I will try not to sow as many containers (yea, right!) I have not started yet, I have my seed but need soil and containers. I too am a big fan of gallon milk jugs, sucks our milk comes in opaque white containers.

I'm only using the clear juice containers and like Ryse I didn't mess with any of the other types of containers like bakery containers etc like I have done in the past. I really only have a few jugs going because all I want is a few new shrubs and perennials. I always start mine in fall because the seed packs say "Sow in fall or cold stratify for three months and sow in spring". We have the good stretches of cold mainly mid December through Feb here. It can warm up early sometimes or wait late to get cold so I always start mine around October, November or at the very least by early December each year in case we get a short winter and I have enough cold days to break dormancy. I only winter sow seeds requiring cold stratification so preparing them early is not a problem.

There are already some Chamisa shrub seedlings and penstemons that have germinated and they are coming along fine.

What? You have sprouts already? I'm not sure I find that fair ;) With the holidays behind us, I want winter over and behind us too so I can garden, I didn't get everything done last year that I'd hoped....

What I'm going to do differently this year is sow. We had just moved last winter, the beds weren't renovated for planting and one area still is not. I had so many pots of things I'd dug up and moved to take care of, I really didn't sow. I bought some seeds, didn't sow them :(

Shrubs, perennials, I'm not really anticipating time to plant out, deadhead and care for annuals and am not sure yet if I'll have a deer-proof vegetable area in place by Spring or not.

morz, since you are in zone 8 fall is probably a good time for you to start perennial or hardy annual seeds too. I always start my jugs in fall and also direct sow that time of year, its the best time here in Oklahoma. They almost always germinate, winter over fine and are well rooted and ready to take off in early spring. We don't get socked in with long periods of cold and heavy snows like they do further north, we have a lot of up and down. Some winters are downright mild and dry, this winter is an earlier, colder and wetter one so far.

Great Plains, my winters are always cool not cold, and always wet....short 20 minutes drive to the ocean. Some years we get snow for 2, 3 days, some years not. December and January, even February work great for things that need a straight moist chill to break dormancy....our Springs are slow to get started too. That doesn't mean too cold to be outside or frozen ground, it means soil too saturated to spade without spoiling the soil structure.

Nothing dries out here in winter, we celebrate a couple of consecutive days without rain most of the time ;) Raining, temps in the 40's - seeds love it.

Those things that need a warmer moist period preceding a chill I will sow in Fall - which can often be our nicest time of year.

I'm guessing we don't compare to Oklahoma weather. My dad was born in Butler, but I've never been there.

The rule here is unpredictable conditions and many challenges. I have found native plants to be the most tolerant with the greatest overall success.

There are many desirable plants that can be grown in your area I would love to be able to grow. Here we are always at the whim of what the gulf stream decides to do and changes can be quite drastic even in some cases from one day to the next, It can trap us into suffering under a heat dome in summer for weeks on end with 100+ temps or it can leave us entirely exposed subjecting the state to arctic temps. It sounds like coastal conditions are a bit less fickle.

You're right, its a gardening mecca :) Plants that prefer droughty conditions can be difficult but even some of those possible with extensively prepared soil aimed at sharp drainage. We rarely have extremes, nothing hot, nothing cold....just mild.

We closely resemble the UK in conditions, but can grow things from Asia, Australia, Mediterranean, others, too...

I can't find a site warm enough to make a crape myrtle bloom though in many years of trying.

And, I think I've gone off topic to RyseRyse's post....sorry RyseRyse

It is getting off topic but nonetheless, its kind of good to know what other people do for winter sowing and why because its not always a one size fits all. That is just the kind of information I often seek on GW and appreciate it when I find someone in a similar situation.

What I need to do differently is watch for the sudden warm days in spring which can cook tender seedlings. I am also going to try some containers uncovered, to wee what happens with those.

nastarana, I can get away with uncovered here in my mild wet Z8, but we don't have dry cold, it isn't cold enough for pots to freeze, and its never dry enough days for that embryo to die (as it will once its moist and allowed to completely dry out again). I top with chick grit to keep seeds from being moved around in heavy rain.

I'm not sure in many years I've read where those in colder zones find that works for them, but be sure to let us know if you try some. Another thing, I have to lay a length of wire mesh or chicken fencing over the pots or the birds will forage in the pots. Here in my new-to-me garden, I've got chipmunks and I've seen them up on my tiered garden carts where I place my cuttings and sown seeds, so I'm going to need to make sure those little 'hands' aren't able to reach in and mess things up.

Hi all. I will be making sure I place my containers on the east side of my house right from the start so I don't need to move them as the temperatures rise. Also, I will be making sure all my soil is MG. Last year I bought some real cheap stuff and in every one of those, the plants suffered or died. I want to have a constant this year to get a better sense of what what germinates well and what doesn't. I will also make sure to place the duct tape on the bottom with the name before filling any containers. Last year, I had a few containers that where mysteries.

This year I won't remove the tops after the first warm days. Did that last year and then it got really cool and wet and many plants did not thrive. And since it's the first year I did that, and the first year I had stunted growth, I'm guessing that was the problem.

Nastarana, be careful about removing the lids when you get that first March or April day when it gets warm. Maybe open, give a bit of water, but reclose at night. If you're in zone 5 you know it will get cool if not cold again.

Caryl

sow a lot less :) mostly tomatoes and peppers this year

Sow less, sow less, sow less.

But ...I've been making a list and it is getting too long, will need drastic cutting.

Also not sowing as much. I use berry containers but lining them with coffee filters to see how well this will work.

I have to find something to submerge the containers to bottom water instead of putting the hose on the containers when they get dry. I believe I wash away a lot of seeds from top watering, but I don't have a large container to bottom water. (goal)
I am going to try not to sow invasive species plants for NJ. I am almost finished with my 'environmental' courses and what a rude awakening!

This year I am using all milk jugs and only growing annuals and am going to concentrate on veggies and fillers annuals.

I don't have any plastic 1 gallon milk cartons this year as we switched to milk delivery from a company that sells only in 1/2 gallon wax containers. The milk is delicious but I miss those gallon containers for ws.

So I am sowing in the wax 1/2 gallons and put them into a 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bag. I can fit two to a bag. i figure I can unzip the top when they need some air or it gets warm. The gallon milks are the best for ws'ing I agree though.

I am mostly only ws'ing snaps and sweet alyssum this year as that's what I use as edging and annuals among the flower beds. I have seeds to try a few other perennial things but the alyssum and snaps are the bulk of the ws this time. Such an easy way to have these plants ready to bloom in spring.