Time will tell; I did the same thing today: Containers set right under the eaves of the house. Snow melting. I thought 'great, watering my containers' but forgot that some 'streams' of water were going right into the holes of the jugs, and dislodging seed & soil. So I pick one of them up, and promptly dropped the stupid thing on the ground. Dislodged a good chunk of soil...I figured I could try to salvage the seed (it was centaurea- has a fuzzy little tail & whitish seeds), but it was of little use. So I righted what little I could, and set it back with the rest. We'll see. Good luck little seedies.

Crates - I got mine from corner stores and from the Coca Cola truck. All I did was ask. Four years ago they were hard to get since they required a $5.00 deposit from the vendors but that was eliminated and now - at least here - you can get them for the asking. Since they do cost the pop companies a pretty penny, don't assume they will readily give them to you. I've had some folks say no. I now have an arsenal of them so am quite set for some time. Karen, I've posted about the upside down 'V' in the past but have gotten lazy in the last year. They do work better, but the simple slits still work. Wendy, If simply placing the bottles out like that is how you create those gorgeous gardens of yours, then I'll have to try it. :O)

I saved these directions from Tiffy some time back and they work very well. For the pop bottles, this is how I do them. 1. Rinse out with hot water and remove label. 2. Cut the bottle in half with an exacto knife/ box cutter. Place drain holes in the bottom. I do this with a soldering iron, but it can be done by cutting/melting with anything that will produce drain holes. Fill the bottom with at least 3 inches of soil and soak the soil. I fill the sink up a bit, and place the 'bottoms' in the sink to soak while I finish the top of the bottle and get the seeds and tags ready. 5. For the top, throw out the cap. Make 3 slim upside-down V slits in the top section where you cut the bottle in half. Sow the seeds, remember to tag. Slide the top over the bottom. 9. Place the container outside in an area which will get snow and rain. As the seeds germinate, and the weather warms, you can lift the lids bit by bit. Since you have the upside down V slits in there, the sprouts/plants will be come more and more exposed to the elements and aerated. If you expect a really cold night and are worried, just push the lid back onto the bottom. Northerner.

I use 2-liter bottle irrigation on all of my tomatoes every year. I put 3 rows of holes down one side of the bottle with a hot nail and bury the bottle almost up to the neck and plant the tomato on the side with the holes. Then I fill the bottle using a spray wand with the sprinkler end removed. The method is helpful if there is a protracted dry spell early in the season. As it is now, with all the recent rain here, I have not watered tomatoes for over a month. Combined with mulching, this method works great for me.