I wish it was 14 here too. Yesterday I was out in the morning and it was 6. I kind of like it when the snow is on top of my containers and they are frozen. I know for sure they do not need water this way. I know last year I was worried like crazy. I kept asking if the jugs would be ok. I even misted them with water when frozen. This year I plop them outside and forget about them. Don't worry just sow and forget about them :)

Last time we had a frost like what's predicted tonight after I had sprouts, I dropped a plastic tarp (actually a couple of painter's plastic drop cloths from Home Depot 'cause they were cheap) over my whole wintersown area. I pulled it off the next morning before the sun got too high and all was well. Two years before that, we had a very late March snow and heavy rain. That year I went to the trouble of actually putting a couple of sawhorses around the edges and draped the drop cloths over them as protection for the whole area because I had a lot of containers with sprouts. When I only have a few containers with sprouts and a frost is predicted, I moved just those containers into the garage and back out again the next day. I don't know if any of this was really needed, but I figured better safe than sorry. Any one have a less intensive response that worked?

It's snowing here again. We're also having the worst flooding since the 1940s. Thankfully I live on a hill, so the water is not an issue for my house. But, the cold is putting a serious cramp in my wintersowing. I don't have a single sprout in any of my perennials, and I haven't even sown any annuals because it's too cold and I don't want the seeds to rot. Tomorrow I plan to put out my annual jugs. Otherwise I won't have them sown in time to have them included in the container count. Wish me luck! Martha

I have wintersown for a few years now- and have had great results just leaving the sprouts to their own devises. I keep the covers on till they MUST come off- it protects them from rain and snow and wind and critters and my inattentive watering. It provides the seeds with a moist protected environment they THRIVE in! None of my containers receive full all day sun- so I do not worry about them frying till the weather gets real hot during the day. I will be putting more out today in this COLD weather- my first of the annuals too, as I am guessing this will be the last of the sustained freezing cold- and as things warm up from here- the seeds will figure out when they want to sprout. I will worry more about the late frosts when there is more top growth exposed on these not hardy annuals- and have a set of shelves on the exterior of the garage with a handy roll down clear plastic sheet that will help a bit to protect them- thermal mass from the garage wall- and wind blocking- but these will feel the bite of the later cold snaps- usually all will come out ok- except for the tender tropicals. Those are the only ones I really futz with. I like to start them indoors early- and then do the indoor outdoor dance a couple of times a day till I get tired of it or the night temps stay above 50. Following the suggestions of Winter Sowing seeds that are hardy to your zone- or re-seeders and waiting a bit to spring sow annuals in containers is really an easy and very safe and worry free way to start so very many healthy plants- Although you do have to research which ones are safe bets for Winter Sowing- and what you should wait on to Spring Sow- or start early indoors. With a little planning- proper seeds- Proper placement, not on south facing full sun black top- not frozen solid into a puddle- just the right amount of drainage and transpiration/condensation holes- old Ma Nature will do a fantastic job at taking care of the rest! Honest! Best of luck to you- and your seedlings! Julie