Do they have to be clear plastic, or can they be milk jugs which are milky (LOL!). The consensus has been, as long as light can get through, it's fine, so a milk jug would give the seeds enough light. I don't personally use them, but a lot of people do and rave about them, so I guess they work fine! I use seed starting trays with clear lids. Also, if using a soda bottle, do you recommend leaving the top on or off, and poking additional holes around the top third of the bottle? I think everyone normally leave the tops off of both the soda bottles and the milk jugs. Here's a link to the Container FAQ, there's a few more specific suggestions in there. I think the removal of the lids will be air holes enough to start out with. Do you check to make sure the soil medium is not drying out? I do check mine on a fairly regular basis, (once or twice a week? maybe in the beginning) especially if we have not been getting very much rain. Of course once the seeds start popping, I start checking on a daily basis, to see the plants! I take off my lids very quickly, so I really have to watch the soil then. The more shallow the container, the worse it dries out. When, in Oklahoma, do you winter sow your seeds outside? I usually start in February. I start with the early seeds and perennials. Generally poppies, larkspur, pansies, anything that blooms in early spring. I usually quit around in April, mostly because I am starting to get overwhelmed with planting out. I end up direct seeding (or more correctly :), dumping seed directly on the soil after that). That's not the most effective method, but it keeps me from feeling guilty about overtrading! Late season annuals generally do better if they are started in April or so. A lot of the plants they talk about winter sowing are seeds that naturally self sow anyway, so I don't know why I would want to winter sow them?????? What is the advantage? Higher germination rate? Fewer problems with pests? http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/wtrsow/2002071827019689.html For me, the reason I got started was because I wanted poppies and no matter how much seed I bought and direct sowed I never had one. I was determined to have them :) I had tried to start seeds inside but I live in a 900 sq foot house, with no direct sunlight. I tried lights, but I ended up with okay germination, but dead on arrival when I got them in the ground. I work (and don't have a lot of patience), so the hardening off thing just didn't work too well for me. I also ended up with lots of dirt in my kitchen. I didn't particularly care, but I'm sure any guests I had during that time weren't too thrilled with the thought of potting soil being so close to their food! I am not a person to jump in full throttle to a new idea. By the time I ran across Trudi's idea, (this was long before there was a forum dedicated to it, it was just a theory), I had made a promise to myself to never start another seed and I had placed a rather large (for me) order with Bluestone Perennials. I figured it was cheaper to buy plants than waste money on seed that wouldn't grow! But, none-the-less, I was intrigued so I started just a very few seeds...and they worked! They grew, no hardening off needed, into the ground they went. That was all I needed, since then I have started a ton of seeds. I think this is my fourth or fifth year...I lose track :) Do you start all you seeds at the same time? Like for instance, annuals that are heat lovers, do you start them later than others? I am going to try the Stargazer dahlias, but am unsure when to sow them? I usually start the early stuff and perennials first and work my way down to the late season ones (like zinnias). I would start the dahlias in March if it was me. I did dahlias last year, but I don't honestly remember when I started them. But, the bulk of my seeds are usually started in March. When your seedlings have their first true leaves, do you pot them up in individual containers, like one of those flats with separate holes? And cover them with a plastic lid? I plant seedlings directly into the ground usually when they have their first leaves. I have been known to plant them with their seedling leaves only, but it is better to wait for the first leaves. I don't like to wait much later because the root systems get really huge and more damage is done getting them planted than is necessary (I tend to sow heavy). I uncover my flat pretty quickly after germination. We heat up pretty quickly here in Oklahoma and more seeds are lost to heat and frying under lids than anything else. The seedlings are really quite hardy, you don't really need to protect them. If you have ever seen larkspur or poppies in your garden you will notice that they germinate sometimes even in the fall and live right through the winter, snow, ice, freezing and all. When do you start fertilizing them? And, when you do, do you use a diluted solution, like 1/4 of the recommended amount? I don't fertilize, but I usually use Miracle Gro potting soil and it does have fertilizer in it. That seems to be all that is necessary. I think I have a really good location for the containers - on the East side of my house. If it does get some sun, it is minimal, and my heat unit is over there, and provides some warmth, but not too much. My brick house is painted white, so it retains some heat from the sun. Or, do they need to be placed in total share with no direct sunlight? I also have other places to put them. I am assuming it is wise to put them somewhere that is not too windy, where tops could be blown off, or they could be battered silly by rain, ice, etc. I also have a carport that I could put them under on the cement floor. I put mine in an area underneath a tree, sort of between the tree and the house, but not too close, just enough to protect from big winds. It is on the southwest side of the house. I have also put them in my gardening paths when I have run out of space. That's a good place because it doesn't interfere with any plants that might be trying to come up. I would not put your trays close to a heater vent, the extra warmth could trick the seeds into starting too early. I use a lightweight trellis type thing across all my lids. When the amount of trays exceeds the length of the trellis, I add chicken wire underneath. It works perfectly and the chicken wire works really well once the lids are off...it keeps the birds and squirrels out of the seedlings. I know that not all seeds need light to germinate. For those that don't, how do you handle that? I surface sow all but the largest of seeds. It seems to work fine for me. If a seed packet says it takes 10 days to germinate, what amount of time should I expect by WS'ing? The package instructions have no correlation with WS. The best method for me has been experience and watching the forum. You will start to see the "wave of green" as things pop in the South (which includes us!), and you will see a pattern in which seeds germinate when. My recommendation is to start small, and start with the really foolproof seeds: poppies, larkspur, batchelor buttons and others I can't think of right off the top of my head. I tried to answer everything, but if I missed anything, post it again, I'll re-try! Lisa

