1. Learn about lasagna beds. It's so much easier than digging up sod and double digging. You're going to need more beds for all the seedlings that sprout.

2. Use containers that allow you to put in at least 3 inches of soil. And don't forget to allow for head room in the container for your sprouts.

3. Try all kinds of seeds. You are going to encounter lots of cool plants you've never heard of before with this method.

4. You're probably going to need to bottom water your seedlings. The best method I've found for that is to use a big Sterilite or Rubbermaid container, like you use to store stuff. Drill holes around the bottom. Not in the bottom, but in the sides, about an inch or so up from the bottom. Set your dry containers in that, and fill it up till the water runs out the holes. Allow your containers to absorb the water.

5. Don't doubt. Believe.

I have just one: When you're a newbie, go overboard with free seeds, and are faced with all those perennial seedlings to plant out, don't panic. You have the whole summer to get your soil amended, and choose the correct position for them. After all, they probably won't flower the first year. I've planted out perennials in late October and have them come through the winter fine. It's surprising to see how kind nature is.

My advice is ... if you are thinking that all of this Jugs and containers and winter and such sounds crazy ... just try it just 1 time... you will be so amazed at how well it works and how easy it is. Especially if you never have been any good at starting seeds. You are going to love it!
And if you love plants you are going to love how many plants you will get for cheap or free. I am so anxious to start my 3rd year of ws.

And keep reading the newbie advice threads, even if you dont consider yourself a newbie, because, you might just read something new that you never knew:

That's why they're called "newbie" threads and not "Knewbie threades"

Thank you for this:!
4. You're probably going to need to bottom water your seedlings. The best method I've found for that is to use a big Sterilite or Rubbermaid container, like you use to store stuff. Drill holes around the bottom. Not in the bottom, but in the sides, about an inch or so up from the bottom. Set your dry containers in that, and fill it up till the water runs out the holes. Allow your containers to absorb the water.

Yes I agree with Token,
1 go easy on the seeds. I used the entire packet and felt sorry for the seedlings :(. Then I felt sorry for me.

2 Don't Fret. (knowtice my zone)

3 be prepared!!!! OMG this really works.

4 share your X-tras with friends and neighbors

5 post pic's of your success!!! We all love to see them.

6 enjoy!!!

7 thank Trudi !!!!!!!!

:)Laura

Save old vinyl blinds (to cut up for plant tags), sturdy plastic or melimac trays (for catching your seedlings when you empty containers), plastic shelving units( for "going vertical" with your WS containers outside). Don't have any of these things around? - purchase cheap at thrift stores or yard sales.

You save money in so many ways winter sowing - - then use the extra bucks to purchase quality tools that are so worth it when you'll have so MUCH to plant and take care of: good hand held spade, circle hoe, scuffle hoe, stakes. It took me many years to figure out that cheap tools that bend/rust/snap are just not worth it.

Seed collecting is a natural obsession for winter sowers. Get in the habit of writing up good labels for your packets of seeds to trade - variety, height, color, hardiness zone. With a bare minimum of skills you can also easily make labels on the computer that will be simpler to read than handwriting. People you trade with sure appreciate that!

Nancy

If you have a camera and the ability/knowledge to post photos please do it for sake of those who don't have either. :)

Seeing plants in natural yard/garden setting gives me infinitely better idea of plant than stock photos on seed or plant vendor web sites.

Plus...pictures of seedlings, plants, gardens and yards are just too yummy for those of us without the successes, experience or room for all the plants out there people are growing.

Serious note: Protect small seedlings from slugs, snails and cutworms when you plant out. They can disappear in a flash if you have these pests where you live.

Same warning for area where you have WS containers. If you haven't been in your soil or looked for them pests like slugs can literally appear out of nowhere even on surfaces other than soil when you have a tempting hiding spot like containers.

Sluggo or similar bait is advised particularly if you already know you have them in your area.

Please don't set yourself up for disappointment and plant loss after you've grown them from seed only to have them devoured once you plant li'l babes.

here is one

Always plant more than you think you need. You can always thin them out later this is to not break your heart when the bugs eat your seedlings.

If a seed does not germinate do not be afraid to sow another jug. If it germinate later just make another bed. so bad

If you have alot of type of seeds/plants that you really want to try use the half gallon milk jugs. EASY on the seeds of the tiny ones.

Don't be afraid to try the "surprise" packet of unnamed plant/flower it just might turn out to be your favorite flower after all.

Paula

Mark your containers inside and out if possible,and on the bottom of the container.
Bottom because many times the sun will bleach away your markings.
Use a Paint Pen Marker,I bought mine at Menards, over by the wallpaper and stencils,$2.98,i think.
A permanent marker will fade,this one will not.
Have fun,take note, when every one in the spring is saying,"I have sprouts"look at the zone,zone 5 will be much later.
cAROL

Mini blinds and number two pencils are a good combination.

