Hello again, I'm here to make some more comments!

Wubba: your list looks nice, but remember to either grow or buy some annuals, or you'll probably get tired of looking at little green plants all summer. There are some perennials that bloom first year, like Malva sylvestris. Rudbeckia will give you nice late summer/fall color.

Silverwind, I don't have too many suggestions for your warm-color bed. Orange cosmos is great, and there's a red version of cosmos sulfureous I'd like to try. In Select Seeds, they have a Thai something--fiery red? California poppy. And, of course, marigolds! Perhaps it's also because of my soil, but I have not had any luck with snapdragons in part shade.

Jessica: I don't think you need to worry about the gaps, except Utah is really dry, I believe, and your containers will dry out faster. I cut my jugs all the way around, and just plop the top into the base. (I think I cut out inverted Vs in the lid) My drainage holes are big--not slits--and the extra moisture that drains into the container drains right out.

If you're not sure if your drainage slits are enough, test the container with dirt and water in it. Maybe make one with big 1/4" holes to compare with the slits--I found that water surface tension really kept water from draining out unless the hole was big. Even though you may not want your jugs to dry out too fast, you won't want the soil to be really soggy, either, so make sure it's draining ok!

Anything else? If we've neglected a question, go ahead and ask again, or start a thread!

Hi everyone,
I've been itching for months here in NJ to get back into the dirt! The end of last season i tried a few veggie seeds a friend had passed on to me. Well, the girl who never thought she could make a seed grow is hooked! I still have celery growing! from seed!!
You can bet now that i found this site a new WS addiction will start!
I've been reading the tomato forum but am new to the seed world, So if there as an extra seed packet left I would love to try whatever it is.
Thanks for all the tips and info!

Laura, your email is blocked. Unblock your email and post on m thread in the WS exchange. Or you can email me directly. Wintersown.org has seed offers and other members have newbie offers too. There's a lot out there and plenty for everyone.

Thanks for the quick reply. I send you an e-mail but mine should be unblocked now. I'll get the hang of this yet!

I'm from the Pacific Northwest and never have winter sown anything.
all plants I have, are containers and established hostas, roses and fuchsias.
so, the idea of plants from seed, in containers in the winter is especially appealing.
I've been here for hours, reading all the advice, ideas and past experiences of so many of you...I've gotta try this.
so, I'll go ahead and email you, Bakemom, is that right?

thankyou,
Becky in zone 8 Washington State

Becky, your email is blocked too. You can either post on the Ws exchange or email me directly. I prefer posts with unblocked emails because it is easier to track. Whichever way you choose, there are seeds waiting for you here in Columbus.

Hi!

I'm a newbie at winter sowing. I live in Michigan and I'm getting ready to give WS a try.

I have lots and lots of seeds. I'd love to share some with anyone who needs them......for any SASE offers I just ask for baggiess/envelopes in return (to replenish my stash).

We'll see how this goes.

Happy New Year....Michiganalice

I'm trying Wintersowing for the first time this year. I mainly grow veggies, started from seed under lights and transplanted.

I'm doing a bed around a tree and am going to winter sow some johnny jump ups and maybe some other stuff. I also have some other seeds and tomatos from trudi that I may try. To be honest though, I'm not really confident in wintersowing. Then again I can't argue with the results from experienced gardeners in here.

Pete

You may not be confident now, but just wait come spring when a sea of green is pouring out of your containers! You will be truly amazed!

West Virginia (Zone 6) here. I'll bet I'm the newest newbie of them all! I only just heard about winter sowing 3 HOURS ago. A gardening friend just told me about it after work today and I thought she was kidding.

She said I should look it up on GardenWeb. So I did and this thread is where I landed. Who'd have thunk you could plant seeds this way. I'm willing to give it a try though and I would love to get some seeds from those of you who are so successful you have more than you can handle. I'll have to get some containers and soil this weekend and then I'll be ready to give it a shot.

So how do I take some of you wonderful people up on your kind offers of seeds? Do I just request specific ones that I want? I have just moved into a newly constructed house and I'm starting my garden from scratch so I need a lot. I want to do a Cottage Garden style like some of the ones listed on the Better Homes and Gardens web site. So I have an extensive wish list posted here on GardenWeb (link below). I guess if anyone happens to have any of the seeds I hve listed on my "Plants I Am Looking For" section then it would be wonderful if I could get some of those.

