Good to see your nicely lined up containers, Michael.

Past years I have had hundreds of containers. This year I sowed a few containers for Winter Solstice Celebration ( see FAQ) and will start a few perennials soon then annuals late March/early April.

Last year I sowed around 70 containers, which was fantastic until they sprouted and I had to do something with them all. Ha! I spent the summer playing catch up. Some few are still in pots from last year. What in the world will you do with 90 pots of plants - and where do you find the time?

This year I have planted around five so far and will do another 5-10, time allowing. I have my veg going, so it's flowers from now on. Less pots, more attention! My flat of Walla Walla Onions has already sprouted which I find overly exciting. I'm still working my way through last year's onion braids.

After losing a high percentage of my winter sowed plants after planting out last year to slugs, weeds, drought, and my enthusiastic husband and his weed wacker, I'm planning on keeping quite a few of this year's sowing in pots for an extra year to increase survival rates. I still have 50 lavender plants in pots on my deck (all from one or two winter sowed pots). I'll probably plant them out this fall.

I'll grab some photos when it's light out and not raining. I do love seeing everyone's collection!

Heavenlyfarm, what perennials did you wintersow? I only WS 12 milk jugs - 2 that were destroyed (tipped over by either the wind or some animal) and 5 Cool whip jars, which work incredibly well for WS. I ran out of milk jugs, but hope to pick some up tomorrow from Starbucks. Last year they gave me over 35 jugs.

Not much to look at now. Most of my containers will come later for annuals that line the vegetable garden and herbs.
These are aquilegia, 'McKana Giant', Oriental Poppies, seeds collected from my own garden, and Foxgloves (digitalis).

pugets, I did over 300 last year lol so I can understand that! I overdid it last year so I'm cutting back slightly ;)

bellarosa,

Some perennials I did:

~columbines, love them

~bleeding hearts, standard pink and white ones

~princess victoria louise poppy

~double tangerine gem poppy

~a few containers of rhubarb (first time trying)

~pink sidalcea

~penstemons, loveeeee

~peaches n dreams hollyhocks

~many many more I am forgetting the names of lol

~Michael

I gotta bunch of containers planted last week. I lost count at one hundred or so. All of mine are native perennials for the pollinators, and I hope to share some of them with others who have room in their gardens for a few nectar-rich plants. Here is a picture of my containers.

I decided not to WS this year. I learned about WS about 5 years ago and I WSed last 4 years. Every time it was a disaster. I planted in milk jugs. It required water everyday after sprouting. Sometimes too much water sometimes too little water. I could not figure it out. Sometimes the container had green moss growing in it. And I had trouble from the pill bugs. They ate all the tiny sprouts. Anyway, it wasn't just one thing that made me give up WSing. It was the combination of everything. I've decided that this year I'll just go to the garden center and get 4 packs of everything I need at $1.10 each. Can't beat that price! But good luck to you WSowers.

Here is my collection so far, although there is not a lot to see in the pic thanks to the 6 inches of snow they're buried under. This is my second year WSing and I have cut back a bit from last year as well. I have mostly repeated some plants I had success with last year, plus one or two I did not have success with but am attempting again, as well as some new ones. Here is my list: Yarrow, hollyhocks (several), snap dragons, columbine, shasta daisy, datura, sweet william, foxglove, coral bells, lavender, liatris, lupine, rose campion, forget-me-nots, nicotiana, nierembergia, petunia (lots of these), balloon flower, Jacob's ladder, Thalictrum, and Verbena bonariensis.

pugetsound, your lavender is amazing...it looks like you have enough to do a hedgerow of them if you wished to. And I love the plastic lettuce/spinach containers for winter sowing, I used several of those as well.

My garden is so vertical I'm not sure where I'd put hedgerows. But I sure have a lot, so I'll have to figure something out! Those spinach containers are great, aren't they?

Here is some latest pics :) Up to 146 containers now!! :) Woo Just did some spinach, broccoli, hardy annuals and bi-annuals including some of my favorites---

~canterbury bells- cup and saucer

~lunaria (I just started these last year so I'm waiting for last year's containers to bloom this year!! so exciting and worth the wait!)

~strawflower (awesome flower. I really was unsure of it when I winter sowed it in my first year of winter sowing but its an awesome hardy annual, no pests, some blooms lasted through winter and its just a strong plant to have )

~Shirley Poppies (IF only I could figure out how to save more seeds from mine but it seems all the heads are lost due to bugs or the weather...but I had enough for 2 containers so I guess thats good for now!)

I'd recommend any of these to you guys to try this year!

~Michael

OHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Here is a pic of sweet autumn clematis seedlings I just found in my stash of old containers from last year that I saved! I read clematis, wisteria, peony and several kinds of trees/shrubs can take 2 or more years before they sprout so I saved some of those containers last year and kept them in a safe spot....BUT no I didn't water them lol I completely forgot about them till now!

