What do you mean by "direct winter sowing"?

Karen

JD, the ones that you direct sowed in the ground, did you cover them with the milk jugs or buckets like a cloche? It sounds like you planted strictly tomatoes, is that right? I started some of my tomatoes indoors, and wintersowed the rest, and like you, the wintersown ones caught up eventually in size. It was still the middle of August before I had my first ripe tomato though, and our lows have already dropped to 40 degrees, so I have a lot of green tomatoes that I'm not sure will have time to ripen on the vine before the first frost. I'm still going to try wintersowing tomatoes again next year, but I may use Wall O' Waters or some homemade version of them, on the plants once they are planted in the garden, to try and get an earlier harvest next year.

Bonnie

I will try to answer a few of the questions. And add a few observations I made. I would suggest to anyone trying it to do a few to start with and experiment till you feel satisfied with what works for you. My goal is to find a way to avoid all the starting seeds indoors, potting up at least once then transplanting to the garden or even starting the typical winter sown way and having to transplant. The spring time is typically very busy for me. I usually end up behind and not getting everything done on time. I have spare time in the fall and early winter and would like to do as much of the work then as possible.
My goal this year is to prepare all my holes for next year by Thanksgiving. Will put the additives I use manure ect in and let set all winter. Then the ones I want to direct sow I will put a bucket, wall O Water, ect over that hole and plant seeds. I just mixed a little starting mix in around some last year and on others used cowpots which decompose and put starting mix in the top. I didn't put anything in two holes and still got around 80% germination. How ever you do it. Make sure the soil where the seeds are is dry. And cover well. This is so that the seeds won't germinate if you get a warm spell during the winter. Then when you think the time is right wet where the seeds are and if you have plastic over the top make a slit. On the milk jugs I just put a small hole in the plastic top and later you can remove it. This makes mini greenhouses. I feel that with Wall O Waters a person could even get them started earlier. My direct sown plants had caught my transplants by early June this year. I will probably start around 20 this way and do another 20 the original way and then the rest transplants so I can have a good comparison of methods. I'm also going to basically an all mulch system where I won't roto till much if at all. Pull mulch back and it I feel I need to work any additives in I will turn over with a shovel or use a rake. This way I won't disturb the worms and other beneficial elements as much.
Hope this gives you some idea of what I'm talking about. In the end I feel Trudi is right. The winter sowing makes for a better, healthier and more vigorous plant. And whether you use the original way, cold-hot frames or the direct sown you get this benefit. JMO. JD

Bonnie,
Yes I only planted tomatoes that way this year. As I plan on selling some veggies at a farmer's market next year. I plan on starting cukes, squash and a few other things this way to see if I can get fruit faster.
For tomatoes I dug a post hole like I do regular transplants. Then planted the seeds about 4-" below soil level. As they grew filled the hole in till it was almost full. I put the buckets and milk jugs around the holes. I put about 2-3" of the bucket/jug in the ground to hold it in place. And you can also pile mulch around them. They withstood the winds well. Hope this aswers what I didn't in my previous post. JD

Thanks, I think I understand now. Sounds interesting. Let us know how it works for you.

So, you direct sow them in fall, covering with buckets then, and leave in place all winter? It's hard to imagine that they stay dry with winter snow, rain, ice, intermittent melting, etc. It would seem that lots of moisture would seep in from the sides and below. But then in cooler temps in the lower zones in winter, that would make a difference too, I guess.

Interesting. Let us know how it works for you again.

Karen