WS newbie, how to stagger planting times?

13 years ago

We just moved to a new place with no landscaping. I have 6 big beds to fill, and my budget's miniscule. I mean tiny. Hence winter sowing! I just finished the last of my seed orders, and have about $100 invested. I REALLY hope this works, otherwise that's $100 I won't have to buy plants this spring!

I would love advice about which varieties to sow now, later, or latest. All will be sown in milk jugs using Pro-Mix. Here's my list:

From Diane's:

Nigella damascena

Alyssum

Cleome

Viola tricolor

zinnia

gaura

platycodon

chives

sweet rocket

delphinium

lavender

blue flax

From Swallowtail:

hollyhock ("Indian Spring")

lady's mantle

obedience plant

nasturtium

sweet violet

evening primrose

From Seeds & More:

rugosa rose

Father David's rose

Sweet pea

Nicotiana

lobelia

hyacinth bean

evening-scented stock

convolvulus

aster

sweet william

musk mallow

cup & saucer

From Southern States:

cosmos

chives

forget-me-not

arugula

coneflowers

watermelon

sugar snap peas

globe ameranth

I'm planning to park the containers along the southeastern side of the house (no eaves overhang there).

Many thanks for any advice. I'm scared to death this won't work!

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Comments (13)

gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
Hi lceh & welcome to the winter sowing forum!!! We're happy to have you join us for this year's fun & games. Have you read the FAQs? A lot of information & answers to your questions can be found there as well as on trudi's website wintersown.org.

The rule of thumb is to winter sow perennials that need cold stratification first followed by hardy perennials that don't require cold strat. After that, half hardy and finally tender annuals.

From your list I'd start now with these:
gaura
platycodon
delphinium
lavender
blue flax
hollyhock
evening primrose
sweet william
musk mallow

I just learned a few days ago Alchemilla mollis/lady's mantle benefits from a warm-cold-warm approach. I've got my seeds tucked inside little ziploc baggies with moist vermiculite and will wait a few weeks before winter sowing them. Not knowing any better last year, I just winter sowed the seeds and got plenty of sprouts but thought I'd give the warm-cold-warm treatment a try for comparison.

Any of the seeds on your list that are annual varieties rather than perennials should probably wait to be winter sown until March. Hopefully other zone 7 folks will chime in and offer you zone-specific information.

Happy gardening!!!
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countrycarolyn
13 years ago
Gardenweed, everything I have read on the Alchemilla mollis says that there is nothing special needed for germination. That might be why you got germination last year.

Here is just one site that gives 3 ways to germinate the seeds.

As for seeds that need to be started now, there are several on your list I would start today if you can.

Lobelia is one that some benefit from 3 months cold and some that benefit from 2 months. So that for sure needs to be started.

Rosa Rugosa is another one that benefits from 2 to 3 months cold.

Stock, I haven't looked up in awhile but if I am not mistaken benefits from a month and a half cold.

