I'm Doris from west central Indiana. I hardly ever post, I lurk a lot. I've been wintersowing since January of 2004.

Amy from Queens, New Yawk! I'm a Newbie here, and have been a lurker for a while. I feel like I know many of you already! I've only been gardening for about one year and am looking forward to the upcoming winter. I will be doing alot of balcony gardening and anticipate asking PVick lots of questios on the subject

Glad to meet you all,
Amy

Amy, I gotta ask... what does the screen name refer to?

:)
Dee

Beth from west central Alabama. Almost a year gardening and this will be my second year WS. Wow, this has been a great adventure, made especially fun by reading all the informative posts and drooling over all the great pictures that you all post!! My husband has given me the go-ahead to kill off all our grass!!Wwhhooee!!

Hi Dee,

I work for the NYC Medical Examiner's Office. The name is sort of a joke my husband and I have. I keep telling him I am going to write a comic book about my adventures. The morgue girl is sort of like a Peter Parker/ Spiderman thing. Anyway, the name just kind of stuck after that. LOL
Amy

Well, it's a cool name, Amy! I wish I had been more creative when picking a name, lol!

:)
Dee

I dig your name, too, Dee. It has a nice ring to it. "Digger Amy" just doesn't have the same flow. LOL

That is funny. Rosepedal here Newbie last fall. Thanks to everyone here I have had a wonderful year watching all my new flowers. I live in NE WI. Hi Norabelle we are neighbors. Yippee.....

Hey, lots of lurkers coming out of the woodwork ... er ... jugs .... ahem ....gardens! Good to "meet" all of you!

Amy, nice to have another balcony gardener around! I'll admit that I always feel a little diminished/envious when I see all the beautiful things that the "ground" gardeners grow, but I try my best. Maybe a little too much, since I can barely walk around out on the terrace! I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you want to ask ...

PV

Thanks PV, for your hospitality and warm welcome. Judging from your pictures, the WS process works quite well. It is easy to be envious of the ground gardeners, but on the bright side, no chipmunks, groundhogs, or bunnies to contend with. My balcony is actually screened, which I hope will not be an issue.(plenty of cold, rain and snow, not so much. My only critter issue will be keeping my three cats from digging in the containers.

Amy

Hi everyone,
I'm a 5 yr wintersower, we moved to the pacific northwest last year to retire and spent the year in a rental until last month, we bought our dream house in the country with 2 1/2 acres! Also had our 1st grandbaby, a darling boy!! So we have been super busy this summer but I'll be back in action the coming winter :-D
So nice to see you all.
Wendey

Hi,
I am new to the Winter Sowers. I gave my hand at "spring time"
sewing, only to have nothing germinate.

Thought I needed more education on this topic, so here I am.
I am z 5b KS.

Mary

Winter 08/09 will be my 2nd WS. I'm completely hooked. I can afford to do so much more now and don't waste ton's of space under lights.

Melissa

This was my first year wintersowing and I love it! So many varieties are possible now!

Thanks to all who helped me by putting their experience into words here on GW! It's sure made me a better gardener having all of you around for support.

I'm already making lists of seeds to start for this winter's wintersowing.

Laura

Duane here, 4 or 5 years I believe.

Many years of gardening, and just started wintersowing this year! I LOVE IT!

Pam - soon to start my third year of wintersowing. I'm putting a picket fence around the front yard, so I'll be moving some beds and creating others - so I need plants!! Of course if I didn't have that reason, I'd have dozens of others (at least that's what hubby says, lol).

Phyllis from north central Minnesota here, with only two years of WS, but am enthralled with it. The hollyhocks were gorgeous this year, that I wintersowed last year.

Tina or trowelgal here. Live near the Kansas City metro area in Shawnee, Kansas. Will be hosting a plant swap for any area gardeners in the spring of 2009. Let me know if you would like to join us.
Wintersowing about 5 years, I think. It's the greatest! I WSed my tomoatoes this year and they rival any in my neighborhood. WSing is the greatest way to garden!
Tina

This was my first year, Everyone can't believe how big some of the plants have grown. Didn't leave any room for weeds. It doesn't get any better than this!!! Thanks everyone for all your info and help. Looking forward to winter for the first time in my life.
Linda, Youngstown, OH

Still here. My malva, nasturtium (ws and self), balsam impatiens(ws and self), lupine, doing great. Next year switching from milk jugs to large cups in milk jugs-just too hard to HOS sometimes.
Next year I plan to try some veggies.

ws 4 yrs.

