I'm right on the edge of 7B and 8 and I wait a bit to sow the annuals that can't take frost at all (zinnias and such). That's because we have so much warm weather in the winter that things typically sprout within two weeks but we also have sudden hard freezes right up until early April. If I sow the tender annuals too early I have sprouts that can't take the cold. I presume that those in colder parts of the country don't have the problem of things sprouting so early and so it's not a problem to go ahead and get the seeds planted. One big reason I love wintersowing is that it is so much easier than alternate methods. I avoid the hassle of having to cover or move (or worry about) those eager little sprouts by just waiting a while. I'll probably take the chance and sow the fussbudgets in late March.

That sounds great Lisa! It's always nice to teach a class, and WS is so easy that people figure it out right away. You're welcome to print out whatever you want from WinterSown.Org. I suggest you tell the class to bring empty clean milkjugs, salad containers, soil, and you bring seeds, tape, knife scissors and printouts. Bring some bags and coarboard boxes so everyone can take their containers home easily. Do NOT do watering of the containers at the site, but instead tell people for this occasion to bottom soak the containers at home. At the class talk about WSing principles, seed saving, sowing seeds, soltice sowing, and natural germination, etc--it's your class so make it your own and do it as you feel is important. For seed sowing help them make their containers, rub in their seeds and seal the containers. Don't forget to vent. It sounds harder than it is, the bulk of the work is in the preparation, but otherwise it's a fun class to teach and goes quickly. T

Check the Winter Sown site. It is a great resource. I started ROS seed last January and they weren't 2-3 feet tall in April. Winter sowing might not be your best choice for those types of seed if you want that type of growth. You might want to consider sowing them in regular pots inside your house over the winter. I'm no expert though. Hopefully others will provide their thoughts. Good luck! Diana Here is a link that might be useful: WinterSown Site

I WS for the first time this year and was thrilled to get sprouts from foxglove. LOTS of sprouts--the containers looked like Chia pets! I grew them on & planted several out, gave them away to neighbors & friends. Not only did the ones I planted out bloom first year from seed, the ones I gave away did as well. I don't know if that means they won't come back next year but they were worth the effort to grow. Had I chosen to plant them together, a one-eighth teaspoon of seed produced enough plants to fill an entire bed. I will sow them again and plant them in groups of at least five, just for the WOW! factor. They are definitely worth having, even if it means growing them every year. Ditto for gaura/wandflower. Both had exceptionally long bloom times, as did alyssum.