spacing seeds and appropriate location

17 years ago

Hi, I am a complete Newbie when it comes to winter sowing. In fact, I haven't even started yet! I'm hoping to start this week, though. My question is, how do you space seeds in containers? For example, how many seeds would you plant in a milk jug?

Also, would it be ok if I put my containers in my sun porch and then move them out when the weather gets nicer? I would guess the sun porch is only about 10 degrees warmer than the temperature outside, plus they would be protected from wind and heavy snow.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (13)

kqcrna
17 years ago
Use as many seeds as you like. For tiny ones I sprinkle on the soil surface. They often grow to look like Chia Pets. I just cut them into hunks and plant out that way.

For larger seeds, like zinnia, I'll space them more reasonably and plant out singly.

Karen
0
kqcrna
17 years ago
Location- put them outside. The cold is good, rain and snow essential. The moisture and freeze/thaw cycles will help to break down the seed coat.

You don't have to worry about temperatures until you have seedlings. Tender ones, like zinnias, might be damaged by frost, so most of us don't start those until closer to spring. Hardy perennials and hardy annuals, like poppies and bachelor buttons, like the cold and laugh at frost.

Just put them outside, where they belong. Mother nature drops seeds there, and they grow. We have hundreds of wintersowers doing this, many for years now, with nothing but happy results.

My milk jugs last winter
{{gwi:354020}}

Turned out like this
{{gwi:359274}}

Karen
0
Related Discussions
Where to locate tall pentas seed? Especially 'Longwood Pink'...
Q
Comments (16)
So many pentas are propagated by cuttings. Ask Longwood Gardens where they got the plants. Get a plant and take cuttings. Also before you buy seed, on a search engine type in "pentas trials" or similar. You can get good performance info that way, particularly if a trial is in your area. If you search you may land on one variety or color. Check the main list; often they trial several pentas if they do a penta trial. Some of the pentas that are readily available from seed turns out not to be great trial performers. The biggest issue is lack of uniformity between plants. On your search results you may have to click several pages before you see all trials. Example link below. UGA is always good as well as UoF and the Dallas trials and many others. Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell
...See More
what's the appropriate tall fescue grass
Q
Comments (3)
v1rtu0s1ty, I went through the tall selection process in 2009. The mix you have posted is OK, but I have only heard of one of them, Justice, which is a good one, but it's been around for 10-15 years. Also it contains creeping red fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, which is fine, but if you want all tall fescue, then you shouldn't use it. The tall fescue you find in the big box stores is somewhat of a crap shoot. Pennington has some of the best, albeit older cultivars, and The Rebels is a good mix, but if you really want to get the newest, best performers you will need to use a seed seller, probably via the internet. I used the NTEP ratings to select what seed I bought (www.ntep.org). Where are you located? The NTEP tests many different cultivars all over the country. You can see which ones did the best near where you live.
...See More
Small space vacation locations
Q
Comments (16)
FlGargoyle, thanks for the VRBO link. I will check it out. We have that house in Massachusetts, of course, which some might consider a nice place to get away and in New England not far from Boston. Many residents work in the city, in fact. But our experience loaning it out to a couple was less than ideal, so we are very reluctant to take a chance on something bad happening. But we did stay in a glorious 3 story home about a block off the beach in Virginia Beach. They had a whole book for us to take heed of, and in order to get our deposit back, everything had to go back in the proper spot, according to photos of every drawer in the kitchen identifying each item, and the linen closet, and the beach chairs and boogie boards and such. Very smart they were about running such a rental space. Whether that is common way that rentals keep track of possessions in VaBeach, I do not know. But it made it easy for the home to be ready for the next set of vacationers--who were lined up at the office waiting for the keys when we dropped our keys off at the end of our week. BTW, the kitchen was on the TOP floor. So was the living room with a huge TV and stereo. In short, all the expensive appliances were above flood level. The ground floor was constructed in what we call "breakaway walls," so that only the ground floor might be damaged by hurricane surges. No carpet, just cement floors, and they were painted like beach sand, with crabs and shells and seaoats and green sea water all around the two bedrooms and a bath down there. It was a lovely home, fully equipped, and had a gorgeous outdoor shower which I fell in love with.
...See More
Seed spacing too close.
Q
Comments (2)
You can do couple of things : 1- Thin them for proper spacing. 2- dig them out and transplant into another location. Tomato seedlings are very transplant friendly. Sey
...See More
Related Professionals
Hyattsville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Middle Island Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Parole Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Frisco Landscape Contractors · Costa Mesa Landscape Contractors · Fort Hunt Landscape Contractors · Framingham Landscape Contractors · Gurnee Landscape Contractors · Kailua Landscape Contractors · Long Branch Landscape Contractors · New Brighton Landscape Contractors · Secaucus Landscape Contractors · Vacaville Landscape Contractors · East Norriton Landscape Contractors · North Hills Landscape Contractors
mommie_rose
Original Author
17 years ago
Very impressive! Thank you!
0
kqcrna
17 years ago
Atta girl, mommie rose! Get 'em out there!
Believe it or not, we have a member in zone 1, North Pole Alaska who wintersows. Compared to her winters, our weather in zones 5 and 6 are nothing.

