Jessica, when you sow several hundred containers and are desperate to get it all planted out as early as possible, sometimes you just can't be neat about it. You just plunk the seedlings into the ground and run to the next spot.

I have a clump of Amsonia blue star that is in the shape of the bottom of a milk jug. I swear. ;-)

Funny thing. I have a clump of campanula, same thing. Size and shape of a milk jug.

When I started WSing, I learned a lot from Bakemom :-)

Karen

If you do the plunk and run....will the seedlings still thrive, or is it a survival of the fit-est..

do you think this is a good way to grow them, or is it a matter of getting them in the ground, and next season seperating ??

curious minds want to know....esp since I just hit 100 containers, and didnt put a dent in the pile of seeds...I fear getting them all in the ground...LOL

thanks in advance for any info...

For me last year when I did my plantout, I swear not a single sprout died. So if it was a survival of the fitest, I guess mine were all just too fit!!

Jessica
Plunk and run as said above is just a phrase we use here, LOL, we usually plant what we also term HOS, meaning a hunk of seedlings, we learned all this jargon from Trudi, our fearless leader. When you are ready to start planting, take the first of your containers that will be filled with seedlings, you can take a knife and cut it into small squares or larger if you like, as if you were cutting into a cake or a pan of brownies, dividing the seedlings into little hunks, then start planting, before you know it....you'll understand what we mean by plunk and run.

I must admit that I have more fun sowing seeds, seeing them sprout than I do have planting out. By using the HOS (plunk and run) method, it not only saves time, but aggravation. Trying to pull apart seedlings, to plant one at a time is too mind boggling for me.... HOS is the way to go -

Carrie

I thought that "plunk and run" was more for when we're desperate to get the plants in the ground, and are no longer agonizing over garden layout, color combinations, bloom time, putting short plants in front and tall plants in back... We just plant them wherever, and we get what we get!

Jeez, planning layout, colors etc. What's that about? Plunk and run is a funny solution to a problem and you don't get style points. That being said, my Amsonia is beautiful and I have posted for giveaways from this plant. I don't recommend it, but if you do it, don't be ashamed.

Everyone has their own style, preferences, organizational skills and sloppiness tolerance level.

If normal plunk and run doesn't get me through it, I may resort to trench-n-plunk. (dig a loooooong trench, and plunk like an assembly line.) A few hundred flowers, all in a row.

Oh, that'll make an awkwardly funny garden!

Thanks for the clarification-- I laugh at the thought of all of us out on any given day running around throwing and plunking these seedlings in the ground after we painstankingly cut milk cartons and wetted soil and made plant markers and check on them through all sorts of awful snowy conditions.

I have only sowed 55 containers and I am wondering what the heck am I doing? It is fun though and I am glad to have a new hobby! My husband thinks I am nuts now, but I am hoping that when my yard is the best its ever been and without having spent hardly any money... he will be helping my cut my milk cartons next year!

Thanks for all the advice and fun things to read and look at everyday. I love the pictures.

Jess

I believe I heard someone refer to this method as "chuck and duck." Not that it matters too much what you call it, but last year as I was softly launching a wide assortment of grass plugs in various directions, I pictured myself on a battlefield lobbing grenades. It was an amusing adventure with no destructive effects other than the fact that some whimpy grasses got muscled out later in the year by their more vigorous counterparts. The overall effect was very positive, however. So I may have to do some serious "plunk and run" or "chuck and duck" with the 200+ jugs I have this year!

Lyle

HOS is the official refined technique.

Plunk and run is an act of sheer desperation.

plunk and run - which is I believe bakemom's original term - is a perfect example of what many of us do when we are overloaded and don't know where to put everything. I have found my best garden border was where I put all the leftovers that I didn't label, etc. It was a surprise garden and it was my favorite - no order, was just "plunked"....

Carrie

Great thread! I think everyone here has value advice and experiences to share, wether you are a newbie or seasoned veteran.

It is really nice to see that I do not have to worry about planting out each individual sprout. I am pretty anal about the garden, but to hear that it is okay to do this, I will promise to try and be more relaxed when planting out. (uh, huh, I'll believe it when I see it!)

Ironically, Jungle Love by Steve Miller is on the radio as I type this. Funny thing is, my wife, family and my friends say that my yard will look like a jungle at the rate I am going!

Have a good one everyone.

I think this will be my method this year. I tend to be a perfectionist (hate it!) and last year I separated every single seedling to put in its own hole. I hadn't yet found this forum so I didn't wintersow them but that's beside the point. It takes a l-o-n-g time to do it my old way. I would agonize over every minute detail and because of that I was here planting my seedlings into September. I don't even know if some will make it over the winter because of getting in the ground so late. I'm almost certain they'd have been better off with the HOS method because I bet I could have gotten everything planted by June had I not worried so much about the fine details. I don't know if I could do the plunk and run method because I'm not one to hurry that much and do like to take my time with gardening, but I don't want to take THAT much time with it anymore. The sooner they get in the ground the more time they'll have to establish themselves. Because of finding this forum, I now have more things planted than I have had other years because back in those days I had to cram everything on my windowsills, but NO MORE! My seedlings have been liberated! lol

I have over 80 jugs and other containers sitting outside with seeds sown in them and still have most of my annuals to plant yet. If I'd fiddle around with separating every seedling, I'd probably be here until 2010 trying to get it all planted and hoping for extremely mild winters. lol YAY for HOS! If I get desperate enough, I might even do plunk and run if I'm still planting in June because I want the plants to get well established before our first frost, which is usually the beginning to middle of October.

I've also started a lasagna garden to save time and wear and tear on my back. I only got 1/4 of it done one exceptionally nice day here last week when it was in the 50's, and now we've had cold weather since that and some nasty snowy, icy days. So my lasagna garden is put on hold until we get another nice day. I figure it won't do much if anything this time of the year anyway, but if I get it started now it will be that much time saved in the spring. I have other gardens/beds here that I can plant before I get to that one, so I figure it will hopefully be ready by the time I get to it.

Sigh.

I plan on plunkin and a runnin....

I too plan to make some lasagna beds. Hopefully to be assembled in April as soon as the snow is gone, so they will have a month to settle into place. Supposedly you can plant directly into fresh lasagna/sheet mulched beds. Unfortunately, as with everything else, this year, I'm doing the whole thing in a BIIIG way...8 to 10 4 x 20 lasagna beds, 4-6 spiral herb gardens, continuation of the existing 1000 sf traditional veggie garden...and the list goes on.

Thank goodness for HOS. Hopefully I will be able to plant things out over the course of an hour or so each day for a few weeks.

OT? here. I can plant everything out into their permanent locations as soon as they have their 1st or 2nd set of adult leaves??? Even those plants that are supposedly frost sensitive?

And do I need to worry about frost when they are sprouting?

When one plunks, how do you mark what you planted in the ground? I also need a suggestion about some kind of barrier around the plant so it doesn't spread, like a circle (donut shaped) cut out and buried to ground level and put the plant in the center, I can visualize it but haven't a clue on what to use. Any ideas?

"...barrier around the plant so it doesn't spread."

What sacrilege! Get that idea out of you head. Let 'em spread, dig 'em up, and trade like wild.

And if the flowers run into each other, the weeds can't grow there. It's a wonderful weapon.

(tee-hee-hee)

Shasta...used coffee cans...cut the bottom out and voila!!!!You might already have some!!!! or, if you're like my house and gol thru a large can every week or faster!!!!

I'm loving all the frugal gardening tips...