Thank you in advance everyone. This is the best web site ever!

Here is a link that might be useful: Seeds and Plants I Am Looking For

Hi N.E. Oklahoma here. Just received my free seeds. Thank you Bakemom and Trudi. I've been reading all the post for the last 2 years. I really enjoy this forum. Looking forward to a good year wintersowing.

Check out wintersown.org which is Trudi's site. There is great info on there, plus a seed offer. Also check out the exchange pages. Bakemom has a newbie seed package which is AWESOME to get newbies going. You are going to love it, but be warned now, it is very addicting!

Hi all,
this is my first post since July. Life was a bit topsy-turvy but things have leveled out and I am gearing up for my first year of WS. I started saving containers last summer and had many kind and generous gardeners send me seeds. I am so excited to get started!

Hey, Y'all! Billie here from South Carolina. I have never Winter Sowed, but now I have to try this. Don't have any seeds yet, but I DO have some new seed catalogs.

If anyone has seeds to spare, I will be happy to pay postage. Love All Y'all!

I figured it out...my email is unblocked now...

thanks, I had forgotten about that.

Oh, I thought of somthing to remind everyone about: you will need places to plant all these seedlings, so you could start compost piles or lasagna beds this winter. There's a separate thread about Starbuck's, which gives away used coffee grounds. You'll want nice loose soil with aged manure or compost worked in, or you'll want your lasagna beds deep enough or old enough to plant into, for those seedlings to thrive!

And, Hummingbird stalker, I think the biggest factor in attracting hummingbirds is RED. I grow my tomato plants in red party cups. My 1st year with my tomato patches, I put each plant's red cup upside-down on its stake. That meant dozens of big red things, 5 feet up in the air. The hummingbirds were ALWAYS checking them out, then zooming over to a real flower for lunch. Maybe you can buy or trade for a pack of red zinnias? Or, be sure to label your red zinnias and save all their seeds this year, in preparation for next.

pathfinder email me directly about a SASBE offer. Becky

Hello!

I have recently discovered the seed trading as well as this forum and and have already contacted some of you. I decided to introduce myself. I live in sunny Colorado and would like to start winter sowing. I am hesitant, because I don't really know where to start, but I like the idea of it.

I normally start 100's of plants under grow lights. (When I say "normally" I've only had two real gardens!) I need to learn which plants I can start outside and when and whatever else there is to know. Is there a step by step guide for beginners somewhere?

I look forward to learning from you all!

Read the FAQs for this forum and of course go to Trudi's website at wintersown.org. There's no reason not to try wintersowing this year and just about everything can be winter sown.

I am new to winter sowning too. I live in Michigan where our three seasons are Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Road Construction. Planting at this time of year takes the edge off of the winter blues. So far I have only planted 15 containers of flowers but I have plans for many more. My problem is where to plant them?

This will be my first time on a long time to try and start anything from seed. I got some zinnia profusion cherry,white, orange and some candelabra bush seeds. I have not had luck with seeds but I am going to try again. I have learned from lurking here why my seeds become leggy so hope to fix that problem and read some more post on this site to have better success. I have a section going to my basement from outside that I want to fill in with zinnia's. I have some daylilies I would like to plant something else that will bloom the 1st year from seeds, any suggestions anyone?
Jill

I am a virgin WS-have never done it before! I am going to check out the FAQs page and wintersown.org. Then maybe do some dumpster diving for containers! I also live in Michigan and am so sick of grey,white,and black. This just might keep me out of the shrinks office! :-) B

Hi, I'm new to w/s, fresh out of class last week. I'm just thrilled to try this, our winters are so long here, at least I can be doing this to get me through.
I've been gardening 4 years now. This year, I plan to try veggies too.
I have some seeds started, and more to go. I have to quit looking at the seeds, but I can't wait. I love learning about anything pertaining to gardening.
It's good therapy for the soul. Thank you.

I am new to winter sowing this year.I have been enjoying reading this forum and wintersow.org. I have winter sown some containers in the hope of having better results with seedlings. I have had problems in the past with the hardening off of seedlings.I am from Massachusetts and live near the coast.Thank you to everyone on this forum for all the great info posted as a help to newbies and for helping with my questions.