Donna from Orland, CA. We live on 5 acres 100 mi N of Sacramento. We are surrounded by olive and orange orchards and horses. We have deer, jackrabbits, raccoons and a family of red fox. It's a great place to raise grandkids. I started wintersowing last winter, thanks to the wonderful newbie packet of seeds. I have a 1/4 acre country garden that I am trying to fill up. I still have lots of room. I am saving up milk jugs for next winter. I will have lots of rudbeckia and echinacea seeds to trade, plus lots of other plants. I am just hoping that I don't get the terrible winds we had last year. I lost some plants just after I planted them out. That cold north wind just sucked the life out of some of my babies.

I live in central PA. I've been winter sowing for 4 years. Mostly flowers and shrubs until this year. I winter sowed many of my vegetables including asparagus. They were the cutest plants when I looked into the milk jug. Coleus have their color when they first sprout, too.

dem_pa

Kim, zone6b western md, this coming year will be the second year wintersowing.

Ginger, zone7 Piedmont area of NC, this will be my 4th year wintersowing

Martha, Grand Rapids, MI. Zone 5. 5 or 6 years wintersowing and I'll never stop.

Hello all. Karin from mid-MI. Started ws 2 years ago when we moved to MI from MN. It definately saved me from winter blues & homesickness now that I am so far away from my family. I have to say my favorite set-up is the plastic sweater boxes with cups inside. Thank you to whoever originally posted that idea!

I sent away for my free wintersowing.org seeds this morning.

First time winter sower, long time reader of the forums here.

This year, I've got Rudbeckia goldstrum, cleome, hardy hibiscus ,Cosmos, several coreopsis, 4 o'clocks, coneflowers, some annual salvia, marigolds, petunias and forget-me-nots.

I want to try zinnias (never grown them at all), butterfly weed, lantana, verbena, and anything else I can get my hands on. My perennial bed is in its second year. It looks a little sad right now, but the weather is not cooperating. Maybe I'll do better next year with w-s plants.

token, - don't hesitate to ask as many questions that come to your mind... Believe me, I asked so many questions on this forum my first year, I thought I would be banned, but instead all I ever got were helpful responses and reassurances that NONE of my questions were silly or dumb - and that there really is no dumb question anyway...

You say your garden is sad now... remember how you feel now because next year you will be stunned at how beautiful everything will look for pennies... Yes, do the zinnias. I never really bought zinnias and didn't appreciate their flexibility (tall, short, colors galore) until I learned to grow from seed. Now they are my favorite flowers and so much fun to cut and display.

Good luck - keep posting

Carrie

Colleen in Michigan this will be my second year.

I don't know if I should call myself a WS'er or not, I start seeds all year round when I have time and it seems right for whatever I'm trying to grow. For years I grew plants from seed mainly by just sprinkling seed on the ground and keeping the ground moist. I actually had pretty good luck doing that, but a few years ago a friend showed me a good way to sow by using 4" pots and plastic baggies, so now that's what I do and I get quite good results that way. Of course, now I've got a zillion little plants to pot up, but that's OK!

I've been growing things from seed since I was about 8 years old (over 40 years). I now live in northern California.

--Ron

Carrie630: Thanks. I've got a pretty good handle on things right now. I've been reading a lot about the plants that do well here. I'm letting some things like Cosmos and cleome self seed while collecting enough seed in case they don't come back in the numbers I want.

My only worry is that I will go overboard as usual and have millions of plants to push off on friends, neighbors, and convicted felons. ;)

I'm also a little nervous because I put down leaf mulch on my beds this spring giving pillbugs the perfect habitat. They're not supposed to eat live plants, but someone needs to tell them that as they munch on my black eyed susan roots. :(

Linda in Western Massachusetts, two years winter sowing. I still haven't posted any pictures yet, I've been so involved in gardening and the birds that have been visiting and living in my backyard!

