Hi Tomva! I'm new here! Found out about it through Facebook. I follow a person there who runs "In the Garden Online" and she mentioned it. I have heard of it before, back when I went to horticultural college, but our teachers spent little time on it. And in all reality, it makes perfect sense to do something like this!

Anyway, this will be my first year doing this. I'm already planning and looking for seeds and I'm so hyped! Though, by the time spring comes rolling around, I'll be 7 months pregnant, so I'm going to have to teach my toddler to garden for me! *lol*

Welcome aboard! Why be ashambed of driving a truck for a living? Hey, it's an honest days work and the pay probably is good. Hey, with the unemployment rate so high now, be glad you have a job! I'm so glad you found the wintersowing forum; have any questions, jump in and you'll find a lot of helpful gardeners willing to answer any questions; never make fun of you or criticize either. Jan. 2010 was my first year of WS and so many people held my hand from afar and I really feel that I made a lot of long distance gardening friends. I think it would be great if there was a wintersowing convention somewhere, so we could all meet. Look in your area for get togethers, plant swaps. They are fun and it gives you a chance to put a face to that username you see on the boards. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Happy New Year to you and Happy Wintersowing!

Me: I stay at home with two kids (3 1/2 and 9months), but am about to start back to work as an adjunct instructor at some local colleges this winter. This will be my second year gardening and my first year winter sowing.

The gardens: We bought a dilapidated house at an auction last fall and had to spend all of our money on fixing it - nothing left to play with as far as landscaping goes. I've received an unbelievably generous donation of full grown hostas and transplanted some wild perennials from our woods. I'm hoping that winter sowing will help take care of the rest of my needs. We have about an acre and a half, lots of shade and lots of toxic-to-plants black walnut trees. About 1/2 is wooded and 1/2 is lawn right now. We have a 30'x16' veggie garden, one large shade bed, some part-shade foundation beds and I'm planning a huge sunny cottage style bed to go in this spring. Plus I'd like some more flowers in the woods, if I have any leftovers from WSing.

Carrie

Hi TomVA! This is my favorite place to kick back in the afternoons/evenings after work. I work in the IT unit for an insurance company so the office is a stressful place. Winter sowing not only allows me to get my hands in dirt this time of year, I've met some great folks, had a lot of laughs and learned more about gardening since finding this forum than in all my previous years of gardening. I found the winter sowing forum by accident same as you did--Googled something, clicked on a link and here I am.

This is also my second year to winter sow. I have just under an acre of land that my parents & brother gardened on before me. I want to make it even better, attractive to bees, butterflies & hummingbirds by adding to what they left behind. My brother planted lots of peonies and daylilies. Mom planted vinca, daffodils, snowdrops, crocus, lilac and mock orange. Dad planted an 80 ft. row of tall bush blueberries. I still have a lot of area to reclaim and improve. Winter sowing offers me a chance to add lots more perennials than I could ever afford to buy commercially.

Eileen

Tom I'm sure none of us hate you... We could not do seed trades or round robins without the folks who keep the mail going!

I have been wintersowing for a couple years, and can't even remember how I found this forum, LOL. But it's been great and allowed me to discover and grow so many different flowers, and now some veggies. Which is remarkable considering I don't like most vegetables. Although he does not garden at all, DH does like to see me enjoy myself with the flowers, and REALLY likes tomatoes from the garden, so he thinks you are all pretty awesome folks.

Lois in PA

I actually thought about driving a truck!! My name is Carolyn, and I have been laid off wayyyyy to longggggg, lol. I thought about just getting my cdl and trying to learn how to drive a big rig. My sister says I have that attitude of a truck driver so I should be set to go, lol.

Ha I remember when I found this forum it was by shear mistake. I was very reluctant to sign up but I did and I am glad I did every since. The people are great on this forum, and extremely generous. So willing to help!! I have learned a great deal from these forums.

This will actually be what I call my first year to winter sow, though I have always sowed in the march, outside but I just do not see that as winter. Here it is not that cold during march, I already have the shorts pulled out and a good start on a sunburn and freckles (ha I am a red head also, lol) So officially this is the first year I started on December 21st to sow anything. It is an extremely great idea. Words like Stratification, hardening off, damp off, seem to disappear out of a winter sowers vocab. Except when selling the idea.

Years ago I thought of driving a truck, but then remembered how sleepy I get in the car, so that was the end of that.

