They look to be OK to me - if you're really worried about contact with the soil, give the containers a light misting after sowing. Set 'em out and stop worrying!

PV

Yep, I did give them a lot of mist before I closed it.

Thank you so much!

Hi Neil,
Your ok,the seed will work it's way down with the freeze and thaw.

However,you still have some of the soda bottles with their lids on,they should come off.

I do tape my milk jugs around the cut,( with duct tape )
donlt really know if it is nessessery,some one else will chim in i am sure.

You have done a very nice job for your first time around,now,the wait,ha ha

Are you all done for the season?
Carol

Looks good to me. Mine look just like that as I do not cover my seeds. They stay on top of the mix until the freeze, thaw cycle moves them down a bit. Or pushes them up. Either way they germinate. If they germinate on top of the mix the roots will find their own way down.

Did you put any tape on the gal. jugs to hold the tops closed when you carry them? Some just use two-3 small pieces of duct tape. Don't want the jugs to open and mix/seeds to fall out.

just1morehosta,

Yep, I've got all the caps removed before I brought them outside.

About the milk jugs, I taped them too. I also put a string in the handle to make sure that when wind blows hard, the wind will not knock them off or won't be wandering around.

I still have some seeds left like daylily. These are the seeds I harvested in front yard. I also have annuals that I brought from ebay and some annuals that a neighbor gave to me. I'll be direct sowing them.

Calendula
White and Purple Cosmo
Baby's breath
Cleome
Castor Beans

I also have tons of hosta seeds left that you gave to me. :D

Honestly, I love the plants that I see on our other thread(Best Performers). Hopefully, an angel will send me lavatera seeds. Hahaha! j/k :)

Thanks!

mnwsgal,

Yep, I taped them pretty well. :) The first picture is before I started sowing.

By the way, I want to share how I ranked the sowing/watering difficulty between the 3 different flats I used. :D

1. shoe boxes - very easy
2. 2 liter bottles - easy (thanks token for your idea)
3. milk jugs

Thanks!

Screw caps off and out into the yard. I throw my seeds on top and forget them. Heaving and thawing will put them where they need to be. Remember, ma nature is smarter than all of us. Provide just what she needs and the seeds will do the rest - on their own terms and in their own time.

Again, if you plant out at the first true set of leaves, watering will not be a big deal.

Good job!

Hope you had fun,just wait til planting time,wooooohooooooooo,and the happy dance.
I am waiting for my seed exchange,then i will have a lot more i will be sowing,i am so excited,can't wait to see what i get.

I just planted some Lavatera,a gift from my secret santa. :0)
Carol

I want lavatera very badly after seeing franeli's pic.

Oh yeah, I sent my SASBE to token. I will also be receiving more seeds maybe by end of January or early Feb.

Token, put lavatera please. :D Hehehe

Oh, I'm worried about planting time. I still couldn't visualize how I would plant those many seeds I sowed today. I have a lot of work to do in spring.

1. create/prepare garden/flower bed about 200-300 sqft.
2. spread topsoil(builder will give me topsoil)
3. mix compost/manure with topsoil
4. plant the ws'ed seeds :)

I can't wait too. Hahaha!!!

Again, if you plant out at the first true set of leaves, watering will not be a big deal.

I have a question regarding planting. Is it ideal that we transplant them once we see the first true set of leaves?

Wow, perfect time! It's raining really strong. It's been dry for almost 10 days now. Hopefully, the covers for the shoe boxes are still there. LOL.

"Is it ideal that we transplant them once we see the first true set of leaves?"

For some, it may be, but for me it isn't. Sometimes my slug problem makes me hesitate in planting out when the sprouts are small, but most times it's my procrastinating nature which gets in the way. Annuals take the first dive into the gardens (for obvious reasons), but sometimes perennials wait a while. As long as they have lots of soil to grow their roots in and the soil is kept moist then there's no issue.

Here's a photo of some winter sown plants from 2007/2008 on July 27th last summer. There's Lynchnis Lumina, Joe Pye, Asclepias Incarnata, and Ariseama Consanguinium. Some are just sprouting but others are flowering. :O)

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Hi Neil,

You are really bringing me back in time with all your worrying (smile)!!! I, too, had to make sure I was "doing everything right" cause this seemed like such a crazy idea - putting seeds out in winter.

It all works out. Really. You will be AMAZED. Lots of us just sprinkle seeds on top and they get to where they need to get to. Planting out (with not enough garden bed ready..) is something you will have LOTS of company for come spring - - none of us will have enough "dirt". We all figure it out somehow. I put most of my seedlings out very early, but some I do "pot up" like tiffy, either because I think they need a little bit of extra watching and growing or because I just don't have room for them yet in a bed and want them to get out of their cramped containers. You'll decide. And don't forget planters... as I fill up my beds over the years, I am truly appreciating that I can always get another cut in half barrel to load up (easy for me, I'm married to a winemaker.) I also find that I get good deals on purchased large planters in the "off" season (now), so look around for sales.

