Well I don't have a "set up" exactly. I just fill the containers and water them outside and then sit them out there. Here is a picture of some of the first ones I did last winter..you can see it is an assortment of different kinds of containers.
{{gwi:459826}}From Winter sowing 2008

Then I also do milk jugs and here are the first few I put out.
{{gwi:459827}}From Winter sowing 2008

My "setup" was on the east side of the house, so the containers received sun until about 12-1 pm. This is the back side of the house, so nobody but the next door neighbor could see it. During the winter, the containers were lined up neatly on some cardboard I laid out, partially underneath the shrubbery, and covered by snow most of the winter.

Here is what it looked like last May. I was in the middle of checking sprouts, planting seedlings out, potting some seedlings up into small pots/cups, buckets of potting soil/compost, empty containers piling up behind the daylilies, etc. This picture makes it look more tidy than it actually was most of the Spring! :)

I also had more containers of tender annuals and veggies up against the foundation of the house, where it was a bit warmer and they were protected from frost. That consisted of mostly 1-2 liter bottles, and small yogurt cups.

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This was my set up last year. This year I'll use soda bottles instead of cups.

Lisa

I don't think this constitues "setup" but it is how I water my jugs. After I draped a soaker hose across the jugs, I bent insulation support wires into a tight U shape and inserted them into the tops of the milk jugs.

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After the tops came off, I did the same thing.

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Is there a particular reason why you will switch from cups to soda bottles???

Mary

Mary I dont want to answer for her but I will share what I did. I use milk jugs. I place 4 styrofoam cups per milk jug. I label the cups. Make sure you poke holes in the cups and milk jugs for drainage. Also poke holes in the top of your milk jugs for water to get in. Leave the caps off the milk jugs for water too. Wala a baby greenhouse for your seeds. After I plant the seeds I tape the milk jug shut with duct tape and place the container outside. Come spring just peak inside the cap opening to see if they need a drink.....Barb

Tj, by set-up, do you mean how we do the actual sowing, and if we have a set-up for that, or do you mean where we set out our containers?

I sow my containers in the kitchen, on the counter right next to the sink. Here are some containers in the sink, waiting to be sown:
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Sown, taped, and ready to go outside:
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My containers outside, next to my house along the driveway
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Hope this helps!
:)
Dee

I will use soda bottles this year to give me more time before planting out and because I'll have more seeds to sow this year. I shared a ton of seeds with people at work last year so I only had a few seeds of some kinds, more of others.

I think that the bottles will allow for better root growth and a laonger storage time.

Lisa

Thank you so much everyone. I wanted to see what types of containers/covers everyone was using and generally what/how everyone did their winter sowing. I'm using the milk jugs also but am looking for something I can plant many more seeds in efficiently.

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to post there photos. You guys are wonderful.

~Tj~

I'm using the milk jugs also but am looking for something I can plant many more seeds in efficiently.

I'm using 2 liter bottles and lasagna pans. The pans have metal bottoms and clear plastic tops. They're about 3-4" deep and the tops leave plenty of room for the growth. Stack them up, punch holes through everything, and you're good to go. It's my first time, so we'll see how they hold up. I think the first pictures up above show the same pans.