Take advantage of the seed exchange, round robins, and the ease of wintersowing and start a wide variety of seeds.

If some variety of plant is determined to cry and die in your growing conditions, give it a second chance. If it cries and dies twice don't bother with it again. Learn to love the plants that act like your garden is their favorite place in the world.

Lynda

I've only been at this a couple of years now but here's what I've learned.

1. Don't write on the jugs, put plant tags inside the jug instead. It makes it easier to reuse them. I cut up large yogurt containers into strips to make tags. They are flexible and don't get brittle quickly in the sun.

2. Make a few tags per jug. You will probably have enough seedlings to plant in multiple locations or to pot up and give away. It is easier to make more tags before hand then when you are outside with mud on your hands trying to get everything in the ground. Put on the tag more than just the name, include: annual or perennial, light, height, color, bloom time. When it comes time to plant out, it makes it easier trying to decide where to put stuff. It is also nice for anyone you give the plants to. When you have hundreds of jugs of things you are trying for the first time, it is hard to remember all the details.

3. You can water from above if you use a mister or very gentle spray.

4. Cut almost all the way around the jug, just leaving a small hinge (1-2") on the handle side. It makes it easy to sow the seeds, prop it open when it heats up, and get the seedlings out.

5. Don't use tape on the jugs. By springtime, it either gets uber sticky or won't stick at all. I use a hole punch to make two holes opposite the hinge, then a long twistie to hold them together. You can get rolls of uncut twistie ties and make long ones that are easy to handle, which can be reused every year unlike tape. This also allows some airflow on the seeds which means less fungusy moldy stuff growing on the surface.

6. Don't put the jugs where you might have overflowing gutters or standing water in a heavy rain. If you live in a windy area like me, keep them on the ground and tethered to something. I line them up along a fence all facing the same way. Then I slide a long piece of bamboo through all the handles. This keeps them from tipping over. Then when it gets warm I can undo the twisties on the jugs and then pull back on the bamboo pole and tie it to the fence or something sturdy and all the jugs on that pole get their lids held open. If there is a cold snap or a downpour predicted I can lower the lids again easily.

7. A good place to put jugs so you don't have to move them around when it heats up is near something deciduous. It will allow them the get sun early in the season for germination, but then be partly shaded when the weather warms up. I put many of mine on the north side of my raspberry patch.

Here are some pictures:

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molanic, how in the world did you get such evenly cut milk jugs?

Mary

Mary,
I just make marks on the corners of the jug at the same height. Then I cut around eyeballing it with a utility knife with a new sharp blade while holding the jug against my lap. I only recommend this if you have a steady hand and are fully clothed. :)

For some newbies: Make sure you plant _some_ perennials, since you're unlikely to see blooms until year 2, and really nice blooms 'til year 3.

For the other newbies: make sure you set aside some containers and mix, to sow some annuals for good first-year color. Most of us sow annuals last, and we can be out of supplies or energy by that time. Help make it happen by setting aside the stuff and making up the tags early.

Everyone: it's fine to go ahead and spend a little money at the local nursery on some instant color on May 15 or whatever your last frost date is. Your annuals will catch up, but they haven't been growing in a greenhouse since Jan 1!

Sow a few early-sprouting things, like lettuce or bachelor buttons, or you're going to get paranoid when other people in your zone start getting sprouts. The more shade the jugs get, the slower they sprout. But a sunny spot can overheat on a suddenly hot day...

Even commercial mix can have weed seeds. I reuse my stuff, so I sure have a lot of weeds! Make one container up with no seeds, and then anything that sprouts can help you recognize weeds in other containers.

Throw the screw-cap away, don't even think about it. That's not what we're talking about when we say lid or cap or whatever.

Ah, marks on jugs before cutting - who would of thought. My neat tidy self likes this idea though another part of me says let the perfectionist go. Though putting lines on the jugs beforehand will give my husband a chuckle as does my seed obsession.

-StLGirl

This thread is so helpful I am learning so much...This will be my first year wintersowing. I was won over by all the pictures plus I don't have room to start seeds indoors. Now I need to continue working on getting everything together, learning more and seed collecting.

This thread as well as many others have been extremely helpful. This will be my first year attempting winter-sowing and I am actually feeling pretty good about it. I have over 100 containers already for the seeds. My last question ( ha-ha) has to do with the best/proper way and timing to get all the seeds out of the jugs. In the past I have always used the jiffy planters that go right into the ground. Any advice or things that I should keep in mind so I do not lose any of the little seedlings that I get to grow? ( I hope other newbies to the process will find this question helpful as well)

Thanks everyone for your insight, pictures and advice. It is very much appreciated.

conniesc check out the F&Q for the HOS style! that is what I did. I also drag around my kids plastic sled with a rope and have all the containers inside w/ a small shovel and plant like crazy...

