Welcome, Tom! Have you checked out the FAQs at the top of the forum page? There are lots of info about the method, and suggestions for flowers that can be WSed. You can search for info, and of course you can always post any questions here. The forum is active all year round, so someone will definitely respond.

As for what you've done so far ..

16 oz. water bottles - enough depth, but width could be troublesome. Maybe for one big seed?

gallon jugs - two thumbs up!

after seed is sown, CAPS OFF AND TOSSED!!!

Late December is great time to start; here folks mostly begin with a few seeds on the Winter Solstice and continue from then.

One thing not on your list? Potting Mix! Try and stock up now.

Hope this is helpful.

PV

Ditto everything that PV said and a hardy welcome to you!
Helpful, obsessed folks here to guide you every step of the way.....

Also do think now about WHERE you will put all your containers. A part sun spot that doesn't get hit with brutal winds is good. I am a big fan of going vetical - I've been using shelving units from thrift stores since after my first year, when I found my family was not too fond of the "sea" of jugs out on the back deck!

Also - look around for seeds in your yard/neighbor's yards/parks/etc NOW. Lots out there for the taking! If you need help with drying/packaging, just ask.

Nancy

Ditto everything PV and nan-6161 said and I'll double ditto what PV said about potting mix. This is one thing a lot of newbies find to be their biggest challenge once the cold season kicks into high gear. Buy your potting mix/growing medium now or you'll search for it in vain when December rolls around. If you do find it at that time, chances are it'll be frozen solid. Ask me how I know this to be true!

It helps folks know what will grow where you are if you include your USDA zone in your User Name. There's a field for it on your member page and if you don't already know what zone you're in, GardenWeb provides a link where you can type in your ZIP code and get your zone.

Check the Seed Exchange on GardenWeb and look for newbie seed offers or SASBE/BEAP (Self-Addressed Stamped Bubble Envelope/Bubble Envelope And Postage) offers. Many times folks harvest way more seed than they can use and will offer the excess in exchange for postage. Click on people's 'My Page' links and shop for seeds on their trades lists. If you know what types of plants you'd like to grow, post them on your own 'Seeds I'm looking for' list.

Newbies are always welcome on the WS forum--the rest of us addicts just love it when new folks join us in our enthusiasm for growing, and filling our garden beds with, strong, beautiful, healthy plants.

Here are a couple pictures of my 2011 pot ghetto:
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Thanks to all for the information. I am excited about getting started when December gets here. Gardenweed, you look like you got it down pat! I have collected some of my seeds from my own garden. I never had the time to garden in a way I would like until I retired a few yrs ago. I bought 1 1/2 acres in middle tn in the country zone 6..I read up on lasagna gardening and sq ft garden..I have 5 sq ft gardens 4x4 and 4x6..I also started lasagna garden beds and I think I really like that type of gardening for different reasons. I started trying to have a cottage garden in 2010, and have added lots of plants since then. I have pictures of the garden posted on my face book but I haven't look on this forum as to how to post pictures. I was told when I bought the property (it had no house) that to have a cottage garden I had to have a cottage!!lol, So I built a 683 sq ft small house (cottage maybe) with a 12x16 screen porch to look out over the garden and birds. I need all the help from alot of people on here like information and ideas. I am very interested in this "winter sowing" so I can get plants without spending alot of $$$!
I didnt mean so long winded (or typing) so forgive me
thanks again
Tom

Welcome to the World of Wintersowing!

Two things in addition to what everyone has said:

1. be sure and check out WSEO - Trudi's educational site. It's a gold mine of information in a user friendly format.

2. What out for offers. I plan on hosting the Newbie Seed Project beginning in late fall. For a mailing label and 4 stamps for the return trip you get a wealth of seeds - most harvested from healthy and hardy wintersown plants. Donors from all over the country send in thousands of packets each year. I just stuff the envelopes and post them with same day service.

We got your cottage plants right here.
Karen

A small house on lots of land - sounds like heaven to me.

PV

Welcome, Tom! You say you have photos on facebook. Some people simply include the facebook link in their gardenweb post. Disadvantage: people have to sign in to their facebook account to get in and if someone is not on facebook, cannot access. Advantage, probably fast and easy for you.

Otherwise you can set up an account on a ***free photo website*** then use the code you get from the website to post a picture or post the link to your album. The most popular here is photobucket followed by flickr, I think, though there are other choices.

If you decide on photobucket someone here has written up some nice instructions on how to post photobucket pictures on gardenweb. I do not know who it is but I have seen talk in the forum and someone undoubtedly can send the instructions to you.

