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my winter sown vegetables 6 to 8 inches tall- pictures

13 years ago

here are some pictures took on March 30, around 10 days ago. All are winter sown.

choy sum chinese veggies
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spinach mustard
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Cherry radish{{gwi:371451}}

cabbage
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A lot more pictures on http://www.howtovegetablegardening.com/planting/winter-sowing

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Vegetables

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Comments (12)

ellenrr
13 years ago
Beautiful!
I can practically taste them. :)
jaggudada
13 years ago
They look so healthy. I have jealous!!!!!

You containers are different than milk jugs and 2 litre bottles. Whare those containers? Are those just big pots? did you conver it with plastic? If you could briefly let me know when did you sow, how did you sow will be greatly appreciated. Please summarize your process, they look so healthy....
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Thank you Veggieluv, we luv you too! Yes, the 'Winter Sowing Method' is not winter sowing a field in October with a green manure to turn under in April, or a winter rye, etc, to be cut for crop or fodder the next Spring. When you google Winter Sowing, the first hundred hits are dominated by the method, the ancient agricultural practice is going further and further behind the main pages. A few years back I went down to Beltsville seeking guidance and they very kindly and patiently gave it to me, as well taught me how to manage and grow my website. And it is that scholarly guidance which is why the method dominates over the ancient farming practice when you search the internet for 'Winter Sowing'. If you recheck the FAQs you'll see that the first one there is "How to Winter Sow", I think that is what you are referring to as what you want to read again. The FAQs were needed because there was a LOT of explaining because as you say, it is counter-intuitve, and it is also counter-cultural; many people believe that you need those heat mats and light set-ups to begin any sort of seed, and among the more experienced there were arguements that Deno's set of numbers had to be followed exactly. So, God bless Beltsville as they were the first authority who didn't start their convo with "No. You're crazy." I did good, so did they. We have a work-in-progress Database, there are veggies and herbs listed. I repeat it is a work in progress and it was created by the forum, my hands were not involved in its creation, but do to the need to house it in a reliable url, it is now at WinterSown.Org. Last week I finished the "cleaning and dusting", reframed it into a nicer grid, and uploaded the DB. The DB is in plain-text, you don't need Excel or Word or any database reading program, you can just click on the links and there it is. Keep in mind that not seeing a plant there doesn't mean that it can't be WS, and seeing a "NO" there also doesn't mean that it can't be WS--this is because there hasn't yet been enough years of entry to reliably prove and disprove particular plants. The DB is a suggestion and guide, but it is not the know-all, end-all, do-all, be-all for what seeds you can sow with the method. I am very glad that VeggieLuv mentioned tomatoes and peppers, initially most people think that you can't WS them. Consider the plants that reseed in your garden--we've all heard the legendary tales about toms germinating in cracks in sidewalks and growing to be the healthiest plants anyone has ever seen. Toms do reseed in a temperate climate because they're from a temperate climate, peppers and eggplants and all solanums can reseed. It does make sense that it you live in zone five or colder, that you choose a short season tom and not a 110 dtm type because you may be bringing in green fruits to ripen on the counter. Short season gardens need short season varieties. Give it a try, if you're unsure of the method then hold back some seeds to sow by whatever means you want, then at the end of the season compare the vigor, health, flowers or crops of what you sow. Your eyes are your teachers. Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Database
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LilBlossom
13 years ago
Nice! So neatly spaced out too! You should see my "bunched" up plants! *lol*
saravancouver
Original Author
13 years ago
i winter sown them in the large grape flats with plastic cover. Than transplant the seedlings in the large container made from half garbage can on March 15. No covers in the garbage can container because they very strong and even can grow in winter. Actually I should transplant them early so I would have had the full crop much early than now. I waited the mushroom compost to be delivered in March since they don't want to do it in Feb. ( too much rain and muddy).

here are the pictures in order:

Winter sowing large flat

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seedlings in the large flat

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transplanted the seedlings on march 15, 2011

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grow to 6 to 8 inches on march 30, 2011

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A lot more pictures on http://www.howtovegetablegardening.com/planting/winter-sowing

Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow vegetables
terrene
13 years ago
Great pics! They look yummy! Do you grow in containers due to lack of space? Do your containers get full sun?
saravancouver
Original Author
13 years ago
Most of my backyard are concrete but i winter sown thousands of veggie seeds and flower seeds, so i grow some on the ground, some in containers. The containers gets around 6 to 8 hours sun.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable Gardening
jaggudada
13 years ago
saravancouver.

Did you set this grape flat in the middle of nowhere where the snow can fall on plastic and might make plastic touch the soil or you set this under some protection? How did you water it? you mentioned no covers on garbage can containers, are these containers set in some type of protection? Also I see you will be transplanting them twice. Isn't it? When will you transplant them in ground?
Thanks
saravancouver
Original Author
13 years ago
"Did you set this grape flat in the middle of nowhere where the snow can fall on plastic and might make plastic touch the soil or you set this under some protection?"
---When I winter sown the seeds, I set them outside without protection when they are in the grape flat. But we don't have much snow here, the snow came few time and melted in couple of days. But tons of rain. And at night always below zero before April. When I saw the sprout came out, I removed them to a shelter area, but still outdoor in the cold. Just because we have so much rain here, almost every day. Every few days I put them out of the shelter area to get some rain.

"you mentioned no covers on garbage can containers, are these containers set in some type of protection? " The garbage can container are not under any shelter, and I just transplanted some of the seedlings from the grape flat to the container as the permanent home. And other seedlings transplanted onto the ground. No two time transplanting for the same seedling.

Right now in the gabage can container, the veggies might be too crowed. But I always can pull out couple of them and just eat the younger and tender crop. And leave the others to grow bigger.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing
river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
13 years ago
Sara, congratulations! Maybe healthy plants make healthy people? Your pictures look great. I have enjoyed looking at your interesting containers before & remember the large tofu boxes that you were re-using for ws'ing. I like the way that you recycle, recycle!
oliveoyl3
12 years ago
Sara,
R U winter sowing them again? How did your last ones do with transplanting? Did you have bolting with the erratic spring weather? I'm in western WA south of you. You might want to add your zone to your user name.

Please consider posting your inspiring pics on the Asian Veg forum.

Corrine
ladyrose65
12 years ago
Those are really nice pictures. I like the cup and half cup idea. After today's temps, I'm starting to get nervous that mine will sprout. If felt like 65 degrees today.
Farmington
10 years ago
CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IN YOUR SOIL ON THESE CONTAINERS.

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