I used to wonder why people were pre-wetting their mix before filling the containers. Last year I found out why after I got some potting mix that was bone dry. In previous years the mix I got had the perfect moisture content to use straight out of the bag to fill my containers. It had just enough moisture to allow it soak up the water from top or bottom after I filled and tamped it down in the containers. When peat is too dry and light in color it is very hard to wet it and water runs right off the surface. With mix that is too dry right out of the bag I put it in a large storage tube, spray it with the sink sprayer, then mix it in with a garden cultivator. It is amazing how much water it takes just to get the mix to that darker and slightly damp but still fluffy state that is perfect for filling the containers. I concur that bottom watering is the best way to get them damp now although it will probably take a long time. You can tell by the color change of the mix through the side of the jug when it is wet enough. Also they should feel quite heavy for their size. Top watering is likely to just displace the seeds and then run down the sides again.

I have variations of most of what you're growing. The hardy ice plant was new to me last year. I babied them all season by keeping them in their container then planted them out in the fall. It looks like five of the six will survive the winter (and the dogs tramping over them). At one point I took a couple of them in the house, and one of them actually bloomed -- a purplish aster-like flower.

What a fantastic idea - a big thumbs up to BOTH of you **standing up and applauding both of you**.... Lynne

Okay, I tried to cut and paste from Excel, but it didn't really work. My sheets are actually very easy to read grids. This is just the first page. I have 12 pages worth of stuff, but that includes everything that is direct sown, indoor sown, or wintersown. GERMINATION CHART 2011 Here are the column categories: Name of Seed Date Planted/ # of Seeds WS, DS, SI (wintersown, direct sown, or sown indoors) Germ. Date Date Planted Out # of Seedlings Bloom Start Date Agastache 'Apricot Sprite' WS African Daisy WS/SS Amaranth 'Autumn Touch' (sow April) SS Amaranth 'Love Lies Bleeding' (Green) SS Aquilegia 'Firecracker' 2/3/11 WS Aquilegia 'Chocolate Soldier' 2/3/11 WS Antirrhinum 'Frosted Sunset 2/3/11 WS 3/25/11 Antirrhinum 'Scarlet Giant' 2/3/11 WS 3/16/11 Asclepias curassavica SS Asclepias tuberosa 2/17/11 WS 3/16/11 Calendula 'Bon Bon Yellow' 2/26/11 WS 4/2/11 Calendula 'Pacific Beauty' 3/26/11 WS 4/6/11 Calendula 'Radio Extra' 3/26/11 WS 4/6/11 Calendula 'Touch of Red - Orange' 3/26/11 WS 4/6/11 Castor Bean 'Carmencita' DS in May California poppy 'Copper Pot' 3/3/11 WS 4/2/11 California poppy, dwarf red 3/3/11 WS 4/2/11 Chrysanthemum carinatum 'Sunset' 3/26/11 WS 4/2/11 Chrysanthemum 'El Dorado' 3/26/11 WS 4/5/11 Chrysanthemum 'Primrose Gem' OUT WS Coreopsis, Dwarf Red WS Coreopsis tinctoria 'Roulette' 3/3/11 WS 3/16/11 Hope that makes sense. So far I've wintersown 71 containers, and almost 50 have germinated. Most of what hasn't sprouted yet, are the tomatoes, and it's a little early for them yet. I'm just about ready to start sowing the tender stuff, like basil, zinnias, etc., but my schedule has been so crazy lately, that I just haven't found the time to do any more sowing. I did direct sow some carrots and radishes earlier this week, then today I discovered that a cat used the vegetable bed as a litter box, so I had to remove the present he/she left, and resow a section of carrots. Grrrr! I gave a talk on wintersowing at a local women's group this week, and it went very well. Hoping I made a few converts : ) Bonnie