I am new to this forum too, but like some others, it took me a year to actually sign up. Just enjoyed reading all of the great advice and enthusiasm of people that just love watching things grow. Last spring, I remembered reading something about winter sowing, I think it had to do with planting the containers in the ground or just putting a clear lid (like the top of a soda bottle) over where one planted and just watching and documenting the progress. I thought it was a bit far fetched. As the spring went on, and I got more and more into the garden I realized nature really is part of my soul, and I couldn't get enough of it.

Summer, then fall came. And now winter. I was still planting bulbs at the beginning of this month. My thinking was I must be going nuts, but then I googled winter sowing and found this forum and the wintersown.org. I am not the only one freaky in the garden, there are many like me that cherish the sunshine, being rained on when everyone else is in the house, experiencing the shear miracle of growing from seed.

Welcome to wintersowing. Enjoy!

Good gosh! Hard to believe this will be my 3rd year Wintersowing. Like others I stumbled upon this forum by shear mistake, but ever so glad I did! Growing plants and gardening is my passion, I used to HATE Winter. Long months spent waiting to play in the garden...now it seems Winter is almost too short, lol. I have learned so much here fom the great folks on this forum. Through exchanges and generous members I have been able to grow many plants I had never heard of before.
My husband totally suppots my addiction, much better than the hundreds and hundreds of dollars I used to spend every Spring on plants that would not do well or return.
It is so fun to go plant shopping in your own backyard!!!!
We will not be putting our swimming pool up this year and I am so excited to be able to plant a HUGE garden where it used to sit.

Newbies beware...Wintersowing is totally addicting!

Happy sowing everyone!!!! ~Dawn

To me, WS is the perfect activity for those of us in the north who love to garden and need something to do in those long winter months. Also, I've always loved growing from seed - could never understand those people who actually buy tomato plants. To see that little seed through from beginning to the end when it finally flowers and produces fruit is a joy, indeed. Yes, even with daylilies that can take years to finally bloom.

I've been gardening for many decades but this will only be my third year of winter sowing.

Hi, Tom! I'm with gardenunusual. I could never drive a truck. As soon as DH starts the engine, I am asleep!

This will be my third year WSing. I did about 15 containers the first year, 177 last year and I have no idea how many this year. Probably less than last year.

I'm basically at home now with three generations and 2 dogs. My 85 year old lives with us and is pretty dependent on me. I left work to take care of her, but always tell people not to feel sorry for me for having to give up my job. I love being home and now have lots of time to garden and cook and sew and create stained glass...but somehow not much time left to clean house. LOL

(Can't you just feel the excitement in everyone's posts now that we are back to gardening or very soon will be? I plan on planting my first seeds next week.)

Bev

Hi Tom! When my son was 8-9, he always used to say that "when he and I grew up" we were going to be OTR drivers! And I love my mail delivery guy/girl, but we all think our postmaster should start making a little sense, please!
This is my second year WSing. My boss told me about Trudi's web site; checked it out and the rest is history! This forum is just great. Everyone is so helpful and generous-Brandi, the Rue is doing well, thanks again!
I don't post very often, but get lots of advice and ideas just from reading the posts.
I've been laid off for about a year, and have had lots of time to get ready for the WS-did about 70-75 containers the week before the soltice and have put 47 out since then. I'm done now, until the middle of Jan.
Can hardly wait for sprouts!!!
Happy Sowing, everyone!! Shirley!

I read a blog several months back. They showed a before and after pic. The before had a dirt road, an empty bit of lawn with a water fountain, and a fence. Then they showed their one hundred or so containers of wintersown annuals. Then they had the after pic. Tall beautiful flowers everywhere. It was unrecognizable and I had no idea what they were talking about. Wintersowing. It stuck in my mind, though, as something awesome. A couple months later while trying to find the perfect garden journal I ran into some gardenweb posts and decided this was an awesome forum. Then I saw the 'Wintersowing' forum and I was like, heyyyyy. So that's how I got here. Turns out I used this forum a few years back while diagnosing a bromeliad issue.

Carolyn, I'm right there with you. I just went into an interview today at the post office. Twenty people of just what I saw, prolly a lot more, for two open positions. Finding a job is like winning the lottery. If you are unimpressive like me, good luck. Yeesh.