There are several that you could start now but it isn't like they need the cold in order to germinate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed profile of Alchemilla mollis
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OK - if Token is counting that way for zone 7 I'll count as Pvick suggested for zone 6. (And while I'm close to the zone change, I am definitely zone 6.) Zone 5 has floodthelast sowing like a crazy lady so her bumper crop of containers should help them catch up. That is, if she hasn't already sown too many to count. :) This container counting thing should be fun. I've got so much sowing to do that except for the sprinkling seed part it risks feeling kind of like grunge work at times. I fill 28 pots, sow them, haul them outside and then repeat and it's in the middle of the soil mixing/filling part that it sometimes starts to feel endless. Planting out is going to be even crazier. I'm sure I'll end up overflowing the front yard and we'll need to plant out into the hillside and road frontage as well. But by June or so things will taper off and the framework of my dream garden will be in place. I should be able to drop back down to a recreational level of WSing in future years - unless you all end up posting photos this summer of plants that I just have to add to the garden! So container count - Token-style it is. Lynda
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Floodthelast, last year I used an umbrella to shade some seedlings that were planted in June, during very hot dry sunny weather. This is not good weather for planting or transplanting anything, but can be done with careful watering and shading the plants for a few days. Make sure containers are watered well before planting time - this makes it easier to get the seedlings out and separate the roots. (Since I mostly plant those little babies individually, it really helps.) Seedlings can also benefit from a very dilute balanced liquid fertilizer. I'm strictly organic, so use liquid seaweed, about 1 tablespoon of the seaweed concentrate per gallon of watering can. This also feeds the soil micro-organisms. I've tried fish emulsion, but that attracted raccoons who would dig up the soil looking for the "fish". Seaweed doesn't attract critters. Some people use a diluted compost tea and say this works wonders for seedlings. I dug up an FAQ on this by trudi - Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizing Seedlings and a Simple Explanation of N-P-K
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Hi, BettyLu: Welcome to wintersowing! I think that because your yard gets its sun in the heat of the day, it still counts as full sun, or almost full sun. I think all the seeds you listed are tough plants that could hold their own against tree roots and like full sun, although I'm not certain about Culver's Root because I haven't seen it growing in enough spots to know. Oh, wait, Purple Rocket is not Dame's Rocket, I just saw the latin. Well, it's Dame's Rocket I was thinking about, sorry! You may have those seeds because you already have those plants, so I'd better come up with some other ideas, right? :) At the base of my tall silver maple, I have salvias fighting to establish themselves (no water for them in this, their 2nd year. I'm mean!) Tansy, nigella, Montauk Daisy, Northern Sea Oats, and daylily. You can wintersow or spring-sow daylily, but you have to wait 2-4 years for flowers. Goldenrod would do fine, I'm sure, and there are pretty cultivars out there like Fireworks, Golden Baby and Little Lemon. They're great for fall color. Asters, too. (Montauk Daisy as well). Agastache, like Anise Hyssop, grows like a weed--and seeds like one--but I love it, and so do the hummingbirds and honeybees and goldfinches. Echinaceas should also hold their own against maple roots--they do so well in hard-packed dry clay in my friend's yard! I'm sure I'll think of some more things later! The wintersowers are planning on doing a seed exchange, with Token hosting it, so you should join in! And there will be great group seed swaps over on the Round Robin forum, like the ones hosted by Miceyrey, Drippy, and Patty. Bakemom offers "newbie seed packs." And if your Culver's Root is purple, I want to trade with you! :)
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Hi, WS newbie here looking for advice!:)
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1) Something you may feel is important for a newbie to know: Sow heavier than any commercial seed packet ever indicates. 2) Something you learned your first year: I use a modified milk jug flap - I turn the U upside-down like a doorway arch, so it opens like a drawbridge. The flap bends down to open. This allows the same improved access (instead of cutting the whole jug in half), but increases access by allowing me to see what I'm doing in there! No ducking low to see under the flap. 3) Something you would not do again: I will never use salad containers again, not enough soil and they dry out too easy. Had much better germination rates in the milikjugs. 4) Something you have always done since you started WS because it worked out so well -- Am changing this to "this year's hopeful improvement" since it's only my second year: I like sowing more than one thing per container, and often have lots of things that I only have a small amount of seeds for -- so am using bottomless dixie cups as dividers inside the milk jugs. this way I can sow several columbines in the same container, and then they should all be ready to plant out at the same time. Last year I put several things in the same jug, but had to keep them of different types (can't put rudbeckia 1 in with rudbeckia 2 or they're gonna get blurred together with watering sliding seeds around) so knew what was what if they got blurred together. This made for needing to remove 1/4 of the container for planting out and the rest of the container not being ready; and having much more complicated records for the jugs. Now I have Columbine jugs, Astible jugs, etc. Nice. From last year-- Plant tag goes in with the seeds! Still listing container code numbers onto paper with a diagram of what seeds are where in each one...just in case of a container tumble later. Paint markers are great for labels. Make friends with someone who has 6 kids. They'll produce 5+ milk jugs per week for ya'. 5) Something you have learned over the years to be effective: Organize the process for speed. Don't even try to hit the "normal germination" instructions for each seed type. Just plant half as deep as the widest part of the seed, don't bother nicking/soaking anything; make the seed lists straight from my seed box and leave it alphabetized; only separate the list by "these are definately being sown" and "these might if I have time", perennials and annuals, just basic prioritization; chunk the Priority Perennials list into 1st third = do in December, 2nd third = do in Jan, 3rd third = do in Feb; Priority Annuals into 1st half = do in March, 2nd half = do in April. Get to the extras when they fit in. Gottta love the assembly line approach. I'll follow Stage-Rat's example -- that weed seed pot is a "to die for" idea!
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docmom_gw
13 years ago
Iceh,
Please try not to worry. Wintersowing is AMAZING, and I promise you will have more sprouts than you'll have time to plant. I've done this for 6 years, give or take, and I've not had anything but miraculous results every year. Enjoy!

Martha
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Shanta_5
13 years ago
I like to know where I can find some good outdoors marker for wintersowing thank you.

Happy New years 2011

Shanta
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Shanta_5
13 years ago
I like to know where I can find some good outdoors marker for wintersowing thank you.

Happy New years 2011

Shanta
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gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
Shanta - Deco paint pens are available at Michael's craft stores. Wal-Mart also carries an Elmer's paint pen. These pens will not fade or wear away.

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{{gwi:457082}}
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lceh
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement! Love those seedling pics, I hope my milk jugs looks that good this spring. I'm eager to get started now that Christmas stuff is out of the way. Now if those seed packets would just show up in my mailbox....
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gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
I know how tough it is waiting for those seeds to show up. Just think though, with all your new WS plants, you'll be able to harvest your own seeds next time and won't have to wait again! This year I tried to remember to stop what I was doing and take photos of the seeds & pods as I was harvesting. As you can see, half the time I forgot to keep the seedpod intact or else I didn't have a dime handy:

Hibiscus moscheutos/hardy hibiscus
{{gwi:457083}}

Alcea rosea/hollyhock
{{gwi:457084}}

Lupine
{{gwi:457085}}

Aquilegia/Columbine
{{gwi:457086}}

Coreopsis/tickseed
{{gwi:457087}}

Dianthus/pinks
{{gwi:457088}}
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ghoghunter
13 years ago
I would wait to sow the watermelon and zinnia until Spring..they need warmth to grow and mine have done better waiting. Cleome needs a cold period so that can be sown now along with all the others that were on your list. Welcome to our crzy fun winter sowing world!!!
Joann
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floodthelast
13 years ago
The rule of thumb on planting times is usually, perennials and hardy annuals first, then when it warms up to about forty degrees at night half hardy annuals and then tenders. If you have seed packets it should be easy to tell. If it doesn't say directly then the instructions plant after all danger of frost means they are either half hardy or tender.
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floodthelast
13 years ago
On a side note, violas and peas like a cold start. Don't worry about them.
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lceh
Original Author
13 years ago
Hooray, my package from Diane's arrived today! Guess who's going to be poking holes in milk jugs tonight!
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gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
Guess who's going to be poking holes in milk jugs tonight?

I would imagine, just about everyone on this forum!

Glad your seeds arrived. Have fun!!!
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WS newbie, how to stagger planting times?

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