PS: I guess I should state what types of seeds...mostl annuals and perenniels, preferrably for Canadian Climates. I live in Southern Ontario, Zone 5a or b I think!

Thanks again!

Hi Wendy,

I believe WS means winter sowing. There is a winter sowing forum here on gardenweb.

Heidi

Welcome to Gardenweb Wendy!

Wintersowing is the easiest way to grow from seed. In my opinion that is.....

You need no special equipment and once you follow the simple directions to wintersow, (no need to buy any books, all the info you need is yours to view on the wintersowing forum), and voila....your seeds will grow all on their own!!!

Go to the site and read the FAQ's, and take a peek at the members posts and the members gallery. Ask all the qusestion you want on the wintersowing site and start collecting some containers, buy some seed startilng soil, plant your seeds during these cold months of winter, and on into the spring and you'll have all the seedlings your heart/garden desires.

Some folks plant just a couple of containers, and others plant hundreds. I kid you not! Watch out it has the ability to become an obsession, especially when you start collecting your own seeds, I know that from experience......

Good luck and have fun! It's a great way to increase your plants and save mucho $$$$.

Great gardening, Justine

Here is a link that might be useful: winter-sowing forum

Another welcome!

I am another enthusiast of Winter Sowing. This will be my fourth year starting seeds in a simple way which makes so much sense, requires very little $$, enables me to garden in the winter and eventually fill the gardens with lots of wonderful things!

Every year I have an overflow of plants and give some to neighbours and friends. Last year I was giving away flowering Astilbes which were 3 feet tall. I kept more than a dozen plants for myself. All from the same sowing the year before. And that's just one out of many. And the cost for those plants was minimal. I shudder when I think of what I would have paid at the garden centre. But what's even better is the personal satisfaction of being able to do this!

I've posted a direct link to the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) at the Winter Sowing Forum. But as Justine states, do visit the forum and ask away.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing FAQs

I also love to winter sow and was the recipient of one of Tiffy's Rose of Sharon seedlings that I now proudly grow in my garden :)

Welcome from here too! There are lots of books available that are very useful. Jekka McVicar has one that tells you a lot about a lot of popular plants to start from seed and how to start them. As for general information on how to start them, I believe the Ortho books (if you can find them) are small, simple, and good. There are many others, and most of them have essentially the same information, with a bit of variation. Asking your local garden centre is a lot of help too.

I would recommend starting simple with annuals and easy perennials. The things to keep an eye out for the most in terms of starting from seed (for most easy plants) are whether they need cold treatment, whether you need to nick the seed coat, and whether they need light to germinate. Read up on those three, have some patience with some of the slower germinators, and I think you're mostly there. After that, you can find out more about more exotic seeds and their requirements, but I think you can just leave that alone for now (eg. seeds that need GA-3 hormone (a natural hormone), multiple cold periods, etc.).

And, as always, any questions, just ask the nice people here. :) Always happy to help!

Oh, yes, and WS rules! ;)