Two things: 1) the vegetable hair roots get into the wood. I had noticed that also with smaller chunks of wood buried in beds. If you worry about nitrogen, please notice that vegetables go out of their way to get into wood. 2) it is amazing how fine and broken down the soil becomes within a season. I think it is due to mycelium filaments, not readily visible by the human eye, running all over the place. This was tough clay, and the four logs (about 2.5 ft long and 5 inches wide) were placed as the sides of a square, yet the soil was finely tilled all the way to the center of the square. Each four logs was a newly planted fruit tree taken down by deer, so I was able to check this many times. No, it was not the tree roots which were small.

I managed to get the side panels and the panels on both sides of the doors back into place early this afternoon, before we left for the MIL's. Also discovered today that the middle piece above the door (the 3 that form the pitch) blew out too, and I have yet to find it. Tonight after we got home, I came back to find one of the side panels had stripped out the tape I used and was hanging by a screw at the bottom, and the front door side panels were loose again too. So in the dark I repaired the back 3 upper pieces, with them out the vents were popping up even with them taped. I was able to straighten out the vertical frame piece (the one the connects together to fit those pieces in) and reattach the bolts/nuts, then I duct taped them to the frame!!! I only wish I could have gotten to the inside area too (big heavy 4 shelve bench in front of that wall)...I would have reinforced more from the inside too. But I think it's going to hold up. Blocking that wind should keep the rest from popping back out again. UGH... Well I will tell you this makes me re-think the reinforcement issues...and all the while when building this thing, I was thinking of cosmetic/asthetics...well that's out the door, I'll duct tape the whole darn thing if I need too ;) The areas that were affected were in my opinion the most poorly designed and I knew this and could easily see this as it was going up...And We INTENDED to put up EMT across the back wall, but didn't get around to it. and the section at the top of the door level those side panels, like I said before, have nothing for the top of the panel to adhere to no clips can fit there, nothing. as soon as the back or side panels blew, those 2 were easy targets. So I"m thinking, we screwed these all into the frame but why not also glue them into place? I'd even consider some kind of a mitered frame to fit each panel section. That actually might be the easiest (and the best looks wise). I'm going to explore that and see what can be done. A wood frame to fit on the edge of the entire panel, screwed into the metal frame.....any thoughts on that idea????

Hi Donald, welcome to the Winter Sowing Forum. *It's recommended to basically make flats of somekind out of materials at hand, put soil in them -> sow your seeds --> set flats outside in a "safe" area --> wait till spring to see what comes up.* Yep, that's basically what it is, and the nicest aspect, I think, of the method is that you get to do it your way with what you have and within the size of your own wallet. *Wouldnt it be easier to just direct sow in the soil where you want the future plants to be?* All seeds that can be WinterSown can also be Direct Sown, but they should be sown heavily because Mother Nature takes the vast majority of direct sown seeds to feed her critters and biota. Direct Sowing, also called Direct Seeding, is a traditional method for sowing seeds outdoors. It involves preparing the soil bed, sowing the seeds, and keeping them moist throughout germination. The Winter Sowing Method is better because the seeds are protected in their mini-greenhouses. When you direct sow in the ground the seeds are at the mercy of Mother Nature....they can get washed out in downpours, be eaten by critters and bug and birds, desiccate in the wind, or can rot in the soil. In a WS mini-greenhouse the seeds are in a protected environment. They get the same weather as the seeds in the ground...same temperatures, and the little slits in the lids allow both rain and melting snows to keep the soil moist and the flats watered. But they areprotected so more of the seeds will survive to germinate in Spring. The germination counts are generally astonishingly high. *My reasoning is that, if the seeds had dropped from a parent plant already in the garden, that successful germination is just as likely from "semi-natural" re-seeding as it would be if I used the recommended winter sowing method suggested in the FAQ's.* Plants which reseed in temperate climates are those recommended for Winter Sowing. *I guess to me it just seems like the recommended method over complicates the process and just adds more work, after I've spent the growing season pruning, deadheading, weeding, mulching, topdressing etc.* Just sow the flat and stash it outside on the picnic table or wherever your dog won't grab it or your snowblower won't hit it. *Again those are just my thoughts on the winter sowing process and in now way am I trying to gainsay the method recommended by others.* Don't worry about it, WS is very incredulous when you hear about it--you like to direct seed in your garden. I do both. I have a veggie garden and direct sow many of my leafy greens. Many posters do any or all of WS, DS or GUL. *I just have a terrible time trying to start seed indoors, and so I've amassed, what I consider a ALOT of seed packets, that are waiting to be planted but due to my iffy results starting seeds indoors "6 weeks before the last frost", which here in central OH could be as late as the end of April.* You've come to the right forum. Winter Sowing removes a lot of the frustration that comes with indoor germination, it's a big relief and gives you a gazillion seedlings. Nice plant list, it can all be WSed. Your yard will be a butterfly party. T PS, Did anyone tell you that Winter Sowing can be addicting?

Francoise, Bee, Remodelfla, Library_girl, Prickly, Amy, Ladoladi, and Hlove--Your kind words touch me. I've read them over and over just so I could smile tonight. :-) CP--No worries! I think these are the types of questions more of us should be asking. Athensmom--The stools came with little protectors already on them. Mine are now covered in cat hair, despite my frequent sweepings, so I must reach down to clean them off. (grrr) I found some little disc protectors called Magic Sliders that I'll probably sub instead at some point. Doesn't look like the kitty hair will stick to them. Wolfgang--Great suggestion! It might keep my 2 y.o. from wanting to stand on them if she could get boosted up a bit higher while seated. Thanks for the idea! I just wanted to reiterate how much I like these stools. Every morning when I walk in the room, I notice how perfectly straight, proper, and at home they look. All my guests have loved them also. Good thing because I probably sit in them much less than anyone else. Here is a link that might be useful: Magic Sliders