I'm in the same boat. I'm out of the house by 7, not home again til 6. That's when turning on the Weather Channel is a must in the mornings. I go by the high for the day; they'll be fine for the couple hours in the early morning or evening if your tops are off.

Keep them in a convenient setup so that if you're having to do the hinged-jug-covers-off, they are an easy flip open & closed. I find that 2 rows front-to front with the handles all in the same position works best so that you can have room to flip those covers in opposite directions and not have them on top of each other. Easy to flip back on in the evening and snug the jugs back up together so the covers don't blow open.

Hope that helps. I'll put up a pic if it's not too clear.

I work outside of the home also.
Last year I made a big OOPS closer to the last frost date and stronger sunlight. Fried my snapdragons and others.
Lesson learned,after that and from now on I put up a table and moved it on the North side by the poolhouse, it got dappled sun..the plants thrived well until I was able to plant out, some well into July.
Also, if it gets too cold I can throw a cover over the table.

Thanks so much for the input mmq and busy! I will definitely have to get up a little earlier each day so I can check the forecast and take care of them!

I couldn't be happier that I discovered wintersowing and GW - I've gotten so many wonderfull seeds and plants, and the great advice is priceless!

Thanks again!
Diana

I don't get involved in the cap-on cap-off nonsense; it's a stressful time waster.

If you're worried about heat then get serious and set up a sprinkler on a timer to water and cool the jugs during the warmest hours of the day.

Hi trudi!

What a great idea! I already have a timer, hose and sprinkler. Maybe I'll try getting that set up over the weekend. That will definitely make things a little easier for me. Thank so much for the tip!

I tossed all the actual caps that came on the jugs and was just planning to open the flaps or un-tape the tops where I cut them if needed. Do you all keep them on? I could use rubberbands and plastic wrap if I need to. Maybe not having them on will make them dry out faster?

trudi- how long does the 'change of seasons' last in Z7? Is it a gradual process? Do you even have a 'spring' season where the temps fluctuate for weeks before stabilizing, or do you go straight from winter temps to summer? What's it like down there in Z7?

I dunno about timers, with my luck I would come home and have a flood somewhere.
I toss the lids when I sow the seed.
Having the jugs or bottles in totes really cuts down time for me if I have to move, or when the warmer temps arrive I use the solid trays bottoms and water those well.

With all these posts about the lack of having to do the on/off thing, as a newbie 3 or 4 years ago, where did I get the idea that I have to do this??? I seem to be making more work for myself.
Is it a zonal thing? Did I miss the medical study where they decided it's no longer necessary? Did I misunderstand something in the beginning that I interpreted as tops on/off for a period of time for hardening off?
What's making me do all these extra steps that apparently are unnecessary? I obviously missed something.

Perhaps I interpreted a 'rogue frost' on/off protection (for tenders) as 'watch the weather every day and apply it to every container you have' and messed up the whole process in my yard.

I think I need to go back and visit the FAQs to see where I went wrong. No sense doing this on/off nonsense if it's not necessary and no one else in Z5 is doing it!

I live in Zone 6 in NE Oklahoma. Today we have beautiful sunshine with a forecasted temp of 73 (already 68) and tomorrow night the forecast is 27.

Our day started at 34 degrees so when I left home to run errands I used the car heater. As I was coming home about 3 hours later, I used the air conditioner when the moon roof wasn't cooling it down fast enough.

I don't even know what to wear, so the plants are smarter than I am. LOL

I'm pretty sure my containers are going to need to be watered when I get home today. I'm going to have to experiment with watering techniques that won't take forever and won't jostle the seeds around.

Thanks again to everyone for all your input! I definitely need to check the FAQ's again myself.

I don't use screw-on cap, ever. I flip open the top half of the jug after germination, but leave the top attached at the hinge. Perennials stay that way. In case of a freeze I flip the top closed on tender annuals and cover with a sheet to keep them closed, quicker than retaping. Works for me.

My jugs sit on the northeast side of the house and get morning sun. As spring progresses, they're in sun until 12 or 12:30 p.m. They don't get the hottest sun of the day.

Karen

OllieRose, I'm also in Atlanta and although I certainly don't claim to be an expert on wintersowing (this is only my third year), I also don't worry so much about my containers... no on again/off again of lids. I just increase the size of the air vents in the top a little more as we get into the warmer days of March, and by then a lot of my seedlings are ready to transplant. I only rarely have to water my containers unless we go for weeks without rain. One thing I learned with some of my containers during my first year was don't make the air vents too large in the beginning. My containers seem almost more like terrariums right now... lots of condensation on the lids. I hope this helps... like I said I'm no expert.