Where are you Chocolatemoose? Haven't seen or heard from you all year I don't think. Speak up- I'm bragging about you!

Karen
0
chocolatemoose
17 years ago
I've been quietly lurking with a cozy, fuzzy blanket over my head trying to stay warm...LOL

I'm not starting my WS babies for at least another week...Simply because we have been experiencing sustained 40-50 below zero temps and it's too cold to warm up the garage to plant. Plus,the thrill of trotting my babies outdoors in those temps wore off LAST winter...Today is a balmy few degrees above zero!

This is a previous pic in March of last year on the back deck.
{{gwi:359275}}

This is what they turn into
{{gwi:359276}}

Karen...You'll be sorry you woke me up!...LOL But thanks for doing so!
0
gardenluv
17 years ago
I too was wondering where you had gone! I'm glad your back chocolatemoose!
0
kqcrna
17 years ago
Hi Moose! I'm glad you're back.

I can't even imagine living Alaska, those temps are beyond my power of imagination. But you sure do grow beautiful wintersown babies in that cold incubator.

Karen
0
yogi-gardener
17 years ago
Karen and Chocolatemoose, those are beautiful pictures! I hope my ws babies will look half that good.
And Moose.. I can not even fathom that kind of cold, I think my blood would freeze within minutes. You deserve a medal or something, all of you that live and garden in those temps!
0
chocolatemoose
17 years ago
AK IS cold when it hits those temps, but in the Interior where I live, it's extremely dry with minimal wind so it feels different than other parts of the country do at those temps. Your body acclimates, we take certain cold weather precautions and for the most part, life goes on. I can't fathom 100+ degree temps with humidity in the summer...Naw...I'd be a blob of melted chocolate...LOL. The ones who deal with the high temps, crazy winds or ice storms are the ones who I think are amazing...After 47 years in New England and family which swelters through summers in the south, I'll stay here! AK's incredible summers are the medal Mother Nature awards us for enduring the winters...Now, if she could just award that medal a bit sooner...LOL
0
zengeos
17 years ago
Moose o chocolate. yum!!!!

Anywho...give it a few years and I'm sure your zone will increase to a balmy Zone 2!!!

Woohoo!!!!!

?????
0
LindaMA
17 years ago
Chocolatemoose, how long of a growing season do you have there in Alaska? I'm with you regarding summer in Alaska, I have never been but have friends who have and some of the photographs that they have are amazing.

It's a beautiful state!

Linda
0
greengardener07
17 years ago
Karen,

Those are some great pictures! It is amazing how such tiny little packages can provide so much color, texture, fragrance and joy! Thanks for sharing them.

I hope that I can get some nice results this year as this is my first year winter sowing.

Thankfully, my wife is patient and understanding of my love of the yard.
0
chocolatemoose
17 years ago
Linda...Considered to be 90 days outdoors. June 1 to Aug. 30.

And to get this thread back OT, I am overly meticulous about spacing seeds in any of my containers...Seeds that have to be sprinkled give me anxiety attacks...LOL

Had to add that so AK won't be blamed for going OT
0

spacing seeds and appropriate location

Comments (13)

kqcrna

kqcrna

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

mommie_rose
Original Author

kqcrna

chocolatemoose

gardenluv

kqcrna

yogi-gardener

chocolatemoose

zengeos

LindaMA

greengardener07

chocolatemoose

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

spacing seeds and appropriate location

Comments (13)

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

mommie_roseOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mommie_rose
Original Author