How's it going with your Ohio Valley Winter Sowing?

18 years ago

Hi folks... Many people in our area indicated in a different thread they are doing some Winter Sowing this year.

If you are one...are your sprouts coming on? Have you planted any of them out yet?

I have LOTS of sprouts. I have about 95 out of 130 jugs sprouting. I know my clematis probably won't sprout this year.

My sunnies are now about 4 inches tall. I can't keep the lids on any more. I've had no luck with Calendulas, though. I am not sure why. We'll see. The bachelor buttons and poppies will be ready soon - I keep watching the 15 day forcast.

How about you? How's your WS going?

Good spring to you...Beverly

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Comments (10)

bakemom_gw
18 years ago
I'm at about 80% germination right now and have planted out about 10 containers. Things like lettuce, poppies, feverfew, bluebells are already in the ground. Most of my calendula have sprouted, but there IS a huge patch in one of my pans that has NOT sprouted yet. Seems like there's quite a variance in sprout time with different kinds of calendulas - the pan with the dead spot has about four different varieties planted in it.

My warm weather items are JUST starting to sprout.
alison
18 years ago
Gangbusters! Altho I think my stuff sprouted later than yours or bakemom's across town. (Not just seedlings, my lilies of the valley are just coming up in the last two weeks and haven't even unfurled their leaves yet.)

I started planting out the sweet peas, nasturiums, Kaleidoscope 4:00s and "Fat Spike" amaranthus this morning. (They've been topless for 10 days)

Funny thing about my poppies, tho. My Mission Bells are up and have true leaves; even tho' they're only 1 1/2" tall they need to be planted out. The Hungarian Blue just have baby leaves, but they're 2" or better. And the Thai silk are nowhere to be seen.

It does make me realize I waaaaay over planted. Half a flat of 4:00 when I really only need 5-6.....

PLant swap here I come!
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Alison...I didn't keep track of dates last year. I have quite a few things germinating now - gaillardias, diff. rudbeckias, poppies, sunnies, flax, bachelor buttons, lavateras, stocks, sweet william, cosmos, poached egg plant... Yesterday I planted the blind-eyed susie seeds(thunbergia elata - white with NO black eyes) from your plants at the spring swap. I haven't done the millet grass yet. Have you? I have done a great deal of my winter sowing in late Feb. and sporatically in March. Only the hyacinth beans and millet grass to go. Good question..what do the other Ohio Valley WSers have sprouting now. Beverly
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broodyjen
18 years ago
Planted out: Poppies, Sweet William, Rose Campion, Larkspur, Hollyhocks, Columbine, Coreopsis, Gloriosa Daisy (only ONE sprout came up)

Sprouted but not planted: Cleome, Echinacea, Amaranthus, Snapdragons, Petunias, Verbascum, Breadseed poppy, morning glory (most got killed by frost), and butterfly pea (again, ONE sprout). Also DH has one KY Coffee tree sprout up.

No signs of life from: Poached eggs, Gerbera daisy, shasta daisy, salvia, celosia, catmint, Catalpa, Osage Orange tree, and 6 other flats of Ky Coffee tree. Some flats I know dried out or were eaten by dogs.

Also have direct sowed: Foxglove and Bells of Ireland (no signs of life yet) and Cosmos (sprouted good, but then died).

All in all, I'd say that WS was a pretty good success considering that basically I put the containers out on the deck in Jan and ignored them until March. I'm not very good at remembering to water.....
blackswamp_girl
18 years ago
I have some more containers (mostly annuals) to go outside soon--I keep getting distracted by outside work lately--but what I have WS'd have done very well.

I have sprouts of: Flashback calendula, Bright Lights chard, spinach, verbena bonariensis, asclepias tuberosa, Black Watchman hollyhocks, ornamental blue fescue, "Cupani's Original" sweet pea, Hopi Red Dye amaranth, and a green amaranthus caudatus.

I have no sign yet of: agastache rupestris or bells of Ireland.
bakemom_gw
18 years ago
My Bells of Ireland are JUST starting to sprout.

Celosia JUST started - they are warm weather poppers.

Ditto on the Amaranthus.

I only got a few sprouts from my Poached Eggs. I was suprised thinking this plant would be something akin to feverfew. We'll see how plantout and blooming goes.
gdionelli
18 years ago
Probably 85% of my containers have germinated. I planted nasturtiums too early -- they're already huge and pot-bound. I planted a second batch last weekend. I haven't actually planted anything out. Everything looks really healthy. This was my first year WSing and I'm a real believer now! Columbines and lupines look wonderful. I also have kale, parsley, daylilies, siberian iris, balloon flower, carnation, foxglove, and a bunch of other things I can't remember right now. Only problem, I seem to have mis-labelled a couple of containers, and a couple I put blank labels on. So we'll see what they are!
storygardener
Original Author
18 years ago
Bakemom...I only got 3 plants out of my poached egg plant, too. (Valueseeds) hmmm..I thought I'd have more, also.
poppy_power
18 years ago
Hello: I direct sowed poppies on top of worked soil last fall and some of them has sprouted.Hopefully the rest of the poppy seeds will sprout soon.
ginam_oh
18 years ago
I only did about 15 containers this year (all herbs and veggies). So far I've got sprouts in thyme (common), genovese basil, sweet basil, lemon balm, peppermint, cukes, catnip, leaf lettuce, oregano, dill, and flat leaf parsley.

Planting out this week and hoping everything thrives because I have no time to coddle anything (not even myself!)!

Sounds like everyone got really good germination this year--in spite of our super weird weather. Woohoo for WSing!!
michigoose
18 years ago
EEEEKKKKK!!!!! My cosmos are 5" tall....and I'm afraid to plant them out for fear of a frost...what to do? What to do??????