Help! Did I mess up?

15 years ago

This is my first year of winter-sowing and I (very excitedly) started sowing this past week. I began with my herbs and veggies (beans, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, cantaloupe, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, dill, anise, and eggplant).

Tonight I read a few posts that indicate there are proper (and improper) times for winter-sowing certain plants. I'm getting the impression that people start with their perennials and wait for sometime around March to sow their annuals and tomatoes. I'm not at all sure when the rest of the veggies get sown. Have I made a huge error in sowing my veggies now? And how about the annuals? Do I need to wait a while? I'll only be sowing annuals that are listed on this site as hardy annuals that can be wintersown.

Somebody please help. I'm all confused again.

Diana Lynn

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Comments (5)

sheltieche
15 years ago
Diane
it is all so related to our zones and weather we have that there is no really good judge when "right" time is. Even people from your zone will have it differently.
I still have snow on the ground....
bigred
15 years ago
I started my eggplants,tomatoes,peppers and heat loving herbs under light on a heat mat the first week of Feb.

I'm zone 8 so you probably would start a couple weeks later than me.

My schedule(based on planting veggie starts ...add 3-4 weeks for maturity dates on seeds)
Feb:
asparagus..seed and roots
carrots(direct sew...long tap root,doesn't like root disturbance)
beets...ditto as w/ carrots
onion....seed/sets
leeks
irish potatoes
radish
early peas
rubarb roots
spinach
swiss chard

March:
articokes...seeds and roots
asparagus...seeds and roots
beets...seed direct sewn
brussel sprouts
cabbage
carrots...as w/ Feb.sewn
cauliflower
chives
cress
endive
horseradish
spring kale
leeks
lettuce....seeds
mustard....seeds
onions...seeds,bulbs and sets
parsley....seeds
parsnips
wrinkled peas....seeds
irish potatoes
radish....seeds
rhubarb root
sorrel
spinach
swiss chard
turnips....seeds

Seeds and plants don't read...and I ignore most printed suggestion and push the envelope by planting or direct sewing then put lo-tunnels made from my homemade tomato baskets and clear painters plastic over the plants and rows.

You don't need fancy equipment to start seeds indoors....just a flat surface in a wram location and cheapy shop light from local super center.
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highalttransplant
15 years ago
I have to agree with Lindalana that there is NO SET SCHEDULE for wintersowing. It's kind of like being a parent, there's no manual that comes with them, LOL. Wintersown.org is a great resource for learning what can be wintersown, but the "when" varies tremendously from person to person ... and just like raising children, there is some trial and error involved here.

Having said that, vegetables are generally divided into two catagories - cool season and warm season. Cool season would include things like broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, chard, beets, carrots, and radishes. Warm season would include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, squash, and beans. Cool season are able to tolerate frost, and some pretty cool temps. Warm season veggies will DIE if exposed to frost after they germinate. That is why some of us will wait to sow the warm season veggies, until close to our last frost date.

I hope this clears things up a bit.

Bonnie
docmom_gw
15 years ago
I think you should be fine, with the exception of the beans. Beans like warm soil and will sometimes rot if they sit in cold, moist soil for long. I don't have personal experience with this, but that's what I've heard. The squash, cantaloupe and eggplant could go either way, but I bet they'll be fine.

Martha
diana_lynn
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much to everyone. I'm printing out your responses and putting them in my file for reference.

Diana Lynn

Help! Did I mess up?

Comments (5)

sheltieche

bigred

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