I'm in NH and a zone cooler than you. I used to direct-sow everything with no issues. The only things I'd purchase were tomatoes & peppers. Since I discovered winter sowing, I do everything in containers outdoors. I will WS my tomatoes ASAP, but I have given up on the peppers, since I just can't seem to do those so well. I haven't got the patience or discipline to do an indoor setup, so this works for me. I started my cool season stuff (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes) end of march, and just put the seedlings in the ground this past weekend. I'll WS the rest of my veggies in the next week or so in containers, and plant them out as soon as they have true leaves. (I also have no interest in spending the $$ on 'starts' of plants at a garden center/nursery because the things that I grow (corn, toms, brocolli, zucchini, squash, melons, cukes) do just fine from seed.) Good luck with your garden!

Thank you Veggieluv, we luv you too! Yes, the 'Winter Sowing Method' is not winter sowing a field in October with a green manure to turn under in April, or a winter rye, etc, to be cut for crop or fodder the next Spring. When you google Winter Sowing, the first hundred hits are dominated by the method, the ancient agricultural practice is going further and further behind the main pages. A few years back I went down to Beltsville seeking guidance and they very kindly and patiently gave it to me, as well taught me how to manage and grow my website. And it is that scholarly guidance which is why the method dominates over the ancient farming practice when you search the internet for 'Winter Sowing'. If you recheck the FAQs you'll see that the first one there is "How to Winter Sow", I think that is what you are referring to as what you want to read again. The FAQs were needed because there was a LOT of explaining because as you say, it is counter-intuitve, and it is also counter-cultural; many people believe that you need those heat mats and light set-ups to begin any sort of seed, and among the more experienced there were arguements that Deno's set of numbers had to be followed exactly. So, God bless Beltsville as they were the first authority who didn't start their convo with "No. You're crazy." I did good, so did they. We have a work-in-progress Database, there are veggies and herbs listed. I repeat it is a work in progress and it was created by the forum, my hands were not involved in its creation, but do to the need to house it in a reliable url, it is now at WinterSown.Org. Last week I finished the "cleaning and dusting", reframed it into a nicer grid, and uploaded the DB. The DB is in plain-text, you don't need Excel or Word or any database reading program, you can just click on the links and there it is. Keep in mind that not seeing a plant there doesn't mean that it can't be WS, and seeing a "NO" there also doesn't mean that it can't be WS--this is because there hasn't yet been enough years of entry to reliably prove and disprove particular plants. The DB is a suggestion and guide, but it is not the know-all, end-all, do-all, be-all for what seeds you can sow with the method. I am very glad that VeggieLuv mentioned tomatoes and peppers, initially most people think that you can't WS them. Consider the plants that reseed in your garden--we've all heard the legendary tales about toms germinating in cracks in sidewalks and growing to be the healthiest plants anyone has ever seen. Toms do reseed in a temperate climate because they're from a temperate climate, peppers and eggplants and all solanums can reseed. It does make sense that it you live in zone five or colder, that you choose a short season tom and not a 110 dtm type because you may be bringing in green fruits to ripen on the counter. Short season gardens need short season varieties. Give it a try, if you're unsure of the method then hold back some seeds to sow by whatever means you want, then at the end of the season compare the vigor, health, flowers or crops of what you sow. Your eyes are your teachers. Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Database

Thanks for the invitation, moonphase! I am learning so much, and having such a good time on the WS forum, that I may have to change my "favorite forum" on my member page, LOL!!! It seems almost everyone I have heard from so far, recommends direct sowing the Cosmos, and the African daisies. The peppers and basil I will hold off on and probably start them indoors in April. I have started basil indoors once before, and I was able to keep them alive without growlights long enough to get them planted outside. So far I've WS the Agastache, Asclepias, Chives, Marjoram, Oregano, Spearmint, Thyme, and Verbascum. The Cilantro, Parsley, and Dill haven't been winter sown yet, because I ran out of containers. DH drinks a lot of soda, so I should have enough 2L bottles to finish up in a week or so. That is assuming I don't acquire any more seeds, LOL! I am still nervous about giving up control, but I am trusting you experienced WSers not to steer me wrong : )

I space mine evenly in the container because I'm anal like that, lol! Actually, the main reason I space evenly and in lines is that it helps me identify the seedling as opposed to a weed. When I first started WSing, I sowed my vegetable seeds in jiffy pots and put them inside a foil roasting/lasagna pan with a plastic lid. Since I'm fairly new to vegetables, this gave me a bit more feeling of security when transplanting the seedlings, so I didn't disturb the roots. I still have the pans,and still do some veggies that way, but I find as I'm gaining confidence I am sowing vegetables just like flowers, in containers. I like to use the big rectangle water dispensers, the kind that are of the same material that milk jugs are made of, and you place on the shelf in the fridge and open the tap to pour. I place them on their sides, cut open, sow, and tape shut. They're bigger than the milk jugs but are nice and sturdy and easy to work with. :) Dee