You will be successful, you will love this WSing thing, you will help others next year! Here is what I predict--- I bet You are NOT done sowing. There are so many months before things germinate and start growing, you will get antsy and just keep finding seeds you want to try, sowing more.

Nancy

v1rtu---you need to listen to that song-- "Don't worry be happy". Can't remember who sings it.
Duane

Neil. I will see if I can spot some lavatera, rose mallow. And stop worrying. Just let them be. I've got alyssum that has had sprouts now since Christmas. Am I worried? Nope. Am I going to bother them? Nope. I'll plant them out first as soon as March turns to April here.

Bobby McFerrin sang that song - (love that song...) and it's so true, although my first year (and honestly, even my second year) I worried and stressed because you set those tiny little seeds out from their safe package and you want the best for them... They are like little babies and it's hard to releases them into the "unknown"....

If you soil is "spongy", that worries me. Sometimes, especially if you use Sta-Green (at least for me) soil from Lowe's - it has the tendency to get spongy and hold water, I would think your soil should be able to be wet yet firm to the touch. Also, if spongy continues, make a bigger hole in bottom - maybe it's holding too much water (?)...

Good luck - that rectangular clear container looks just like the containers I used my first year. The only problem I had with them was that they were very heavy once wet - but they worked great.

Carrie

Slugs become active when the soil warms to about 40 degrees. When that happens, I pretreat all my beds with iron phosphate. I try to retreat in about 3 weeks. I monitor their activity with a few strategically placed boards. (OK, this also gives me personal satisfaction in squishing them.) This has really decreased the amount of slug damage I see.

Karen

I don't have a slug problem. (yay) I think planting out with the first set of true leaves is the best way to go for most plants. Ma nature waters them in, the soil is cool and moist and it's a nice environment for the babies to grow. After that, it's warmer and seems harsher to me here in Columbus, Ohio. I'm a single working mother of three - one in high school and two in college (OSU) so I can't worry about seedling fry.

That being said, I think platycodon does best with a fall plantout. I don't know why that is for me, but they like me to take care of them all summer and do best when I plant them out in fall. Needy little beggars. But yet, one of my neighbors (about 10 miles away) has a huge burst of them every year and they re-seed like crazy.

Folks, I think growing from seed is one big experiment. If it works; good. If not, start over. It's fun.

Last year was my first year palnting out, i did not plant with the first set of laeves,they were just soooo litle,i waited till they were pretty big,they were easy to handle and went in the ground really fast,i imagin every year will be different,as i planted things this year i did not palnt last year,we'll see.I am very excited with anticipation,all i have ever grown are hosta,we had a storm come through last year,took out 9 trees, so i now have a lot of sun i can play with,all new to me,sun planting and seeds.
I think i saved a picture of one of my new beds i started in the fall of last year, i will plant out in this area,and hopfully,have some beautiful pictures i can share with all of you.
Carol

I didn't see if it was mentioned above, but soils that have peat in them have a hard time to absorb water in the beginning. If you moisten soils with peat using hot or boiling water it will absorb much faster and you don't see the 'floating' effect. Of course, they do have to cool before sowing.

T

V1, your containers look great! Not everything sprouts, but most of it will. You will probably be amazed at how many little plants you'll have. Better get working on those garden beds ASAP, LOL. (Have you checked out the lasagne or sheet composting methods of creating garden beds?)

I ended up transplanting a lot of the seedlings into small nursery pots to grow on a bit. There were 2 reasons:

1) my eyes were bigger than my garden beds, and I didn't have places ready to plant all these seedlings, despite almost constantly creating or expanding beds all Spring & summer

2) We had an extremely wet summer and the slugs were particularly bad. I didn't apply the Escargo (iron phosphate bait) diligently. They munched quite a few little seedlings, and seemed to have their favorites, but the bigger the seedlings were when transplanted the more likely they were to survive the slug attack.

There are still about 30 WS seedlings sitting outside right now in the pot ghetto. Hope they make it thru the winter. Here's the WS "nursery", with babies in various stages, at the end of May -

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Wow, now that song keeps playing in my head. LOL. :)

Thanks token! Hopefully, there will be a Lavatera.

And yep, I'm looking for more seeds. I don't want to look at our other thread anymore(Best Perennial/Annual Performer). The more I see the gorgeous flowers there, the more I want more. HAHAHA.

I was searching for garden appearance, and look what I found. Click me!. Now I want more seeds. Hehehe.

The potting mix is from Miracle-gro and is the regular version(not the plus moisture control). When I poured water, it easily absorbed it. So looks like it didn't contain peat. What I really did yesterday is soaked them very very well. I made sure I didn't leave any dry area.

The drainage was also really good.

As promised, here are the pics. They are beside my redtwig dogwood cuttings experiment.

Yay, Wooohoooo, I see condensation! We are are 32F today.

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Thank you so much everyone for making me calm! :)

terrene,

You beat me by 1 min with your post. :D

Anyways, I may end up transplanting them to a pot as well like yours.

(Have you checked out the lasagne or sheet composting methods of creating garden beds?)

No. What is it? Do you have a link for it?

Thanks!