Below is a link to someone's beautiful radishes on facebook. When you post you can copy what is in the address bar at the top of your browser into the box for the link below the text. The next box is for the words that the user will click on. Additional links can be added, tell me if you need to know how. Best wishes, River

Here are links that might be helpful.
Sign into your facebook account, then click on link below:
Someone's pretty radishes on facebook
Example - my winter sowing project on fotki.com
Photobucket
Flickr

Welcome to winter sowing, Tom. I too am an addict, promising every year not to do 'too much', but always ending up with at least 80 containers - there's always something new to try. You have already got lots of good advice, but in case you are into veggies try Wintersown.org where you can get free tomato seeds. I got a lovely variety which I am still growing. I re-cycle everyting I use - containers, labels (which I make out of plastic containers), even seed starting mix which I combine with regular soil for my pots. Every little bit counts. Your little cottage with lots of land sounds great. So nice to have lots of beds to fill. Good luck!!!
Northerer.

gardenweed..I noticed that you don't wrap your tape around the entire perimeter of the jug..is that duct tape you are using? Please take a picture of your marker..your printing is so legitable and plain and neat. I want to see what type marker you use.Just curious! Maybe I've been wasting too much tape on mine.

I have never completely sealed my jugs closed. Some wintersowers don't tape the jugs at all, but cut slits in top and bottom so they can slide one into the other. I usually re-enforce with one piece of tape on one or two sides. It's certainly not neccessary to tape all the way around. I use plummer's foil tape for closing and labeling. The pen creates a groove in the tape, so even if the ink fades, the words are still legible.

Martha

pippi21 - I use a 4" piece of duct tape on the corner opposite the handle of the jug. I wrapped a few jugs all the way around my first year after someone posted slugs got in their jugs & ate the sprouts. It only took one try when it came time to open the jugs to make me realize wrapping all the way around was a major p*a*i*n and I never did find any slugs in any of my containers this year. I use a Deco paint pen to write on the labels & the jugs. The ink in the Elmer's pens takes too long to dry and I invariably smudge/smear it.

Can't express myself enough how much I thank every one for all the feed back and help. I have never been able to garden because of my work in my "working" days! but after retirement I bought a piece of property out in the country in middle tn. I knew I would want a old fashion country cottage garden with flowers, plants, and veggies all sorta mixed together. this past yr was my starting point to accomplish this. Karen, thank you, I will be watching, and hopefuuly next yr I can give away lots of seed. As for getting potting soil, I can get this anytime of the year and winter. At a great price to. I live within 20 miles of McMinnville tn, which that county is the plant capitol of tn. If anyone lives close to McMinnville, the place to buy your potting mix is Mortons Horticultual products. I discovered these people last fall, and I buy all my potting mix and perlite, vermiculate, and peat moss.
thanks again to every one and hope one day I can repay!
I'm planning my first plant and seed swap oct 15 in middle tn at Henry Horton state park. Maybe I can learn something there also.
Tom

Tom, Welcome to the Wintersowing forum. If you plan to try wintersowing(WS for short so you'll know what I'm talking about.) Start collecting your milk jugs now , if you have room to store them. There's just my husband and I and we're not big milk drinkers(only for cooking and using on cereal and coffee)so we only use 1/2 gal. sizes of any beverage. That worked fine for my use but I have a neighbor that uses a gal. of milk each week and started saving them for me. Also another neighbor told me to take them out of their recycle bin in the morning of pickup if I saw them in there and that's what I've been doing. I have set myself a goal of 20 this year to WS..as my flowerbeds are getting pretty full. This year I'm only going to do a few perennials, which will be shasta daisies, and the rest will be annuals. Go to a thrift store and buy a mini blind..doesn't matter what size. Bring it home, cut the string that holds the slats and the slats will fall out. You can make a lot of plant markers out of one blind. I was able to buy a brand new in the original box at a thrift store for only $3 and it has served me for 2 yrs. I will reuse some of the ones I have saved but will buy another for this year. Cut them into 5 or 6 in. lengths. Make a point at the end that goes into the potting mix. Buy yourself a paint pen from craft store..Deco is a really good brand. Some gardeners swear by using a #2 pencil..it works for them, but I prefer the paint pen as my eyes can read it better. Do you know how to make up a spreadsheet by computer? I don't so I make mine the old fashion way with lined paper and a ruler. Hey, it works the same way. I also bought some of these milk crates at thrift store. You can buy some at places like Target, Kmart, CVS, Staples and Office Depot too. Some college kids use them for book storage, etc. I paid $1.91 for each of mine. One I paid $1..one of those milk crates will fit 4 (1 gal. each milk jugs into it. If you plant into 1/2 gal, jugs, it will fit at least 8 in it. If you buy them new at some of the stores I mention, they may be about $5 or $6..check out the thrift stores in your area..like Goodwill or Salvation Army. They also come in handy for other things when WS season is over. Besides what you collect from your own flowers, start ordering some of your seeds now. I discovered Crosman Seeds in Rochester, NY. They sell the old fashion seeds for 1950 prices. T's Flowers and Things is another place that you can purchase seeds at a great price. Teresa, the owner has her own website and it will tell how many seeds she puts into her packs. I will be ordering from her again. The Sample Seed Shop is another good source for seeds. The owner Remy often post on the wintersowing or cottage gardening forums. Both sources give fast delivery and reasonable prices with quality seeds. I think Remy has her own gardening radio show or participates in a gardening show. Both will answer questions and are very good to deal with. There are a lot of other reliable seed sources..it all depends on what seeds you want to try and how much you are willing to pay for them. You will start seeing flower and garden seeds in the stores after they have put away the Christmas stuff. Buying locally will save yourself shipping cost. I find the three I mention keep the shipping cost low as they can.