First, trying to compare squash growth to tomato growth is apples to oranges. Squash normally grow at 10x the speed of many things. One reason why they are normally direct seeded in the garden. That plus they are a summer crop not a spring crop. Second, look at the BIG difference in the growing mediums you provided - big containers of potting mix vs. multiple seedlings coir pellets. No comparison there either. Separate and transplant those tomato seedlings into small containers of potting mix and they will take off. And check out the Growing from Seed forum here. There are great FAQs there and many discussions about the various steps in growing from seeds. Dave

Keep in mind you can go to your local Library where they will have plenty of books to help get a good perspective on how to start gardening this way. I have a huge garden I start from seed every year. I learned from my German grandparents who where farms by profession. I live in illinios zone 5 and my "last frost date is similar to yours from the sound of it. My grandparents always sow they're seeds straight in the ground early June. I on the other hand follow thyre basic guidlines but take it a step further and start my seeds off in peat pellets in a humidity tray (for the first week or so before removing the lid) and grow them under a florescent grow light similar to what you have in mind. Everything mentioned can be bought at your local lowes, menards, or home depot. I usually plant mid june which is a week or two after when they do but then again mine have already been growing for about a month while they just sowed the seeds directly in the garden bed. I wouldn't worry about potting up. I just wait until they have grown for a few weeks or so and are not so fragile before planting them. I would say playing with them out of ground after this, especially if your like me and have ALLOT of seedlings is more trouble than its worth. But if you want to go that far you would up pot when the root ball occupy s the entirty of a pot and begins to wrap around the outside of the soil against the pot. Also if you are going to grow them under a florescent light fixture you are going to need a bulb meant for growing plants, A normal bulb isn't going to work. I'm trying to keep things basic so you can play along but once you get the hange of it and become more educated there's allot you can do to boost this early stage (and the whole growing process for that matter). for example I use I also use soluble seaweed powder fertilizer(something like 1-1-16) to stratify my seeds and to dilute in the watering to help them get a vigorous root system before planting but I know what im doing and would wait to tinker if you are new. I would say to just follow either of these basic guidelines and you should be fine. if your in doubt you can test the water by just trying to grow one or two seeds to see how things go to use them as a test basis for what you might like to change when you actually grow them (if that's anything).

where are the pots going.. back under lights.. or outdoors??? can the indoor seed tray be taken outside in toto... for the summer [full bright shade] ... and then perhaps transplant into pots in fall as smivs suggests ... and why would they need to be potted at all in fall??? .. why not the following spring???? are you planning on bringing them back indoors for next winter ...???? i might pot a few seeds.. 2 or 3 to a pot ... and just put them outdoors for winter.. and see what happens.. next spring.. no reason not to try an alternative method ... in case the indoor idea is a total loss .... look at the pix here ... and perhaps find search terms to find more pix : https://www.musserforests.com/plantinstruct.html note seedling care before planting.. etc.. site not working properly for me.... hopefully for you ... maybe order the catalog??? ken