It's waaay to early to start Zinnias. You'll just have more stringy plants if you do. Zinnias can be put on the ground after any danger of frost. They are fast growers and easily germinate in situ. I've never started Carnations from seed so I can't say when you should start those.

Yes, I've started seed this year already. I have the things listed below winter sown in baggies. I've winter sown before and I've sown in baggies before but I've never combined the two. It's an experiment. I'll see what happens. I put these out in December.

Anthirrum Braun Blanquetti (sp?)(snapdragon)
Tomato flame hillbilly striped
parsley moss curled
Beta cicia Âfive color silverbeetÂ(swiss chard)
Hibiscus trionum
Hibiscus swamp mallow
Hibiscus a short pink
Lathyrus ÂCupanisÂ(sweet Oea)
Penstemon
Spinach
Wallflower
Alcea ÂmajoretteÂ
Calendula Âtouch of redÂ
Datura white
Datura purple and white
Tomato unknown variety

Then I started Inside also in baggies
Geranium phaeum ÂSamobarÂ
Rosa glauca
Lavendula angustifolia mix

Loretta

Hi,

If you haven't already, you might want to look at the winter sowing sight. I put up 35 perennial seeds in gallon milk jugs outside in December.

I started zinnias last april and they came up quickly.

I've started some geraniums seeds inside in mini greenhouse with a heat matt and they've started to come up.

Nancy

Loretta,
HI, what is this baggie thing? Do you need grow lights?
Thanks.

finnbiker,
This 'baggie thing' is fabulous. Instead of starting your seed in pots with seed starting medium, put the seed in dampened coffee filters (or paper toweling, etc.) and put the filter inside a small plastic bag. One of the best sites (with pictures) to show you what I mean is www.robsplants.com. Below you'll find the link to the "Baggie Method" page.

I used the baggie method for winter sowing this year for the first time. The Spinach and Wallflowers have already germinated and are potted up.

Instead of winter sowing with flats of pots filled with seed and medium, I have 16 varieties of seed in small baggies, germinating outside in a 3"x5" plastic container enclosed in a 1 gallon baggie with vents in it. I check it every week or so.

With seed that needs warmth to germinate you can put the little baggies on a counter. With seed that needs cooler temps to germinate you can put the little baggies in the refrigerator. And since this year's experiment, I now know you can put the hardier seed in baggies outside in the ice and snow to germinate.

Winter sowing and baggies  a match made in heaven.

No you donÂt need grow lights until after the seed has germinated. Then you pot them up and put them under lights. Try it, youÂll like it.

Loretta

Here is a link that might be useful: Starting seed with baggies and filters

Thanks for the replies. I'm limited to starting items inside as I have small children that cover every square inch of space outside when playing. My older 2 are okay with "stuff" but the 2 year old twins can't resist poking and prodding containers and the like. All it would take is one moment of distraction on my part and they could take out a winter's worth of plants.

Anyway I too have been doing the baggie method and have had fantastic luck with this. I usually put the baggies up on top of the refridgerator...child free zone (hopefully) and nice and warm with indirect light up there.

I have noticed a few seed varieties that don't seem to work well with baggies and end up getting a bit moldy/fuzzy. Delphiniums seem the ones I have the least luck with so this year I have them in a little disposable baking pan with a plastic lid in a nice sunny area. I'll see how that works.

I started some carnations and snap dragons 4 days ago and already they have germinated. The carnations even have little green leaves starting to unfurl.

Now I just need to get the grow lights back up.

Jim

Loretta, Your method sounds interesting and I'm curious....If you've wintersown your baggies...Are you going to leave the sprouts until it's time to plant in the ground? Or are you checking for sprouts, then potting and leaving them outside? Also, do you plan on protecting them in any way outside?

I've been on the wintersowing forum for awhile. This is my 2nd year of doing it and I'm searching for new ideas to help things along.

Thanks, Tamra

I check weekly for germination and as soon as I see roots (and sometimes leaves) in the baggie I pot those up and put them under lights. I leave any unsprouted seeds in the baggie and put it back outside.

The only protection they have outside is they are in the little baggie, standing in a plastic container (no top on it), within a one-gallon-size baggie with air vents punched in it. I put the whole thing in a shady spot outside.