Bakemom offers FREE seeds to Newbies so when you see her posted message than you can send for some from her. Also Trudi that started Wintersowing.org website offers free seeds. Other will offer Free seeds for cost of postage, others like to trade seeds via mail. It's fun to participate in the wintersowing swap we have each year. Details will be on Wintersowing forum when it has begun.
Make yourself a wish list of seeds you are looking for and if you have any to offer for trade, post that here too. It's fun and you'll correspond with the nicest people. Gardeners are great people. Don't be afraid to ask questions because there are many wintersowing gardeners who can answer your questions. My first year of WS was in 2009 and although I considered myself an experienced gardener but I had always gone to the garden center/nurseries and spent hundreds of $ on starter plants, mostly annuals for the instant color they provided. WS teaches you a lot of things and it is so satisfying when you start seeing germination in the milk jugs. Many experienced wintersowers held my hand that first year from afar and I was so greatful. Welcome aboard and Good Luck with your WS project.

pippi21, thank for the information! Some I have already started, but you have given me many more ideas. I never thought about using the milk crates. I can get several of those. That would be a great way to move jugs around plus keep the wind or animals from over turning the jugs
thanks again pippi21, you have been a great help.
Tom

I am able to pick up all the milk crates from behind a local restaurant. They have to pay to have they taken away and they are happy to have people take them. I also have noticed them in the dumpster area of Dairy Queen, but I don't know if they recycle them or dump them (just an interesting note, one of my relatives started DQ, too bad I didn't inherit anything.LOL)

Another thing to learn is...whenever mailing seeds, either put them in a bubble envelope or in some bubble wrap. Otherwise the post office sorting machine might crush the seeds. Bubble envelopes can be used multiple times...they don't have to look pretty to work! Before you know it, you'll have a big stash of those too.

bev2009 - thanks for bringing up the bubble envelope/wrap. I've been recycling whatever comes in the mail when I send off seed trades. For small trades, I just tape the small seed envelopes to a piece of bubble wrap and tuck into a regular envelope. I just note on the outside of the envelope in the lower left corner "PLEASE DO NOT MACHINE - SEEDS." Apparently it works because I haven't received any crushed seed complaints.

Tom, I am SO glad you joined and started asking questions! I have 'lurked' around the Gardenwed but have never joined in. However, I am going to attempt WS for the first time this year, and you are asking all of the questions I would! I must admit that most of these folks have greater gardening aspirations than I do....I had planned on maybe 6 or 7 jugs! (Don't I feel incompetant???) I will continue to lurk and read your posts and questions, and try to learn as much as I can. I still have a thousand questions, but I will also go to the Wintersown website and see what answers I can find. And aren't all these folks NICE?? SO glad I found this forum!
Sara Ann

Sara Ann, You jump in there girl! I'm sure you can come up with questions I have never thought of. And yes I can say these folks are very in the know on gardening and WS ! I have learn more here on this forum than I have ever thought possible. And I have met (via email) some really nice and gracious people. And I am sure that I will be asking and seeking much more advise and help. I think this WS and gardening is like anything else in life...and that is we will ask questions, read the forums of others, learn all we can about this amazing part of gardening, and we will still make some mistakes. but with the help and advise of the people here, and thru trial & error, we will overcome our short falls. a couple months ago I was dreading the coming winter, now I can't wait!! I already marked in my seed catalogs what seed Ole" santa needs to bring!lol, even at my age I am still a "kid" at heart! well maybe just a "recyled teenager"! But anyway I have already started having fun, and meeting so many nice people. So Sara Ann, just jump in and enjoy!! the water is fine! lol
btw, Sara, I have to admit something here...this coming saturday 15th, I will be attending my 1st plant/seed swap, and I have very little to contribute, some seed is all, and I have "butterflies" in my stomach! But what the heck, I have to start somewhere, and I don't think I will get put in jail over it! lol , and maybe I can even learn something too. I'll let you know how it went after saturday.
thanks Sara Ann
Tom