I grew Kale in the what was stamped 1600 and was 11.5" in dia at the top by 10.25" high by 9.75(+ or - a touch). I planted 3 plants in potting mix with SRF mixed in and they grew OK. I was cutting them pretty regular and letting them come back and I let them go for a little over 3 months. The ones I planted in 18 gal. totes are still producing but I really have them crowded to much. When I pulled the ones out of the round plastic pots the roots had pretty much filled it up, but I do not recall seeing a tap root. I plan to use them for brocollii this week coming at one plant per pot. provided I can find the seeds LOL

I have used milk jugs to protect various plants during cold Spring weather. Removing the caps and cutting off the bottom turns gallon jugs into useful cloches. These work very well but I usually have far more plants than milk jugs. So, little newspaper teepees with a stake have been a 2nd choice. But, the reason I'm throwing this idea in is because what I just read here that George wrote and what I read in a Coop Ext bulletin about what to do with the jug after the cold nights have passed: ". . . invert the bottomless mini-greenhouses, and bury them between seedlings so the jug is about a foot deep and the bottom edge is just above the soil level. Place a shovelful of manure in this container for manure tea each time water is added. Roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture. During longer periods of hot weather, these deep roots will keep plants thriving . . ." I'm not real keen on the looks, bother, and even usefulness of plastic in the garden. However, that's a way to use a plastic jug as critical protection and then bury it upside down, out of sight & out of the way, for the rest of season. . . . also, a rather tidy place for a shovelful of manure. (They also suggest using 4 or 5 jugs full of water and surrounding the plants for frost protection. Well, if I don't have enuf jugs to use as cloches . . . ;o) digitS'

cindip63 I once wintersowed lisianthus years ago. It successfully germinated, but I didn't have great success growing it. I believe my season is too short and with wintersowing the seeds germinated too late for my season, so I didn't get a lot of blooms before the season ended. If I ever started seeds indoors I would do lisianthus this way to get more of a jump on the season. Not sure where you are but just letting you know my experience. Good luck! Such a beautiful flower, lisianthus. :) Dee

It is good for short-term, but WS is somewhat the opposite. You put your jugs out in winter, forget about them, and spring brings new shoots. They'd disintegrate like campanula said in the snows and rains. TP would be good for quick germination once the gardening season begins, though. Zinnias would love it, for example, since I often had them germinate in under 24 hours in very warm southern sunny soil!