I donÂt remember if the link I gave mentions it or not but stand the baggies upright. I took a seed propagation class with Rob once and he told us that. I think he said it is because seed germinates up (leaves) and down (roots) so if the bag is standing upright things go well.

I'll post a picture of my little experiment later today if I can figure out how to post it.

Loretta

This is a discussion that should be over in the seed propagation forum. I don't know how to move it there. If someone else does please move it there too.

Loretta

Loretta, you're right that this has turned somewhat in to a discussion for the seed propagation forum. However, when I started this I did it in this forum because I wanted input from people in my same growing zone. I wanted to know if anyone else in PA had started plants or if they felt it was rushing the season too much.

Actually thinking about it, it should still be in the PA forum as the wintering information you are giving probably wouldn't apply to other zones. How you are wintering your seeds (which is really helpful to know Thank You!) is different from how someone in Maine or Kentucky might do it.

Either way your input has been really helpful Loretta. Thank you very much!

Jim

I will be starting my hosta and daylily seeds this week. I wanted to get them going earlier, but I just never got around to it.

Alexa

I was planning to sow some lettuce outside next weekend. Think it's too soon to do that?

I have started my eggplant and gourd seeds. I also have some tomato seeds started.

I started my seeds indoors on 3/9. I did a few different types of vinnias, verbena, calendula, asters, cosmos, poppy, morning glory, english daisy.....I think that's all for now. I'll probably wait until mid april and start a second round.
I don't use grow lights, I out mine in south facing window in my sun porch.
all of my seeds germintated and are working on producing their 2nd set of leaves, so I should be ale to thin the seedlings in the next week or so.

I have been sowing seeds since February. Winter sowing does work! I have a lot of spouts in about half the containers I sowed the month prior and stuck outside.

If you did not try winter sowing this year, stop on over to the forum and read away and get ready for next year!

Carol- I don't think it's too early. peas, spinach, lettuce and radishes can all be planted as soon as you can work the ground..... if it's too cold, the seed will just sit there and not do anything until it gets a bit warmer.

....actually I think that probably applies to most any seed that can handle a freeze, they naturally "know" when it's ok to grow. For some things like poppies, rudbeckia and petunias I usually throw the seed onto any open ground during the winter or early spring and wait and see what comes up..... (I'm so bad with potting up young seedlings, they're so much better on their own)

Sprinkled over the snow---
Blue Spire Larkspur
Danebrog Laced Poppy
Blue Boy Bachelor Buttons

Started from seed inside---
Stargazer Dahlia
Coleus Wizard Jade
Snapdragon Mix
Sleeping Beauty Commelina
Blue Angel Salvia
Primula Beesiana
Moon Dance Scabiosa
Tea Time Rose 4 O'Clocks
Dwarf blue Bachelor Buttons (these were seeds dated 2005 that I found in the bottom of my seed box and decided to try just to see if they would germinate and almost all of them did)

Will sow late April/early May ---
Cosmos
Nasturtiums
Sunflowers
Morning Glory
Zinnias
Baby Blue Eyes
Gilia

Several others to direct sow after last frost.

I also have some Coleus cuttings from last Fall, Dahlia and Canna tubers started. Can't wait for warmer weather so I can get outside!

I just got around to planting seeds using the Winter Sowing method and since I'm late getting them outside, I'm going to call this Spring Sowing. Our 7 day forecast looks like we will be colder than normal, so everything might go well. We'll see how things go. I planted:

Daylilies
Fuji Dawn Violets
Chalon Pansies
Marshall's Delight Monarda
Oranges and Lemons Gaillardia
Polka Dot Dwarf Bachelor Buttons
Bijoulaus Bonnets Scabiosa
Dianthus Knappi
Light Purple Japanese Iris
Yellow Eyed Grass
Patio Dwarf Sweet Peas

I plan on doing some more in the next few weeks - especially the tender annuals, such as zinnias and maybe some tomatoes. Next, I want to pot up my amaryllis and St. Joseph's Lily.

Linda

I don't do a whole lot of indoor sowing, but hopefully I'll continue to do more each year. Right now I have tomatoes, bell peppers, egg plant, and two variety of onions. I also have some random seeds that I took from different things in my mom's flower garden. So it'll be neat to see what they are when they get a little bigger :o) I'm debating how big I want to pot up my veggies. Right now they're in one of those Park seed bio-domes with the sponge inserts.