This is my 2nd year and the container count was much higher this year. I have 126 for the Zone Wars, and 71 that I did on 12/16. Last year, I had maybe 50 containers.
I'm planning on doing just container plants next year, like petunias and pansies, so I probably won't have as many as this year.
Oh sure. Yeah, right.
Shirley!

My count is 298 as of yesterday when I WS a jug of double, ruffled, multi-color CA poppies. Last year I did 486 which turned out to be total chaos so this year I tried to keep it under 200. When I got to 200 I still hadn't WS some of the seeds I traded for so I kept going. Doesn't help that folks at work brought me milk jugs in exchange for free perennials. Only two of the 298 got smushed flat under the weight of 8 ft. of snow this winter and even those are sprouted!!

I'm noticing some of the phlox seeds I got in trades are moldy while others have sprouted so I doubt those will sprout no matter how long I leave them in the jugs. My best guess is they weren't ripe when harvested. Any other ideas/possibilities for the cause of them rotting?

Some surprises:
Russian sage has sprouted and I was a complete novice harvesting seeds this year. There are beds thick with them where I work so I harvested the fluff and spent hours painstakingly separating the seeds from it.
Spirea - I harvested seeds from the neighbor's shrub and they've sprouted. Sure hope those grow into nice plants--he's not doing too well so I'd like to plant some for him.
Apple & pear tree seeds from another neighbor--got 100% germination on both. He gave me just 4 apple seeds and 10 pear seeds so I'm giving him 4 apple tree seedlings and 10 pear tree seedlings.
Lavender --now we'll see if I can grow it!
Potentilla/cinquefoil from traded seeds (see Lavender)

I sowed 154 bottles, and almost all of the hardy perennials sprouted, with one or two exceptions. I'm sort of peeved because a couple of the ones I *really* wanted (like Baptisia) haven't sprouted! :(

Next year, depending on how everything does this year, I'll probably only do a very few. Annuals and such.

Newbie checking in with 1054 to date. Old time gardner with new property - retired and downsized to make life easier. Easy my a$$ - still want a shade garden, a cutting garden, a butterfly garden, a full sun garden, a rose garden, a hydrangea garden, a daylily garden etc. etc. etc. Winter sowing is so much fun and today I found that the planting was almost as easy and just as much fun!

Many thanks to all that helped enable me and were willing to respond to my questions. This forum is THE BEST!

Dorothy (Meadows)

Being a newbie, I did a lot, but not as much as some others. My total count, give or take a few, is 75. I still have lots of seeds left but I'm not sure if I'll get them planted. This is really fun! To everyone who traded with me: sprouts are just about everywhere!!!!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I skipped a year of winter sowing last year and I really missed it. The most I ever winter sowed was close to 200 containers the year before. This year I think I did about 50 containers. Then I sowed seeds indoors under lights, because the warm season vegetables just started to produce so late when I winter sowed them. I don't have a full sun situation anyway so that just adds to my problems. I planned on doing some spring sowing of the warm weather annuals etc, but so far, I've not been able to, so I direct sowed some zinnia, marigold and alyssum yesterday. I would have had more containers by now, otherwise. Right now everything has been outside for a few days since it warmed up. It was 80 here yesterday and 70 the day before, and HUMID...!

I'm very glad I decided to do tomatos, eggplant, and pepper under lights because none of my winter sown have germinated.

I'm happy to only have 50 containers to plant out, but I did have to winnow down the list. I can always think of a ton of seed to sow. I do try to pace myself though.

I forgot to answer when I first started winter sowing. It was 2005. I was such a skeptic I sowed exactly 5 containers. lol I was sure they were not going to germinate and was amazed when all of them did. I did 100 containers the next year.

Gardenweed, the year I did close to 200 was still too much for me. I always have a landscaping project going on, spring and fall, so that is where my focus is and I don't multi-task well. (g) I haven't tried tree seeds yet, but that must be fun. I just realized when you said you get so many containers, that I have not had access to a lot of containers and we don't use very many, so that has probably slowed down my winter sowing too. Just as well.

Dorothy, that is amazing, 1,000 containers your first year winter sowing! Really, I am impressed! That must be some kind of record, lol. I hope you are going to post a lot of photos of your gardening season, it sounds like it will be a busy one.

serenae - I have baptisia seeds for you if you want them. I have several mature plants and harvest seeds every year. The baptisia seeds I WS are just now beginning to germinate. They take quite a long time along with columbine, blackberry lily and lady's mantle so it might be a bit soon to give up on them.

20 containers. This is my 6th year wintersowing.

Karen

Meadows!! Over 1000 containers! Wow, that's getting up into Lgslgs's league! (She sowed like 3000 or something 2 years ago?)

Honestly, I think 100 containers is a lot to plant out, but I'm glad there are lots of WS seedlings and reseeders out there, because I lost a LOT of plants to voles this winter. First time ever! They were having a field day under all the snow. Yikes - the upside is it gives me lots of spots to fill in with seedlings.

gardenweed - that's such a nice offer! I tried to email you, but couldn't figure out how to.

The only thing is I'm located in Serbia, so it might be tricky - I'll have to see if I can get some stamps. I'll let you know if these ones don't end up sprouting.

I've done over 317, but have consolidated as well in the last couple of days. Next year will be far less.

I ws 107 containers this year. After years of ws hundreds and hundreds of containers I cut way back. Just over my goal of doing a 100 or less containers. Still need to find places for lots of 2nd year perennials. Think I need to extend some beds.

gardenweed, thanks for info about columbine and blackberry lily taking longer. Those are 2 that I'm still waiting on.

This is my first year WSing and I was like most...a bit skeptical. The stories of success and beautiful photos kept me moving forward. 102 containers total (nearly all have germination).

I enabled a neighbor, shared seeds and felt my heart warming when I saw her little family filling butter tubs and milk cartons with dirt and seeds :) This is their first year gardening. I hope it will be a great one.

I also started some things under lights indoors:
-over 100 super hot peppers
-59 tomatoes (30 different varieties) (60 seeds = 59 plants, cant get much better than that)
-cabbage
-cauliflower
-brussel sprouts
-cucumber

I WSd one tomato. Its tiny but DID germinate ;) Maybe next year I'll be a bit more adventurous and do less under lights and more WSing :)

A ~huge~ thank you to all that traded, BEAPed, encouraged and shared their stories and pictures !!