Gallon milk jugs. This will be my 4th year, and gallon jugs have always been my favorite.

Karen

Gallon milk jugs, large clear baked goods/produce boxes and deep aluminum clear dome covered lasanga pans from Walmart. I save the last two from year to year.

This will only be my 3rd year, so I am not exactly a veteran. But I do sow a huge quanity (300+ packets/containers)so I have learned a lot! I think milk jugs are best for anything that will be in there a while (perennials ) and that it is easier to monitor annuals in the containers that the tops come off and go back on after you take a peak!

Last year was my first year but I tried a variety of everything. I didn't like the lasagna pans. Not enough dirt. I didn't like the cups and plastic containers because they required too much watering too often. Milk jugs and 2 liter bottles worked out best for me but they are so hard to water from the top. I've found that the square jugs that baby water comes in to be the best because they are sturdier than milk jugs and the square shape makes it easier to get plants out.

I'll be hurting for containers again this year. I haven't been saving milk jugs. DH throws a fit. I'm about to throw DH. I told myself I wasn't going to sow as much this year as last year. Can you say DUH!

Milk jugs and 2 liters.

Last year was my first year at wintersowing. But I used the square (really retangular) juice bottles. Where I work we served juice so I could save from there. They seemed easy to get the plant out of the container. I tried a few milk jugs but seemed to prefer the juice bottles. I saved most of them to use again this year. Prepping the bottles was half the battle.

Thanks
Kathy

I've used anything and everything in the last 6 years, but as time has moved forward, the main thing has been to be able to place at least 3 inches of soil and preferably 4 inches in each container.

I am letting go of the small styrofoam cups this year. Water actually seeps out of those. As a matter of fact, I'm letting go of any small container less than 1 liter.

My favourites last year were large yogurt containers covered with 2 liter pop bottle tops set in 2 liter pop bottle trays which hold 8 containers. The seedlings were much easier to get out of the yogurt vs the pop bottle bottoms which somethimes have to be cut. This year there will be virtually no preparation for containers since all were in great shape after being used and will be ready for another season. :O)

I still love milk jugs, but they don't save well from year to year and take up a ton of space in the garage. So, I bit the bullet last year and bought deep "disposable" food storage containers. They're 8-cup size and rectangular in shape. Easy to get plants in and out, they stack nicely for storage AND even when they have plants in them--makes it easy to carry them around the yard for planting. Some I even stacked in the sun waiting for them to sprout, but only when there was deep snow and I didn't expect much to be happening. I also like the large butter/yogurt/coolwhip containers with the top cut out and clear plastic wrap. I actually use the excess window plastic I use for winterizing the house.

Martha

This will be my second year. I used mostly cottage cheese/sour cream containers and was very satisfied with them. They will be easy to re-use as well.

I use a combination of all those used by the posters above. For many annuals I use 4 inch nursery pots given to me by friends who buy plants. Good for sowing large seeds for individual plants ie: morning glories, sunflowers, etc. then they are placed inside a large clear plastic box with a clear cover or covered with a plastic bag. Easy to lift the lid to water after they germinate and able to grow a bit bigger before planting out.

My favorite container is still the milk/water jugs. New ones are hanging on a string in the garage. Those that will be reused from last spring are in bags in the garage, rinsed and waiting to be sown.

This will be my 3 rd year and I will be using either the gallon jug or the 1/2 gallon jugs. I find these work the best for me. Just the right depth and easy for to get the plants out of at planting time. The only thing that will change for me is too hopefully use less of the smaller seeds like petunias. I always start way too many of these and run out of room for them.

Paula

Last year I went to the kids' school and collected the little milk containers from the lunch room. I got about 75 per day. I put them on styrofoam(sp?)trays and then into plastic baggies that my work just throws away. Makes it very easy to transplant! This year I have saved the larger juice cartons-half gallon ones, to try. Sandwich baggies fit right over those.

Square and tear, I say!!
Brandy

Gallon Milk Jugs because they are easy to come by, hold enough soil, and are easy to stack and bottom-water with the handles going on...
I also like to find the DEEP deli salad containers, and those giant black bowls that take-out salad comes in (we get them at work for various meetings).

But mostly the gallon jugs.

Last winter was my first year winter-sowing. I tried an assortment of containers - 1/2 gallon, gallon, and 2 1/2 gallon milk/water jugs, 1-2 liter bottles, plastic salad boxes, yogurt containers, and a few other odds and ends. I cut flaps and hinges and used duck tape and twist ties. Wanted to experiment.

My favorite containers are the large plastic rectangular salad boxes - they're large and deep, easy to stack, very easy to take on and off the top, no duck tape necessary, easy to reuse, and I had better germination using the same seeds in these than other types of containers. The only drawback was getting the seedlings out - it was easier with milk jugs and 2 liter bottles.