Wow what a plethora of information!! Thank you Trudi for liberating us! I'm not sure were to start, can I use seed from last year? Maybe start with what room I have left, then what I need to fill that space. I know I will need to buy potting soil, did someone say Walmarts was ok? I have 3 boys so milk jugs are easy to come by. Does it matter how long seeds are left out in the cold? B

Hiya, Brandy:

A couple of people find the cheap potting MIX to be ok, but most of us have had trouble with it. You'll have the best success with something light and fluffy. Right now there's discussion of Miracle Gro vs. ProMix vs. Fafard's. If you think you'll do a lot of containers, maybe call the nurseries in your area and see if they sell any of this (or another brand) in larger amounts, and compare prices.

Hello! I'm new to WS, but not new to gardening. I've been lurking for a while now. Happy to be out of lurkdom!

I enjoy vegetable gardening. I love tomatoes, hot & sweet peppers, broccoli, bush & pole beans, winter & summer squashes & cucumbers. I experiment with a few other veggies every year. I love trying new varieties. I also grow a few herbs: basil, parsley, oregano.

I do grow some flowers though. I love, zinnias, marigolds, nasturtiums, geraniums, rudbeckia, enchincea, peonies. This year I'm also trying: bell flowers, calendula, asters, forget me nots & poppies.

I think I might be in the right place now. Last summer, hubby and I dug a "riverbed" into our back yard, ammended the soil, and lined it with river rock. It looks about 90 percent done, because we didn't get the rest of the landscaping around it finished before cold weather set in. We did, however, get a greenhouse put up at the top of the river - it looks like a little house up there, and I thought we might use it this spring to harden off plants and start others after things warm up.

Anyways, the river is going to be a "River of Thyme", and we're hoping to plant the whole thing with Mother of Thyme creeping plants that will, with any luck, bloom into a lovely purple/pink river most of the summer (it's listed as a hardy perennial groundcover for our zone). Needless to say, it would take a ton of money to buy all those thyme plants, so I've ordered some seed that should be here sometime soon.

I was going to start them in the house (and was wondering just where I was going to do that), and then I came across winter sowing, and thought maybe I could get some use out of our greenhouse earlier by winter sowing the thyme seeds!?!? I was pretty excited by that prospect, so now I'm reading through the forum, trying to soak up as much information as I can on this very foreign concept to me (normally, we just go stir crazy around here waiting for May 15th, our last frost date).

So, off for more browsing...any advice is appreciated, and thanks for so much wonderful information (I've been reading the FAQ's). :-)

Hi, Jamie:

Your River of Thyme idea sounds so neat! I wintersowed creeping thyme last year. I believe that's a seed you should just press into the soil surface, as light helps germination. Double-check, though. I didn't have fantastic germination, maybe 50%, but the plants I did get spread to about 5" by 5" per plant by winter.

Hi All!
I've been lurking on this website for about two years now. This will be my second year of winter sowing. I didn't get as many seedlings as I'd liked last year. Out of about 25 containers all that sprouted was HOS penstemon husker's red, one butterfly weed, and one lamb's ear. They were all sown with fresh seed so I have no idea what happened. So, as I teach my kindergarteners to try, try, again, I will also, since I love flowers, plants, and gardening. There is something magical about seeing a child read their first words and watching a seed grow into a beautiful plant. In my world it doesn't get any better than this.

bakemon did you still have seed for newbies?This is my first year wintersowing and I have 41 jugs so far wish me luck!! B

The Newbie Seed Project is shut down until fall. Thank you everyone. My report will follow in the next few weeks. Those who have recently sent SASBEs have pack ready and waiting for them.

Guess it is about time to come out from the shadows and join in the conversation. I am in Maryland and I found this site in the cold of winter last year. I got seeds from Trudi (thank you, Trudi) and had enough success to make me a convert. I did mostly annuals last year and some tomatoes and peppers and a few herbs.

I was excited enough to get into seed collecting during the growing season (this was a first too). I collected dianthus, balloon flower, heliopsis and morning glory. Late in the summer I started some dianthus and balloon flower from what I collected and some purchased jacob's ladder. Yup, success again!

I have 122 containers (mostly milk containers) out so far this winter. There is plenty of green peeking through! I will start my annuals later.

Yea for Wintersowing - I love it and I love reading all the wonderful posts here. The photos are awesome. So nice to have joined you.