I agree, Michael, that seeing seedlings in those 2nd year containers is great. I've had many clematis that germinate during their second year.

Thanks! I'm hoping more will sprout as well :) Also have purple clematis and both tree/herbaceous peony seeds I really wanna see sprouts of!

~Michael

I wish I'd known that last year. I had a pot of iris that I kept because one sprouted last year. This year another six have come up. Now I wish I'd kept some of the other pots that didn't sprout...

pugetsoundgardener, there is always next year tho! Gardening is a learning experience :)

~Michael

heavenlyfarm

It sure is, and I have a lot to learn! This will be my second full summer gardening. You can put what I know about gardening in a thimble and still have room for your finger. ;)

I'm up to 155. I put them where ever I can find room :)

I like the term "pot ghetto". I have 2-liter soda bottles that like to fall over so I put them in laundry baskets which I can use every year and store inside each other between seasons. I am forever scarring the reputations of my teen daughters and husband, but now there is more winter interest to look at and fewer bottles. They have come to accept the addiction...or is it considered a Mental Condition? I've crossed over, whatever it is!

My first attempt..mostly perennials and annuals.

Great success! Can I ask what kind of soil you use to start your seedlings? This year I tried a Miracle Grow mix. I forget which kind - I know I have one extra leftover bag that's in my garage. I did have some success, but not as great as yours. Could it be the soil mix? Any thoughts? I only use milk jugs. I was able to grow: poppies, rudbeckias, lupines, alyssum, bachelor buttons, foxglove and shasta daisies, but in some of the milk jugs, the soil appears to be dry. Maybe I'm using the wrong type of soil mix to start my seedlings? Any suggestions?

Woot! Woot1 What great success! I'd like to know your soil, too. You're in a warmer climate than I am and I think that has a factor. Of course, I think winter sowing is a lot like being 5 and wondering what Santa will bring you for Christmas. A pony isn't always realistic. I always anticipate the best--but I'm ready for reality. I'm glad to celebrate any babies I have. This year was better, but I bought more expensive 'dirt'. So I'm thinking that's the key.

Seed and Plant List · More Info

Seed and Plant List · More Info

Bella rosa, if a jug seems to be drying out put several inches of warm water in a large container and set the jug or other seed container in the water and leave it for awhile so the mix can dampen. Try to do this anytime the containers are starting to dry out. One way to tell is if the container starts to feel lighter. I prefer Pro Mix but also use Miracle Grow without the moisture retaining crystals. Those crystals keep the mix too damp.

Also if it rains a lot I will cover the containers with plastic sheeting so the mix doesn't get soaked. Works best when the mix is damp but not soaked.

Failure to germinate can be caused by lots of variables. Mix is too dry or too wet. Tiny seeds covered with too much mix (best to surface sow and press seed to contact with mix), old seed, unripe seed, seed needing scarification, seed needing cold stratification, seed needing light to germinate so must not be covered with mix, seed needing dark to germinate so must be covered, seed needing two winters to germinate, seed germinating sporadically (columbine), seed needing a warm period then a cold period to germinate.

I mostly surface sow and press the seed with the back of a plastic spoon to make contact with the mix. Bigger seeds generally get covered lightly with mix and pressed.

When the weather gets in the mid 70s I remove the covers so the seed doesn't cook. They will need to be watched closely so the mix doesn't dry out. Moving to a shaded or partly shaded location helps.

i am still ws annuals. Our last frost date is May 15 and I will direct sow some other annuals then.

2016 results: we have had a few days 20 degrees above normal, around 70F, still only have four containers (out of approximately 50) germinated and one of those is a container of delphiniums sowed 2014-2015 season.

Thought I had some good germination in a couple of jugs then realized the seeds germinating were sunflower seeds. Some critter must have hidden some bird seed in my mix in the garage. So it goes!

mnwsgal,

Thanks for the great information!! I will try the ProMix next year.

I planted out 15 of my WS babies this past weekend. I hope they make it!

Have you ever WS delphiniums?

I have ws delphiniums and have seedlings this spring from containers sown 2014-2015 winter. Some delphiniums are easier germinators than others. One year I winter sowed seeds in the spring and had seedlings that fall. Shortly after sowing in the spring we had a warm period and then a very cold period. Maybe they felt they had had two winter periods.

I did very little this season. I actually did more in the last two-weeks than the entire winter. I got a picture of my sunflowers that need to be planted like yesterday? I got pictures of my winter sowed Columbines.

That's beautiful!! I've never had luck with columbine. What kind are these?

I don't know Bella, I can only look at seed packs and guess. Biedermeir mix and Barlow mix.

Hey everyone!

Seems I've been missing out on the posts for awhile but here is some pictures of my winter sowing results :) and winter sown flowers!

Enjoy :) Will post more later and update on my latest endeavors with winter sowing :)

Happy Gardening Everybody!

~Michael

The columbines I winter sowed last year are blooming! I got a lot of different colors. My yard is getting prettier and prettier each year. :)