I've rinsed and dried out a bunch of containers to be reused this year, plastic jugs, 2 liter, and salad boxes - most of them already got holes, and no more picking through people's messy recycle bins! Winter-sowing should be easier this coming winter. Next step - start putting together seed orders! Yippee! :)

Gallon milk jugs ONLY. I cut a nice size hole on the side for an opening. No more slicing of the container in half than taping. Too much wasted tape and time. easy to water too.
For storing: Get a long rope, tie a huge knot on the bottom and thread the milk handles onto the rope and start hanging the jugs- than I hang it in the garage. Takes very little room and is OUT of the way. My fishing friend taught me that one.

my fav is the 5 qt ice cream pail. plenty of room. easy clean up, stackable so storage is less of a problem. easy on/off top.

I have finally settled on a pot that I will use on a permanent basis! I made lids for my nursery pots (both azalea sized and gallon sized pots). The lids weren't cheap but so worth it in the long run for me.

I ordered plastic deli lids from the Webstaurant store and Lilreptiles.com (I needed 2 sizes). I measured the diameter of the 2 pot sizes I'm using and then ordered the lid as close to the measurements I needed yet would overlap a little (so rain water doesn't collect and flood into the pot).

The preparation took some time but I never have to do it again! I loathe duct taping plastic to my pots. What I did was drill holes in the plastic tops for ventilation/watering. I made sure I placed 2 of the holes close to the edge of the lid. Then, I drilled 2 holes on the sides of my nursery pots. I fasten the lids on thru these holes with pipe cleaners. The lids don't seal the pots off completely but I think it just helped with the ventilation a bit.

I couldn't find clear plastic in both sizes. One size was clear and the other is like a milk jug white. It didn't make a difference, I had germination in both. I do like the clear better because I can see inside.

I used different colored pipe cleaners to differentiate the containers at a glance (white for annual, green for perennial, etc). That made the early spring identification easier for me.

I had to lift some lids and recover them this year. I just unfastened one side of the lid and flipped it back. When I wanted to recover, I just flipped the lid back over. Easy!

I gave the tops a quick rinse after I planted the pot and they are ready again for this year :). This is going to be such a great time-saver going forward. It was worth the work drilling in the initial holes.

Milk jugs. It's pretty much all I've ever used, and I think it will be pretty much all I'll use in the future. I've tried other things - lasagna pans, various salad and fruit platter containers, cake containers, berry containers, etc. - but I always come back to the gallon milk jug. Depth, height, sturdiness, ready-made top opening, handle - the perfect WSing container.

I store mine just like muttilili, except in the basement.

:)
Dee

I really love the idea of hanging the milk jugs, thanks! I wish I would have known that earlier this year ;)

I use a variety, milk jugs are great for the long sratification seeds. I use yogurt cups in a big sterlite container with holes in bottom and plastic top for those I sow in January/February.
For Spring sowing, my all time favorite are aluminum baking pans (they usually are used for fruit cakes) with slits in the clear lids, slits in the bottom of the pan and a solid pan underneath.
I start all my zinnias, marigolds, seed dahlias and other annuals that way

i have been wondering is it necessary for the container to be transperent or translucent from sides? i mean can i sow in a deep container(which can take 3 inch soil and have say 6 inch height left above soil for plant to grow) which is not at all transperent and just cover it with transparent plastic with holes punched in? i have are deep rectanguar trays with no lids and i am wondering if covering that will plastic would work.

the milk jugs in UK have deeper handle and are not looking useful to grow plants. please see this link and suggest - would it still be ok if i use this kind of jug?

anybody used mushroom or tomato punnets for wintersowing? i can collect those and use it like the non transperant one at bottom and transperant one as lid. only thing i am wondering is they are so thin. would they provide sufficient protection against cold?

Here is a link that might be useful: UK milk jugs

I just bought a bunch of seed starting trays with the clear dome lids at the dollar store for 90% off. I think I paid .35 cent for each one.
I have also just used ziplock baggies and had great success.

how do you use ziplock baggies? do you put the whole container inside ziplock baggie? if i put a punnet or small plastic pot in ziplock bag would that work?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:2101950}}

I wanted to use the kitty litter trays lasting more than 3 to 4 years (I bought 20 to 30 for $2 each at the Dollar store). Butttt--- now I want clear garbage bags to use to put them in. I have no idea where I can find clear garbage bags without sending for them. Anyone know?

Also with the kitty litter pans, I can put the soil right in them, use pot in them, make paper pots, or any small to medium size container.

We don't buy gallon milk, and even if we did they are not clear, but hardly any sun light would get in.

Hope this helps.