, then let grow on, the loose soil lets the roots penetrate on down pretty quickly. Sometimes I use cell packs. When it's time to plant, I can use my bulb planter and slip it right in, seems to work even if the soil gets packed.

I've switched to packing tape instead of duct tape but still need to find a pen that won't fade, hard to get out to the hobby store to buy one. Would crayon or some kind of marker from Walgreen's work?

I've got some blinds I can cut up, but I if it hadn't faded, it worked very well to cut strips of index cards, write the name on it, and secure to the jug handle with packing tape. I make the skinny label, cut a longer section of packing tape, wrap it around the handle, stick the free ends of the tape together, then trim with scissors to neaten them up.

I finally got the last of my delphiniums in, glad that's over. With all the rain, they didn't do that great so I hope they make it through the winter. Left the rattier ones for last, and it looks like the center wants to put new, green shoots.

For things that you have only a few seed you could use McDonald cups with the lids. They worked well for me and I could make the containes deeper with soil. I think about 3 cups for each milk jug. I think the cups hold the moisture better than some of the other things. When it is time to plant out I just peel the cup open at the seem and you never have to disturbe the roots in any way. Have your hole ready and fill in around your roots.

I use the power drill to make holes in everything I plant in.

I cut a upside down U in the side of the jug and put everything in. When they are ready to be planted out I cut the top off the jug with wire cutters. Works well for me.

good Luck
gmom

Tammy, I'm not sure that drainage slits are enough drainage. I started out with slits and small holes, wondering why Trudi said to make 1/4" holes. Water has a strong surface tension, and it doesn't seep out of wet soil through a small hole very well. I needed more drainage, and found it hard to add holes or slits once the container was done--I almost stabbed myself with a knife, and the drill bit tended to just slide off. I have scissors with very sharp tips, and when prepping, I snip the corner of the bottom of the milk jug, jam the scissors in, and twist. It deforms the plastic so it stays a little bit open.

To others: I wasn't thinking that deep cups would dry out super-fast, just that they would dry faster than a bigger container. If someone already has conditions that lead to drying, that's a factor.

Thanks stage rat, I missed that info. So instead of slits, I will cut a few 1/4" holes.
I did save a couple of the large styrofoam $1 Ice Tea cups from McD's yesterday. I suppose I can reuse the lid, or do I need to cover with saran wrap for some reason?
Tammy

Great topic for us to review before setting up for the new season. I found that milk jugs, juice jugs and clear 2 liter coke bottles worked the best. I will not mix seeds in containers this year. Lost some due to different stages of plants. My best labels are the mini blinds with a pencil to write on it. Also make them longer so they will go down in the ground good or they will get moved through the summer. I am going to find a way not to have them on the ground this year due to loosing lots of tender seedlings to slugs. Haven't decided what to do for that yet though. HOPING EVERYONE HAS A GREAT SEASON THIS TIME.
Pattie

This year, I bought keg cups from Costco and will plant in individual cups. I think this will help with planting as well. I never did figure out how to get the HOS out of the milk jug, without damaging the sprouts and jug.
Austinhannamom..
I did the keg cups indoors last yr to pot up tomato seedlings. I had a problem w/ Dap off when i moved them outside..
If I did not put a "weep hole" on the side of the cup about an inch up I found it retained too much water. I was putting 6-8 holes on the bottom,
Just an FYI. And in MA at least it's very hard to get bread trays unless you steal em. The bread guys are mostly contractors and have to pay to replace missing trays.
If you have an industrial bake site you could call them and ask for the ones that are deemed unserviceable..

What are keg cups from Costco? How many holes should be placed in the bottom of gal.size jugs? Somebody mentioned using a drill to make her holes..what size bit did she use? Would be a lot easier than using an ice pick, if you have one. If one buys plastic storage boxes, (catch on sale or go to $ store)the same hole method applies, right? If you use this method with yogurt cups, do you need to cover the yogurt cups with plastic wrap? You punch holes in lid of plastic box and also the bottom, right?

I never put different seeds into the same container. For a few seeds, I use cups (either yogurt cups or cheap styrofoam cups) in an underbed storage box.

{{gwi:432020}}

Karen

I use newspaper pots inside the milk jugs to separate the seeds (mostly one variety or at least similar germination times), then use scissors to cut down the sides of the jugs to get the seedlings out if I need to. The jugs then go in the recycle bin since they can't be reused. I go through 2 or 3 pairs of scissors in a season, but they're only a dollar at the dollar store so no big waste of money.

If all your attempts at dividing and conquering fail there is always the name that plant forum where they can help you sort them out later. I've also seen posts of name that sprout here after jug labels have disappeared/faded.

MARY

Thats funny Mary, but I figure I will be making several trips to that forum for ID's as well,lol
Tammy

I only have a few seeds when I do the 'big ones' like nasturtiums or peas, so to put just a few in does kill me, but I get over it ;)
Re: Marking containers...I don't mark the outside of my containers anymore. If you use a mini-blind, and mark on the inside of the curve and place the tag on the corner of the container, you can read it when you peer into the jug. I found that it was essentially useless for me to mark the outside of my containers.

UNLESS you are doing a lot of data logging...then I suppose you'd want to number your containers. Which I did for a couple years, then just bagged it cuz record-keeping just didn't matter anymore. All I needed to know was "are there sprouts in here?" And I can tell that pretty easily ;)

I tried multiple types per container the last 2 years and both times it didn't work out. This year, everything gets it's own container and to cut down on the amount of container's only the not so common stuff and herbs are gonna be WS'd. Everything else got direct sowed last week.

Melissa1977