Angie

Well...I just found this forum tonight and suffice it to say...my mind is simply blown away with this. I could have been gardening all winter!!!??!! LOL

I just bought a Jiffy pellet/flat/dome set today with some seeds to "try" some indoor seed sowing and a poster in another forum linked to this one. WOW. Considering all the obstacles I have with indoor seed starting, this winter sowing may be the solution to all my problems (kids, dog, lack of indoor space, lighting).

I'll be raiding my plastic tub container cabinet tomorrow!!

THanks for all the info.

Oh..I'm Dani, in the Memphis area. Zone 7

Well..I've been posting and reading here for a couple months now. I hope to have reasonably good luck in WSing this year. I figure if half of what I sow gets germination and the plants survive, I should have quite the garden! Of course, I am concerned that I am doing something wrong, or that plants will germinate and then freeze on a subsequent cold night.

sigh...

I also post and read the daylily forum and have sown many daylilies inside this Winter. If I do more daylilies next year, I may simply wintersow them...we'll see how things go this year, I guess.

Hi
My name is Margie and I live St Louis MO. (OK - my username says it all...:-) ) I've been reading these posts all winter. I'm really interested in growing poppies, larkspur, pot marigolds (calendula), statice, things that I've never had luck growing before. I usually start all of my seeds indoors so this has been a lot of fun, though I only have a few containers so far by your standards - 20. I'm holding back on the zinnias and cosmos so I'll have another 10-15 to go this month. Since we have such wild temps this months, I'm curious to see what sprouts. I do hope my jaw drops in surprise.
Someone said something about opening the jugs ? Do we do that for a few days before planting out the seedlings or ?

I also can't wait to have enough seed to swap next year with others. I've only saved butterfly weed and some beans from own garden, and not in any quantity.

And thanks for the warning about get those beds ready. When I started reading up on this, it was Dec and too late to do much about garden bed prep so I need to get moving!!!!

Margie

I can't believe I missed this post!

I am here in SE Pennsylvania. I am on 34 jugs so far and quite a few more to go. I can't wait to see sprouts and expect them soon. We will touch 60 degrees here today and I think the mild weather will be more common than the cold weather from here on out.

The posts here are great! I love reading the stories of everyones experiences.

Hoping your seeds sprout this year and alaways!

Hi, new posters!

I only see one question that needs to be answered, about opening the jugs a few days before planting out. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe they need that. Last year, I opened all my containers anyway, because it got warm enough to need that. It IS important to remember that your containers, especially in direct sun, can get very hot inside--kind of like your car. That may be why you read something about gradually enlarging the vents--as the days slowly get hotter, we can keep the greenhouse thing happening by keeping the top on, but with bigger vent holes. I tilt my caps sideways in order to do that (I try to think of every way to avoid extra work and remaking containers!)

But if you still have quite cool weather and want to plant out your poppies (or whatever), just open up the jug and start planting. Our seedlings don't need to be hardened off like indoor-grown ones, because night-time is just as cold inside those jugs as anywhere else in the yard!

I'm a newbie in zone 5 and I am hooked!
I have 42 containers and more to do tomorrow.
Still looking for annual seeds, I have plenty
of perennials thanks to some of the members!
I love WS and of course Garden Web!! BTW I stabbed myself with the exacto knife today, BIG OUCH!

{{gwi:367685}}

Hi, I'm a newbie.. I popped in here last year when I discovered WS, had a bunch of questions and haven't been back since.

but I just ws'd yesterday - went on a spree and ws'd everything I have (well almost, ran out of seeding soil and missed a few things)... but all my mater plants, herbs & flowers went in yesterday... I am sooo nervous!!!!

I'm near Phili, PA, and I thought I was too late, but then looked at the germination chart and see that perhaps I'm right on time? I remember talking with someone last year who said they start ws'ing around Feb 15 in my area, so I hope i'm not too late?

nice to meet everyone!

Forgot to mention in my post I'm from Chardon, OH

I'm new to WS but a longtime lurker on GW. Hurricane Katrina forced my family to move from New Orleans (to Memphis), so I've been learning about gardening in my new zone and improving my clay soil. It keeps me from thinking about my old garden (which was really a controlled jungle) which survived the storm only to be dug out and paved over by the people who bought our old home. C'est la vie.
I have now turned an old dog run behind my garage into rich garden soil by building lasagna beds. My friend owns a coffee shop and gives me UCG's and empty milk jugs. Now that I have pumped up soil, I'm ready to grow! I've already got sprouts in 25 out of the 32 milk jugs I set out between Dec. 22nd and Feb. 1st! I am hopeful that I have enough space for all my winter sown babies especially since I can't seem to stop putting out seeds. If it gets too crazy, my community garden will have some lagniappe coming their way!