I would be a trucker in a heartbeat. I have spacial issues, though. I've witnessed some awesome tight squeezes and never could see how you guys do it. Haha.

Hi, I'm Melanie, and I'm a Canadian living in Serbia. This is my first year Wintersowing! I can't remember how I found out about it.
I'm sowing about 150 containers. I don't have much money, so I'm really hoping most of my seeds are successful.

I'm most worried about the weather, as the temperatures have been so up and down! I'm really worried that it will get too warm after I start in late January, and then freeze again, and that it will kill all my seedlings!

I have a not-pretty yard and house that I am slowly making beautiful. I like the cottage garden style, so I'll be stuffing a lot of plants into my small plot!

Retired Cape Cod resident checking in. This is my first year wintersowing since I was a child doing it at at the knee of my grandfather. In the past few months I have read so many success stories that I just had to become involved. It is a pleasure to read so many helpful posts by the pros. They never seem to tire of the newbie questions for which I am most grateful.

My name is cAROL,spelled this way, cause there used to be several Carols here,I have WSed now for 3 years, this being my 3rd.Last year, I did around 300-400, I have learned a lot since then, I now will only do a few plants of each seed, not a whole flat like I was doing, live and learn eh.:0)
There are great people here on this forum,always willing to help in any way they can.I continue to learn every time I log on.Welcome to our forum,have fun,and post often if you can.
cAROL

hey my name is yvonne. i am a mother of three- well four counting my daughters husband :), blended family and i am a nurse. I am a gardening freak...houseplants, veggies, flower beds- you name it i am crazy about it! this will be my first year to wintersow and i have already met two fabulous ladies on this forum...just1morehosta and gardenweed, thank both of you for being so genorous. I have a trillion plans for this next year one being digging a koi pond in addition to my gardening, so that will be my big endeavor for this coming year, although we are doing alot of work around our place but that is my little pet project i have planned. love to read in the winter. learning to crotchet. I am 40 years young and decided i just want alot of peace and serenity in life- still working on that one as i am not sure where all the drama in life comes from but it sure sneaks right in :). Love gardenweb and i think i am really really going to love this forum!

My name is Terry, and this is my first year to try winter sowing. I'm a nurse who retired a few decades ago to be a full-time mom. My husband and I are empty nesters now, so I've finally got time to pursue one of my greatest joys: gardening! I start seeds every year, but I have always started them inside the house, with fair to dismal results. I always made such a mess, my plants were weak and spindly, and I usually ended up with loads of unplanted seeds which I stored away & then paid out more money for nursery plants in the spring!
When I read Trudi's winter sowing FAQs a few months ago, a light finally switched on in my head. Wow! It makes perfect sense, it's simple and cheap, and it's so much fun! I think my husband is really happy, too, to have my pots and flats outside instead of lining window sills, countertops, etc.!
I'm having a great time "playing in the dirt", and I'm slowly building a collection of containers with varying layers of snow on them, neatly tucked in next to a south facing wall. I love reading everyone's posts and seeing the photos of their projects--very inspiring! Thanks for being so welcoming.
P.S. I'm also one of those people who just can't stay awake in a moving car. When my daughter was a colicky baby and my nerves were fried, my husband would pile both of us into the back of the car and drive us around. In ten minutes, mother and daughter would both be fast asleep!

Hello all, it's great to see so many excited Ws'ers! This forum is just the most fun during the winter!! (And the Spring, and summer, and fall too. :) WSing sure helps those long cold wintry months go by and has made gardening a year round activity. Well, besides the house plants, and I am especially enjoying fussing with those this year.

This will be my 4th year WSing, not a newbie, not an oldie. I love gardening and have been growing things from seed for over 20 years using just about every method, lights, cold frame, Direct sowing, scattering seed on the snow, flats outside, etc. Each has its advantages and I still sow different ways, but starting from seed using Trudi's method is easy to do, no cost for containers, no electricity, very practical! Also my germination rate is somewhere around 90%. When I started WSing it really expanded the varieties of plants I can grow for so much less $$.

Hope everyone has a great WSing year!

Hi all,

My name is Trudi and I've been winter sowing for a decade or so. This season I need to redo the bed I planted with the seeds I sprouted the first time. Over the years I've yanked things, some have died out from my deliberate neglect, and others I am just bored with. The only thing which I really miss is Orange Coneflower, which is not an Echinacea, but is a Rudbeckia fulgida--it was crowded out by something which was crowded out by something else. It's been gone a while and I miss them.

