I don't know, I don't think there's much discussion now aboubt GUL. I just went through and read the titles of the posts, but on the entire first 2 pages now here I didn't see one about GUL.

Visitors are going to continue to wander here unknowingly and ask questions about GUL. Often one or 2 knowledgeable people will offer an answer. Unually someone will refer the visitor to the GUL forum and introduce him to our FAQs and invite him to join. I don't see anything wrong with that. It's in keeping with the friendly spirit we try to maintain.

I'm also thinking that if you start that post in the conversation area, that's not where those who stumble here accidentally will land anyway. They're still going to land right smack dab here in discussions.

Thats my 2 cents.

Karen

what an neat idea.

I just thought people asked non-wintersowing questions here cause people here at WS are just so nice!!

Heck you have all answered my newbie questions and have not once seemed mad at me a bit!

I just love you guys :)

I would stop your thread but I am a big failure at GUL so I will not give much advice.

Karen

Karendee, it was funny how it started for me. Same as you I was a big failure at direct sowing and indoor growing- then I stumbled at WS and things suddenly were growing all over, its like sky is the limit, before this current homeland security deal went for the seed import from overseas I would get seeds from botanists all over Europe, France, Australia, New Zealand, China and such. After I started WS it looked like my thumbs suddenly become "green"- I do direct sowing, my indoor set up is hugely successful. What changed besides my confidence I do not know but there you have it... been there ... done that...
Seedmama, I think you hit proverbial nail- this forum was and is through the history of GW friendliest place to meet and chat.

As a newbie WSer, I must admit that I have flats GUL as I type. It fulfills a few of my control issues. But I do HATE having to tend to the seedlings GUL and perhaps next year I'll give up GUL. I love the idea of using only Mother Nature to supply light to my plants.

austinnhanasmom, I have some GUL also. I usually kill them when I transplant :) they have sprouted so maybe they can keep me satisfied while I wait for sprouts in my WS containers.

lindalana, this is a great place to chat. reading about WS has just got me addicted :)
Karen

I already posted in the Conversations, Seedmama. I think this is a great idea. Some of us still do a little "puttering" under lights, but we're also avid WS'ers and major supporters of Trudi and the whole WS process.

Thank you for your thoughtful and enlightening post, seedmama. I wasn't aware just how new and widely under-appreciated winter sowing is at this point.

You long-time WSers, and Trudi, thanks for being patient with us eager-beaver newbies, wandering forum-folks, and the occasional OT posts. See, thing is, you've made this such a friendly, informative, informal, WARM place to hang out, some of us just can't help but want to, well, HANG OUT here. I've never really 'understood' the 'conversation' room, but rest assured, I'll use it more often!

Kris (Newbie -- and glad for it!)

Thank you, Seedmama!

I don't know if you'll have a lot of luck moving discussions. People usually ask questions where they are. If people are off topic it would make more sense to move to the appropriate forum than to go to an off topic conversation area. From 20 years of watching forums wax and wane, trying to split off conversations from one forum to another usually results in the demise of one or both forums.

Regarding winter sowing, I'm trying (started today) it this year using a modified approach. I'm using flats in an unheated greenhouse. We pay deposits on most beverage containers (milk jugs will be 40 cents) and I have a surplus of flats. I think the essence of winter sowing is planting the seed outside with suitable protection. There seems to be a variety of containers used, mine is just walk in.

Like most of us winter sowing isn't the only method I'll be using. I'm starting seeds under lights and will direct sow. From the posts it appears that winter sown seedlings will be smaller than garden centre plants and need some time to catch up. Thus the indoor start. When you're starting with 90 frost free days and maybe 60 of those being good growing days (I've seen my tomatoes shut down the first of August) a week makes a difference. So, I'm trying to figure out where winter sowing fits in. Given the range of techniques winter sowers are using, sometimes its just easier to add an OT question to a post with winter sowing questions than to post to multiple forums.

I agree with ljpother - I think you'll always get a person asking off topic questions. I don't mind when people come to the WS forum with off-topic questions. I think it's a great chance to inform them about wintersowing and increase our numbers. I don't think anyone should ever respond to an off topic question in a mean way. We definitley won't get people to convert to WS'ing that way! :)

As for the reasons one might ask an off topic question on this forum: I personally would prefer to ask an off topic question to those that I speak with often on GW. I myself have had some nasty experiences on other forums (where my question was absolutely on topic) and will never visit those forums again for that very reason. It seems that some people get so into their passion that they forget that others are still learning and will often "bite their head off" for not knowing something or asking it in the wrong way.

I understand seedmama's approach in moving it to the convo side, but I still doubt that will work in the long term simply because you'll always have new people coming to the thread that don't have a full understanding of wintersowing or the true purpose of this forum. There are off topic posts here all the time anyway. It wasn't on topic when I posted the story about drilling a hole in my hand just because I was wintersowing at the time. That had nothing to do with my containers, seeds, etc. - it was just a tragic/funny story to share with my fellow wintersowers. I guess that should have been placed on the convo side too, but do we really want to regulate everything that way?

My two cents....Diana

I don't see it so much as 'regulation,' so much as there are clearly topics that are related to other aspects of gardening/growing and more often than not, they already have their own forum here at GW. It's not taboo to talk about them with this group of people, however, it's more appropriate to take those discussions to the conv. side simply because they aren't "on topic" to the 'topic' of WSing.
I like the folks here, too, and I wouldn't want to 'hang out' at other forums simply because I like THESE people.
Think of it this way: If this were a 'meeting' in a big room, there would be seats set up facing one direction, and usually there's a refreshment table in the back. When people take a break from the seminar to go to the refreshment table, the conversations wander to all kinds of topics, not just what is being discussed. But when they head back to their seats, they stay on topic with the main discussion.
The conversation side is our refreshment table. Have a brownie!