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Yet another newbie question!

16 years ago

Hi! My first time trying wintersowing, just a couple of those burpee mini greenhouse things on my porch but I was shocked at how much stuff has already sprouted (good old NC winters- we'll have 70 degrees one day, 17 the next, then 60 for a week, etc...) But my bachelor's buttons have already grown to the top of the plastic! Is it ok to leave it like that, with them trying to grow against it? I'm afraid my sweet peas aren't far behind them either- and I can't figure out any way of raising the plastic without exposing them (and the cells that haven't germinated yet) to our unpredictable one-a-week frost.

Also, I have one of those plastic greenhouse carts- the ones on wheels covered with plastic with the bottom open that are like, $25 at lowes. Can I wintersow in this, just by putting little pots of uncovered soil on the shelves? Or is it too late anyways to start new trays, with only 5-6 weeks till last frost?

Thanks for any advice!

Rachel

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Comments (2)

tansy_moon
16 years ago
I'm a newbie at WS, but I have a lot of gardening experience. I would say definitely to give your plants headroom and do not let them press against the roof. I would find them a home that is roomier that will still give them protection, or perhaps put them in your cart.

I have the same problem in my 7 DC climate with so many warm days, but I am keeping them a bit on the dry side so they won't come up so fast. Since yours have already emerged, don't let them dry out completely.

I don't think it's too late to start new seeds, at all.

I'm not starting my green vegetables until the weekend, and not starting my annuals until mid March.

But I would definitely keep planting perennials this week because I think they will enjoy the cold snaps coming up in a week or so.
stage_rat
16 years ago
Hi, Rachel:

The tricky thing with the multiple cell containers is what to do when some plants get big. The plants pressing against the top will probably have the leaves touching the top die at the next frost, so I think the best thing for you to do is transplant those plants into their own wintersow containers, or out into the yard. Or your greenhouse.

I think the BB and sweet pea can be planted out and withstand frost just fine, but I want someone to come along and verify that! My self-sown BB are just fine, but they got established before winter set in. If no one posts here about that, starting a new thread with that question may get you your answers. You could cut up milk jugs or 2-liter bottles to be cloches for your planted-out babies, just leave the cap off.

I think that your Lowe's greenhouse thing creates a wintersowing situation, but you won't be able to see your condensation or if you need to water, so keep a close eye on it. Is the only possible venting out the bottom? I'd be really careful about how much sun it gets--make sure it's not midday or any kind of strong sun.

While some seeds really need true freeze-thaw cycles, many don't, and can be sown anytime. Trudi's definition is something like this: if you don't put on a sweater at sundown anymore, it's too warm to wintersow. (It's now called Spring sowing!)
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