Hi everyone,

My name is Bradley (you can call me Brad) and this is my first year winter sowing! I've never heard of it until I became a member here on GardenWeb. I love gardening as I both have a regular garden and houseplants (mostly hoyas). Flowering vines are my favorite type of plant including: moonflower, honeysuckle, clematis (my one neighbor bought me a sweet autumn clematis, it hasn't bloomed but I'm looking forward to it!), morning glories, and of course hoyas.

I am single, 20 and unemployed, living with my mom and dad. I would love to work at a nursery or a flower shop someday! I love to cook, do needlecrafts (crochet mostly) and listen to records (I'll get to that in a minute). My favorite TV Shows are: Fraggle Rock (and the Muppets in general), The Golden Girls, ALF, Alice, some reality shows. My favorite author is Stephen King (hard to choose a favorite). I also love to write! Short stories and poetry mostly. My favorite artists include the Carpenters, Dottie West, Cass Elliot, Peter Paul and Mary, mostly classic country and the oldies.

I'm not sure yet of how many containers I'll have but it'll be over 30. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll sprout. I think this is the most fun I've had planting seeds!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

My name is Dorothy and this will be my first year wintersowing because I just moved from zone 9 in Louisiana to zone 5 in New York. I have always started seeds indoors but this is a new adventure. Still trying to figure out what I could plant and when.

I stumbled on Trudi's site, wintersown.org, 6 or 7 years ago, sowing 40 containers the first year and hundreds each year since. It's amazing how one container quickly becomes hundreds, especially with all the new to me seeds sent by all the enablers on this forum. My holding beds are full of second and third year perennials and old beds need refurbishing so plan to keep the count down this year sowing mostly annuals.

I'm in my 60s gardening full time. I love winter sowing and only wish I had known about this technique decades ago.

welcome to the forum Tom.My son is a truck driver and am thankful he has a job in this economy.I am a retired nurse,empty nester,single happily.I can't remember how I found this forum but I do remember having a AHA moment when I read the faqs.My brain just soaked up all this info and it was the best thing I think I've learned since I started gardening about 40 yrs ago.I too have tried every method of gardening under the sun.I think this is my 5th yr to ws.It is very addicting so get prepared...The group here is just great as you will soon see.Hope everyone has great success this yr.I am trying to get my xmas decorations put away,so I can drag out the containers,potting mix,etc..hope to do about 100 this year.
moonphase

Hi everyone. I used to be around here and the tomato forum several years back. Life got hectic and gardening fell by the wayside. Our new dog killed everything green anyhow. Things are more manageable now, and fortuitously several trees in the yard are gone, opening up a space filled with sunlight...and undergrowth, vines, saplings...but one thing at a time. So I plan, over the winter, to lay down some lasagna beds and fill them with the winter sown seedlings come spring.

Hello All,
I have been a lurker and am brand new to both WS and gardening in general. I have three kids and am a fitness instructor and found this forum when researching "sprouting". We live on a small urban lot, about 11,000 sq ft, so won't be able to plant 500 seedlings like some of you LOL, but I started begging nearby relatives for toilet paper rolls, milk jugs, water bottles, salad containers about two weeks ago. We don't drink milk, use disposable water bottles or disposable containers, so I am going to need to beg a bit from friends for their recyclables! However, we do raise backyard chickens so I do have some fertilizer!

I am fascinated by ALL of you and your AMAZING success at growing from seed.

Hi winter sowers! Just found your group today! I am very excited about being able to garden in January instead of just looking out the window wishing I could be gardening. When I was in college my horticulture professor introduced me to an old gentleman who raised Japanese Maples. He always collected samaras in the fall and planted them into large styrofoam containers (the kind sport fisherman get when they have their fish packaged). He let them sit out all winter and would have baby trees sprouting in the spring. He then used these for grafting rootstock. I normally start seeds in the spring and have been quite successful at it. Starting hardy seeds outdoors just make sense to me, just like Mother Nature herself does. Can't wait to start!!! Sheri

TomVA, I've been trying to get your address so I can send you your hibiscus seeds! Please message me through GW so I can send them!! Thank-you for driving to deliver our mail! What would we do without you!!
I've been here for a long time, following Trudi and the WS troops and all their success. I've had plenty of successes of my own (and some failures learning how to WS in the South, land of crazy temperature swings).
Moonwolf, I love records too! You like Cass Eliot? I love her! My GW "handle" is my record collecting handle. I collect vinyl records by female vocalists (mainly 60's garage rock but also 50's and famous personalties too). I have "Winter Sowing Records" that I love to listen to each year as I sow the seeds of Spring and Summer. Mainly things like the 5th Dimension who just let the sunshine in!