Oh - just wanted to add - My experience was that it's best to get the seedlings in the ground as soon possible. The sooner they are planted in the ground, the sooner they get established and the sooner they will bloom (as long as they survive slugs, rabbits, etc). Some perennials will bloom the first year when planted early enough. I hope to have more beds ready this coming year!

I love your Dogwood cuttings! Good idea - wish I'd thought to do that with some trimmings from a couple small Dogwoods I transplanted this fall.

tiffy_z5_6_can,

Looks like for your small pot, you transplant at least 2 seedlings. Am I correct?

Is that a spirea seedling on the lower left corner?

Oh - just wanted to add - My experience was that it's best to get the seedlings in the ground as soon possible.

If I remember correctly, when yanking them out of our flats, we can use a popsicle stick, then hold them at one of the first true set of leaves. Correct?

V1, we were cross-posting! :) There are many threads on Lasagne gardening all over Gardenweb. It is basically a method of layering organic matter including cardboard, coffee grounds, leaves, grass clippings, etc. and letting it decompose. Using cardboard or newspaper as a first layer will smother and kill most grass, weeds, stumps and roots growing underneath. As the layers break down, they nourish the soil underneath it becomes easier to dig. I usually let mine decompose for months up to a year before planting. Makes a nice rich bed!!

If I remember correctly, when yanking them out of our flats, we can use a popsicle stick, then hold them at one of the first true set of leaves. Correct?

Yikes, don't "yank"! ;) Handle them gently as the leaves and roots are very tender. I usually grab off or scoop out a hunk of the seedlings, and then gently work apart the soil and separate the seedlings. I sow lightly so we're talking 2-5 seedlings maybe. Leave as much soil as possible and disturb roots as little as possible. Then plant in ground.

Some people do HOS style. Some people cut like brownies. I like to plant in little groups about 6-8 inches apart. Apparently, they all work pretty well.

But you are certainly getting ahead of yourself here! It's months yet before sprouts. :)

Niel,
How do you start the dogwood cuttings,are they all ready rooted when you planted,or did you root them?I love red woods
Carol

Hi Carol,

Someone at Peren forum told me to just cut it from anywhere. Then just stick them to the ground even if they don't have any roots.

I also found a link before. Glad I bookmarked it. Check out the link below.

I have a feeling it will work because most of the stems are still color red. I cut them Nov 21. It was in my basement for almost a month but got tired of watering them every week. So I decided to let Mother Nature do the job! :)

We'll find out about my experiment in spring or mid year.

Oh, I have one more info. 1 stem is one plant. :)

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Red Twig Dogwood Propagation

Neil,

In that lower left pot is actually a Joe Pye Weed, seeds taken from a plant which I winter sowed 4 years ago and is now growing at least 8 feet in height.

Those are not transplants. Those are the actual pots I winter sowed them in. You can see that some seeds of other plants (Cimicifuga comes to mind) have not sprouted so those have been placed in a holding bed for another season to see if another winter will bring them to life.

I do tinker with shrubs though. Kind of like a side kick. Last year I winter sowed Weigela Middendorfiana successfully and this year I'm trying Carolina Rhododendrons which are actually Azaleas. It's fun to try different things and so I've been going for shrubs. I get my shrub seeds from Gardens North.

My spirea self seeded. I will transplant them in spring. Hopefully, they don't die.

Yes, don't worry be happy!!

Personally I don't plant out some of the tinier seedlings in the 1st true-leaf stage (unless of coarse I am planting out certain annuals in the HOS style) simply because they are so much harder to work with. Potting up Heuchera seedlings in the 1st true-leaf stage was extremely hard to work with!! Larger seedlings like Sunflower, Mirablis, Morning Glory, Cerinthe, Collards, and Pumpkin, ect. are much easier to grasp and I often get them planted as small as the seed-leaf (cotyledon) stage.
Cerinthe:
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Cerinthe planted out May 13th:
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Sunflower:
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Mirablis:
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Morning Glory 'Heavenly Blue'
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Pumpkin planted out May 17th:
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Smaller seedlings...the hard to plant out ones!
Heuchera:
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Strawflower:
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Golden Marguerite April 3rd
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Just a few pictures of various seedlings on May 10th:
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Another good reason some may wait to plant out:
Sometimes the half-hardy annuals germinate a little early during late winter/early spring warm-ups. You plant them out and find later your cute little seedlings have turned black and mushy having died during an unexpected frost/freeze :O
I also wait longer on certain plant species (Salvia and Amaranthus for example), because in my garden earwigs and sowbugs find them especially tasty. A ring around them made from styrofoam cups or 20-32oz water bottles can help but eventually the earwigs will figure it out and climb up over. Raking away most of the winter mulch (ridding of suitable habitat) from the beds in early spring has helped keep the population in check, but on those cloudy, cool rainy days they can move about much longer and farther in search of tasty seedlings where there is no mulch cover to protect them. In this case I either allow them to grow-on in the original container (if they were sown thin and have nice spacing between seedlings) or separate and transfer crowded individual seedlings into their own pony-pack cell or 2-4" pot.