I'm here!
Sarah from DC, third year wintersowing and learning tons more every day.

Sarah ... everytime I see your handle, I want to see a photo of your three orange cats... ;0)

Carrie

"...My only worry is that I will go overboard as usual and have millions of plants to push off on friends, neighbors, and convicted felons..."

Um... is there something wrong with that?.... Doesn't everyone do that...?

:)
Dee

Melissa here from Central Michigan. Last winter was my first year. Not a huge success but what did turn out was beautiful. Looking forward to winter......wait, what am I saying!!

Vera in Rosalia, Wa (Eastern WA); wintersower since fall of 2003.

I'm still here - haven't done a lot of posting recently, but I'm still winter sowing.

Barbara - (southeastern)PA, zone 6/7

I am checking in from Rhode Island..although id rather be in PA ..LOL

This will be my second year ws..and I just love it ! From having the pot gheto to check daily in spring, to watching the baby sprouts grow and bloom...I am hooked ! oh, yea..and I love to play in the dirt in the middle of the winter ! ( who cares if we cant eat at the table..isnt that why couch potatoes were made ? LOL)

Nice to meet cha all..and all lurkers out there..please check in..we dont bite..much..LOL

thanks for starting this thread..I am seeing some people I thought werent around anymore, and learning about some new people also..nice to make new friends ! and to find more people to enable..ahhhaahhhaahhha

Dan here from Traverse City Michigan. This'll be my first year wintersowing, and have a deep intense feeling it won't be my last! LOL!!! Had my first "garden" when I was 3, and haven't quit since. Can usually be found over in the round robin forums, "quietly" stirring things up! hehehe
Got pushed over here by bakemom a few months ago, quickly edumacated about the whole ws thing, and have been saving milk jugs ever since.
Right now I'm busy harvesting veggies and seeds, when not on the phone with my S.O. who is currently living in New York. But, she's moving in with me soon! Yay! Yay! Yahoo!!!
Anything else y'all want to know? Just ask!

-Dan, the New Bee

Terri in the Kansas City area - this will be my 3rd year wintersowing, another one vowing to sow less as I still have four containers to put in the ground (just put 8 in two days ago, pathetic)... I just run out of steam when it comes to planting I guess. :] Right now is my favorite time - *seed saving*! Looking forward to the big seed swaps later in the fall! :-D

Hi,

I'm Evelyn from Woodstock, IL. First time wintersower. I had such a great time WSing this past Winter, that I can't wait to try it again! I really want to thank all of you who gave me words of encouragement. I'll have to post pics some time of my first time WS efforts!

Hello everyone. I'm April in Albuquerque, NM. This has been my 2nd year WSing. I'm still summer sowing some stuff and also planning for next year. For me, looking through catalogs and seed collecting is half the fun!

Gladys, 1st year wintersower
Scranton, PA

Hi, Sue from southeastern Mass. - Never tried wintersowing before... but can't wait to take the plunge this year. Have been starting seed collecting too. What fun!

Margie from St Louis, MO. Discovered WS and this forum last winter and tried the method since it seemed like a no-brainer. Had my best-ever spring with so many plants and I didn't even try the veggies using WS. I've been raising my tomatoes, peppers and basil from seed under lights every winter for years (at least 10). This next winter, some will be started outside instead. It was so easy !!! I love growing plants from seeds so this has been such a natural transition for me .

I'm starting to make a list of what seeds I can save for trade this year. And I have to say this is such a nice group of folks on this forum.

Wow! Now this is impressive! I love this easy meet and greet all in one post! I happened upon GW thru a google search on some seed or another.. quickly read up on WS'ing and started 'late' (in March 08) but still managed to get a good 35 jugs going and had alot of lovely plants this year! I was just amazed how simple it is, and I am SO hooked! This year will be bigger and better for sure, I can't wait!!

oh yes... NW GA here, about 3 years gardening and less than one winter of WS experience :)

Great to meet everyone!
~Sassybutterfly_2008 / Wendy

hi
christy from SW-PA
0 years of SW, this will be my first! :) i have a bunch of pop bottles n milk jugs saved up and still saving:)

Hello,

Michelle in Camden, NC. This will be my 3rd winter sowing. Can't wait, can't wait!