Since I was gardening for years and years before learning about wintersowing I have lots of 4" plastic pots from those plants that I used to buy. The 4" pots are great for sowing those plants of which I only want a few. I put them in a large plastic box (like a sweater box or under the bed box) that has holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and in the top for rain/moisture. To keep the plastic from splitting start with a small drill bit to make a small hole then use a larger bit to enlarge hole. If they don't have a clear top I put the lidless box in a large clear plastic bag which has slits/holes for ventilation and drainage. I found that the large bags from the tp from Costco are a perfect fit and the plastic is clear on the back and strong. I sow two or three seeds in each pot. Easy to cut the extra one or two off if only want one. Or to separate into two individual plants. Have been saving tp rolls to try. This is my fourth year wintersowing and every year I try something different. Love experimenting. Never have too few plants, always have too many! Zone 4 Perennials that need stratification,winter; perennials that do not need stratification, winter, spring, summer, fall; hardy annuals, late winter, early spring, summer, fall; tender annuals & tropicals, spring, summer, fall All of these sowing times can be adjusted with various techniques, nicking/ scratching seed, soaking seed, starting seed in small amount of moist mix and putting it in fridge, starting seed inside, etc. Reading the lists of others sowing in your area is a good suggestion. Also if you have questions about a specific seed post and someone will most likely have an answer. Welcome to the fun of wintersowing.

Thank you for asking maidinmontana ... sounds like an excuse to post some pictures, LOL! I did end up digging down 8" - 10" after removing the sod, bought a half yard of compost from a local garden center, then added about 20 bags of organic composted top soil. The soil level is actually a few inches above the original sod height, so it is kind of a semi-raised bed. The edging is holding all the dirt in well, but the grass has managed to sneak some runners underneath. Then my DH built a trellis for me out of some left over cedar from the fence. Before: After: As far as WS goes, I had good germination on my herbs and veggies, but between the 12 hours a day of high altitude full sun exposure, and the lack of protection from the wind, there have been some casualties. There is only one dill seedling left, one marjoram seedling, a couple of tiny thyme seedlings, and a few sick looking basil seedlings. The peppers sprouts were all eaten by something once they were planted out. It wasn't a total failure though. The oregano is finally starting to grow some, and the swiss chard is taking off now too. WS Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' I have to say that the things that are doing the best were all direct sown - the carrots, bush beans, cucumbers, and the 'Jack B. Little' pumpkins. Jack B. Little pumpkins: I will probably do some WS again this year so that I can feel like I'm gardening while it's below zero outside, but I might stick with annuals, and perennials, and just direct sow the veggies/herbs or start some in the kitchen windowsill. The basil, and parsley that I sowed in pots in the kitchen windowsill (south facing) are much bigger and healthier looking than the ones WS and planted in the garden. I know these results differ from many of the success stories on this forum, but the high desert/mountain climate here makes gardening more difficult than many areas of the country. My problems weren't with the WS process, but keeping things alive once they were planted out. I'd love to hear how it went for other WS'ers from this part of the country! And post some pics if you have them.

Zone 4a and this will be my fifth year doing this. I start around new years, typically with hardy perennials in my zone, shurbs/trees and seeds that i don't really care about (e.g. old seeds). I typically wait until late February to start putting out a lot of my annuals, and I leave the following til the end of march or early april: zinnias sunflowers ornamental millet abutilon dolichos lablab morning glories 4 o'clocks cosmos and pretty much anyhting tropical in origin Most of these will sprout if sown earlier, but their foliage is sufficiently tender that I lose them in the cold nights we have earlier in the winter/spring. If I wait til then, they typically don't pop til mid april or later and i typically don't have to worry about the seedlings freezing then.

I know how tough it is waiting for those seeds to show up. Just think though, with all your new WS plants, you'll be able to harvest your own seeds next time and won't have to wait again! This year I tried to remember to stop what I was doing and take photos of the seeds & pods as I was harvesting. As you can see, half the time I forgot to keep the seedpod intact or else I didn't have a dime handy: Hibiscus moscheutos/hardy hibiscus Alcea rosea/hollyhock Lupine Aquilegia/Columbine Coreopsis/tickseed Dianthus/pinks