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1st time newbie, long time dreamer

10 years ago

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share that after dreaming about WS for almost 15 years (yes!), I am finally doing it! My hubby and I moved to Virginia 3 years ago after living in Florida most of our lives. I actually have a printout of a GardenWeb WS post from the 1990s and remember being sooo fascinated with the thought of simply putting seeds out in the winter and having plants in the spring! At the time, I didn't think I could WS in Florida because we really didn't get true winters down there (although we did complain when it got "cold"!). Gardening in Fla is a challenge as it is.

So, after buying a home on 4 acres 18 months ago, I am anxious to start filling in the landscape. So far, I have only WS some columbine and hollyhocks, but have plans for more.

I didn't have the foresight to gather gallon milk jugs, so I got a few 6" deep Rubbermaid tubs (the ones you slide under the bed) and drilled holes in the tops and bottoms. I used medium-sized styrofoam cups (I know..) with holes in the bottom of each just to get me started this year. I'd like to use the large, plastic seed starting cells, but I couldn't find any at this time of the year...so next year.

I have to admit, I'm kinda confused about what to sow at what times. I know things like tomatoes need to be WS a little later, but what about herbs like parsley, catnip, and basil? What about other flowers like tithonia and borage? The seed packets are a little confusing because some say the seeds are prone to rot, so I'm nervous about putting so many seeds out so early.

Can't wait to see what happens!

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Comments (4)

pixie_lou
10 years ago
Congrats on your new house and all that land to fill with flowers.

I'm in MetroWest Boston. Here I sow perennials in January, biennials in February and annuals in late March. My tender annuals I direct sow in mid to late April. We have a last frost date of late May around here, though I rarely see frost at all in a May.

Since you are in Virginia, look for your last frost date. Perennials and biennials can be done any time, but wait on your annuals until closer to your last frost date. The concern is having tender sprouts freeze to death.
duane456
10 years ago
gardengrl---what pixie said and "don't go by what the package tells you". Do a little research on the particular thing you want to plant, and/or find another WSer in northern Virginia and ask questions about their experience.
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I understand this. Certain crops do well with direct sowing but I've had contrary to the norm experiences to date. Carrots and onions and beets---eh, not as great as I hoped despite over seeding. Radishes all sprouted though using same method. Same with zuch, watermelon and winter squash---the seedlings I have had to pull that I hate because they weren't cheap and frankly, I'd love lots of all three---and both marigolds and nasturtiums too. My comment context is on several fronts. I did all transplants last year from mail order and a nursery. It was not cost effective but only one seedling of 15-20 didn't make it. This year was all direct sowing in contrast minus the yarrow left from last year. So yes, seed is cheap overall but I have empty space where I over seeded and not enough space where I counted each individual seed---100% germination with those seeds to be exact so I moved what I could to empty pots with crap soil to see how they do. It was a simple observation that others might find useful/intriguing because there is no right or wrong way to garden and why not share? But thanks for the information.
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blueswimmer68
10 years ago
Hi gardengrl and welcome to NoVa!

I'm also in the area (Alexandria) and just got started with wintersowing in the past couple of weeks. I started gardening a few years ago and have had good luck starting seedlings in my basement under grow lights but wintersowing sounds so miraculous that I had to try it too.

So far I've done lettuce, spinach, chard, cilantro, parsley, and sweet peas. I picked things that I've had luck with in the early spring (mid-Feb and on) in past years with our normal, warmer winters. These are things that don't survive in the heat of summer so I'm hoping winter sowing gives them an early start. It's a complete experiment this year!

I found a list of what to start when on the blog "A Garden for the House" from NY state and sort of figured everything here could start a bit earlier. Can't wait for warmer weather to see if my milk jugs start sprouting.

This winter has been so abnormally cold that my normal winter crop of red Russian kale and arugula under hoops was killed off, so I am itching to start gardening soon and have some good salads. Totally envy your 4 acres from my little, inside the beltway yard!
barbe_wa
10 years ago
Welcome gardengrl! You might want to check the FAQ's for sowing dates in your zone. The link can be found in the intro paragraph at the top of the Wintersown forum page. It was a great help to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing FAQ's

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