Newbie here!
Hey guys,
Are you using the milk jugs that are white? Will they get enough sunlight? I'm afraid to use them. Do you leave the tops off when you first sow them? LMK- I'm running out of containers too! Also, I'm always up for receiving any seeds- I want to be able to share some interesting ones with others.. for the most part- everyone politely says "No thank you" when they see my little boring seed list! That'll change soon! I love the folks here, wish I could meet you all in person!
Blessings-
Kasha77

Kasha, I'm a newbie too and I'm really enjoying the WS, although I don't see any green yet!
I don't use the white milk jugs (I cut them into strips so I can write the plant name on them) I use the almost see through jugs, water containers, juice containers, etc. My dad brought over a veggie dip container that he had and told me I could plant different seeds in each section, it's huge. I have to go out and buy more dirt, I should have grabbed some compost out back yesterday, it was almost 60* out and today we're having ice!!!

Hi, All,

I've been gardening for a few years, but I am a newbie to WS. It has been so fun to dig in the dirt and dream about sprouts and blooms when we are experiencing the snowiest winter in 118 years hear on the western banks of Lake Winnebago in Northeast Wisconsin.

I'm eager to try WS tomatoes because I've never been able to successfully grow any from seed. It looks like WS tomatoes in Z5 have a chance as long as I get some early varieties. I found a Black Krim that looks interesting. I'm also excited about WS annuals; I tend to stay away from these because purchasing plants is a real investment these days. I'd like them to stay around for awhile. :) I should probably go over to the seed harvesting forum, so I can learn how to keep annuals going, too. There is always more to learn and do in a garden, which is why I love it so much!

Cheers,
Nora Belle

Kasha:

Like Shasta said, don't use the totally opaque milk jugs, or if you need to, cut HUGE "windows" out of most sides, then slip a plastic bag over it.

And the cap question: it's so easy to get confused, because we (including me) use several terms like cap, lid and top to mean the top half of the jug that we slice off. But if you don't know, you might think we're talking about the screw-cap that the jug had when you bought it. Remember: THROW THE SCREW-CAP AWAY, and then every time we mention a lid or top or cap, you'll know we don't mean the screw-cap. Maybe there should be a top 10 list of rules (or guidelines) for WS. That would be number 1!

Hello, everybody. I have been lurking in the shadows for sometime, but am truly addicted to gardening. I live in the foothills of North Carolina and have up until this point been gardening out of my greenhouse and through propagation. Which I truly enjoy, but I am in graduate school and still work which has made keeping the greenhouse going so difficult in the late winter. I was thrilled to learn about wintersowing, although maybe a bit skeptical at first. I now however have many little sprouts and must say am becoming resentful of all the attention my little greenhouse seedlings are requiring. My little jug plants as I call them are essentially care free. Anyway, I have three acres of land and have devoted my summers to making beds everywhere. My husband is not as thrilled about this as I am, but he goes along with it. I am soooo happy to be on this site, where I can talk to people who enjoy gardening as much as I do and can help me answer questions. It is great to meet everyone

In light of Carrie's question regarding newbies, I thought I would bump this up. Carrie, I think you are right.

Hi! My name is Rosalinda Watson, I'm 26 and currently live in Derby,CT. I've been a member of gardenweb for at least 4 yrs but only started visiting the winter sowing forum this past winter. Although I don't post much I check in just about everyday. :)

I have about 30 or so containers with many of them already sprouting which is really exciting!:D We moved to our new home recently so I'm hoping to use these seedlings to cover the large empty areas in our yard.

The only problem I've encountered is labeling my containers. The first batch of containers I made I used a sharpie so even though I'm super excited at seeing so many of them sprouting I have no clue what they are. LOL.

Luckily I used a different method for keeping track of the other group of containers. :o

My name is Jill, I live in Pinson Alabama in zone 7 and I love it. Found this site this winter but it was a little late, started some and have had some success. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Mainly into daylilies but am getting hooked on wintersown.
Jill