omg you have sprouts! It's 12 degrees here and you have sprouts! Good grief... I now have such a case of zone envy!! omg.... you really have sprouts!

I wish they were this year's sprouts! They are actually frost tender Dahlia's, sown 5/22/08, a full month after last frost and germinated 5/24/08.

Hey Nancy--what zone are you in? A lot of folks on the forum include their zone and state in the space after their name. You can make the change on your own member page. We just like to know where you are!

Oh my!! You went and reminded me of my first year doing this in 2001/2002. I had loads of containers in the backyard on tables and pallets and in the middle of April we got a day with a HOT spell which went to 25C (80F). At work, all of a sudden, I remembered I'd just moved my containers to a full sun location. Told my boss I had an 'emergency' at home and had to go. By the time I got home, I had lost 15 containers to excessive heat. You could see the steam rsing when I took the clear pastic covers off the tubs. These were big containers with HOSs in them, 2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and 8 inches deep.

Now I keep all my containers in dappled shade and have a neighbour who can come if the weather gets really hot.

But yes, caps OFF folks, and start the vents when things start to warm-up. At 15C (60F) in the sun the inside of that container is hitting 30C (90F) with just the cap off and no other ventilation.

Thanks for the info about the temp inside and outside a milk jug when its 60 degrees outside. I did not remove the upper half of my milk jugs last year and I wonder if thats why my larkspur seedings fizzled out at 1 inch high. (I am direct-sowing the larkspur this year).

Lois in Pa

Seedmama - thank you! I had no idea that is what caps off meant. I assumed it was the plastic pink cap on top of the milk bottle and I didn't know what the debate was all about. Light bulb is now on.......
So that is why my larkspur failed last year!

Margie

Okay, Margie, just to clarify...When you mention the pink plastic cap on the top of the milk bottle, and I'm assuming you mean jug, it can either be the screw cap or the snap on cap, but either way we're talking about something approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and it should be left off from the very beginning. The tops, meaning the entire uppper half of the body of the jug comes off at some point in time after germination.

Well, seedmama, I hope you know that now every time I visit the WSing forum, I leave singing that stupid Clapper song all day, after seeing this thread, lol! Thanks!

:)
Dee

Great visual aid seedmama. As soon as my milk jug is empty, I thow away the cap and rinse out the jug. That way there is no way a cap can accidentally be left on. When the weather warms up, I remove the duct tape and give the jug a bit more ventilation by clipping on a hinged clothespin. I can then raise the clothespin to allow more ventilation until I am ready to cut the tops off of the jugs. I learned all of this from the wonderful winter sowers here and it works great for me. : )

LOL, At least I'm not the only one who is humming that crazy commercial now.
Haven't see it on t.v. in forever, but now it all anew in my head :-)
I do the same, I just throw the cap into a baggie after cleaning my jugs. I save the caps for craft projects w/daycare children. You would be amazed what they can find to do w/then... wheels, caterpillars, ice-cream, etc.
Bonnie

To all who are humming that irritating tune: I'm sorry and you're welcome! :) I figured I could cover both the visual learners and the audio learners in the crowd.

Let's remember to bump this thread for the newbies when the weather starts to warm.

kcqrna gave a fabulous tip last fall, hidden in a thread about something else. She uses the milk caps as pot feet. I tried it and it worked beautifully. Not only are commercial pot feet expensive, it can be tough to find ones that don't distract from the intended look. These were perfect: discreet, effective and cheap.

I usually leave my caps on initially, however I do have ventilation holes that I make when I am doing my drainage holes. I do this to keep more of the weed seeds out of my jugs. They come off later when I feel that I need the extra ventilation as it starts warming up. The important thing are the ventilation holes not whether you leave the cap off to do this job.

You know, I live in the SF Bay Area, and I WS for the first time two weeks ago (just before Thanksgiving), and I haven't had a single seedling pop up. I used milk cartons too, sliced like yours, and took off the cap, duct taped them, and cut holes in the bottom to drain the soil. So far though, nothing-- I wonder if this is the problem.

It's been in the 60's, generally sunny, with some foggy mornings, but nothing abnormal for around here. I have them on the east side of my house, where they get sun until about 1 or so. I haven't watered them, but the soil still looks moist.

I figured it'd be ok to WS so early because all the natural sprouts are coming up-- all the poppies and what not are out in the yard, doing they're winter process. Seems like the right time to seed things here.

But is this not removing the top thing probably the problem?? Or should I just wait more?? If this is the prob, it'd be great to include the info in the FAQs area-- I'd hate to loose all 25 of my jugs..... I have been wondering what's taken them so long though-- two weeks is usually enough to see something somewhere...... :(

Guess I should take off the tops??

Does anyone have experience WS in the Bay Area?

Bump. With my sincere apologies to those among us who listen to television.

bump,tops off

The title of this thread made me giggle! *smiles*

Karen

bump

I've got my caps off all right! and slits cut top and bottom. Some jugs are taped some not, I ran out of tape.
#1 Should I make sure all are taped?

#2 Do we have to cut the milk jugs in half once the seeds sprout? Can we not just, pull off the tape and open the jugs and eventually pull the top half to the side so that the sprouts are in full view ? I was hoping to save my jugs for next year.
Thanks
Audrey

Do you save your containers from year to year or do you have to get new ones each winter? It seems a shame to waste all those plastic milk jugs and take-out containers.

When I first started I wanted to save all my jugs, intact, for next year. However, wind makes keeping the tops open a challenge if they are still attached. There are some clever ways to do it, but they are too much trouble for me. When the wind blows your jug shut it will smoosh any seedlings draped over the outside edges.

Then there's the issue of washing the used jugs. And the fact that some are just flat out deformed by the time they've worked a season for you. That said, I've saved my severed tops and bottoms, "just in case" and it turns out I needed them yesterday. But as far as work goes, I find it easier to take the used jugs back to the recycle center and prep new ones. Personal preference.

I also find the milk jugs ruined-deformed by the end of season. I've completely taken off covers too easier for planting out. I do use them for sharing. I have new big butter buckets from work 9" tall & as wide as small dinner plate. I want to keep those but really don't see myself washing them out. Probably just a quick rinse and dry in the sun. They will stack nicely in garage.

Annette