I had to do mine over several weekends. It is ok to leave some sprouts in the containers for a bit.

I like the sugestions about slugs. I learned that lesson the hard way this year.

Great advice from everyone.
I want to add two things-
Last winter I got carried away with everybody sowing, and wanted to join the fun, so I sowed Salvia in February.

Mistake.

Salvia germinated in about 2 weeks, and since it is a warm weather annual, I had to protect about 12 containers until it was warm enough to put them in the ground - ie until threat of frost was gone.

Yikes! A lot of work. Worth it, cuz they all survived, but I had to cover and uncover, and the worst part was thinking that they wouldn't make it til Spring. Someone told me I couldn't keep them in containers for 3 months. But they made it.

So if you are sowing quick-germinating annuals, I suggest you sow them two weeks before they will go in the ground.
Less worry and less work.

Now I hope I can remember that!
==
Also, sometimes the descriptions can make things sound complicated. So I would like to add - for anyone simple-minded like me - my brain doesn't have room at this point in my life for too much detail. :)
My method is the scaled down method- works for me - I do a small number compared to some - about 30 containers-
I cut a one-gallon water jug in half, punch holes in bottom, I cover with plastic, poke holes in plastic. I secure plastic with a large rubber band. Sometimes the rubber band lasts, sometimes I replace it.
As far as Identifying the plant, I write in pencil on those plastic markers sold in garden stores, and stick it in the container. I also number my containers on the outside, and keep a record of what # container has What in it. I use a magic marker on the container, sometimes I have to re-apply.
==
However you do it the most important "requirement" is to enjoy!

ellen

on connie's question:
1a: There is no "best" or "proper" way to get your seedlings out of their containers. People use forks, spoons, or other utensils to scoop them out, or just 'dump' out the cake and break it up.

MMQ's method: Seedlings don't mind being dumped on their heads for a few seconds. (Assuming your container is on the drier side), just tip it upside down, and let the "seedling cake" fall out into your hand.
Expect to lose a few of the thickly-sown ones as you're breaking up the cake into HOSs. It's nearly impossible to save them all when they are just 'grassy-little-floppy-seedlings' sometimes. Just plant smaller hunks, and if it makes you feel better, apologize to the ones that get buried, and assure them that they are being sacrificed for the good of the hunk and it's not in vain (yeah, some of us actually do this).
Pay little or no attention to spacing requirements on packet instructions. Personally, I like a fuller look, so I plant things 1/2 - 2/3 the distance that is stated. If it says 12" apart, mine are lucky if they get 6-8"
Breaking your cake is easy: sometimes there is a 'natural' break that is created as you are pulling it apart, other times you can just use some flat thing like your trowel to slice into the side of it and break it that way. Again, some people water it first, and use utensils to remove the seedlings.
Timing? Good luck with that. There are some here that I admire for their ability to manage their time and get things out "timely." And ALL of them.
I like to pay attention to others in my zone and get going as soon as possible, with the hopes of 'keeping up.' Inevitably, it will likely come down to the "Plunk & Run" method just to get them all out. Course, then there's the few containers that are leftover in October that you never got planted ANYWAY that end up in the compost heap. Oops, and oh well.

For easy watering that's easy on tiny seedlings, buy an inexpensive 1-1/2 to 2 gallon sprayer that is designated just for winter sowing (no chemicals). The nozzle fits right down into the milk jug spouts and gives a gentle, even shower with just the push of the trigger. Don't make the mistake of leaving it out in the cold, though, because the water will freeze inside the wand and crack it (I went through three sprayers before I finally figured out what was happening!).

A great thread - even for those of us who have been wsowing for years...

I can't add much more except that I can't emphasize how important it is to label on the bottom and sides of containers, rather than only the lid. Once the lids are off, it's hard to remember what's what!

Also, pay a bit of attention to placement according to height - I grew Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) and didn't pay attention to those details (silly me..) Well, it was in front of my border - and turned out to be seven or eight feet tall! It was my first year and I was just way too excited to get everything planted out.

Other than all of the above tips - I can only add that my biggest stress my first year was losing seedlings to the heat of the afternoon sun. I bought inexpensive plastic containers with holes on the sides at the dollar store. I covered my seedlings in the afternoon and kept some covered at night to help with slugs, etc. It works great and once you buy a bunch of these containers, you have them every year.

Have fun - it works!

Carrie