I have a collection of vinyl too. Led Zeppelin just doesn't sound the same on cd, I don't care how good the quality is.

Cass Eliot was so talented. I love watching her concerts. She was so mysterious too. I'm not sure she ever revealed her daughter's father.

OMG I love 5th Dimension! So ahead of their time. Timeless.

Currently looking for some Hot Tuna.

Im sending you an email ggg,thankyou everyone for participating in this thread,its been a real pleasure to read all of your posts.....TomVa

HI! My name is Jodie & I am addicted to seeds! LOL I tried my hand at growing under lights last spring & it went "ok" but tons of work & effort with little results. Time is precious to me as I am a VERY BUSY stay-at-home mom of 4 WONDERFUL but VERY BUSY kids who keep me hopping!!

I somehow stumbled across wintersowing over summer & had my AH HA moment. Here in OH summer days are precious but I found myself yearning for winter to start WS'ing!! hahahaha Never said that before!!!!

We moved here 3 years ago & very little landscaping has ever been done. I have a decent sized corner lot & my plan is to TOTALLY OUTLINE my yard with "scalloped-edged" raised beds. So I will be hauling in dirt by the dumptruck load & WS'ing TONS!!

My original goal was 300 but quickly it grew to 500! I am in 3 more seed trades so who knows where I'll end up!!! LOL Fortunately, my 2 daughters like to help plant seeds so we have fun. The boys, well I'm saving them for when the dirt comes! :P

Nice to meet you all!!!
Jodie

Welcome to all the newbies - and "oldies" too!

I'm Phyllis - known as PV - and this will be my 10th year of WSing. I'm strictly a container gardener, since my "garden" is a 20'x6' 11th floor balcony! But I can get a LOT of stuff out there, and WSing has made it all possible.

I won't be sowing too much this year - one, because there's no more space for anything else (note: I say this every year, and every year I eat my words), and two, I'm trying to slow it down because 2011 will most probably be my last year in this location. I'll be "moving on up" to a ground garden, with critters and all the stuff that comes with it!

I'm scared to death!

PV

Phyllis, you're aging me ;-O

Hello, Ladyrose
Love reading part. classic literature. Gardening. I like to watch and observe people. Introvert. Major TCM Fan!Serious Classic Movie Collection.

Work in Retail.

Welcome to all the newbies and hello to all the oldbies!

I've been winter sowing for about 6 or maybe 7 years, can't remember. My first year I did almost 200 containers, and since then have done about that amount every year. I still come here occasionally to see what people are up to, and to get a hit of enthusiasm from all the newbies.

I used to live in Zone 6 Massachusetts, but this winter will be my third winter in my new state of Washington, in zone 7. A little over a year ago we bought a house out here, with a 1/3 acre lot, and last winter/spring had the back garden completely redesigned and new beds put in. So I have a lot of space to fill up now. I have big plans for a large native area, so I'm planning to start lots of native seeds.

I write a blog about the garden, just in case anyone is interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bonney Lassie Blog

Bonney (dawiff) - I've checked your blog and I have a question regarding your new Christmas gift. Maybe it is still too early, but how do you like it? We compost a lot. And now, during the winter, it is really difficult to go through the snow to get to the composter.

BTW, I'm a mother of two boys (well, almost young men), guess, what are their names....

Hi there! This is my second time wintersowing (took last year off). I hope I didn't forget what I learned from all those first-year mistakes. :)

I'm Kim. This is my first year WS. Moved to Colorado several months back. We are building a house which will have a TINY backyard. (Had to sacrifice yard for good location.) WS 5 jugs of perennial flowers so far but want to do some veggies later on. This is a fun forum, a nice place to kick back at the end of the day.
Cheers!

I'm Norabelle, and this is my fourth year WSing. This is a wonderful forum community, and in the past couple of years, I have enjoyed sharing WSing with my community through school and church gardening activities.

cheers,
Norabelle