What a great thread!!! Thanks, Buck for asking this question. I am new to winter sowing too....this past winter was my first. I intended to plant about 50ish containers and did over 100. I had one I forgot to label but now know that it is monarda lambada and it is blooming nicely. I had two containers that the labels faded out...still don't know what they were. I discovered halfway through that I really didn't need to plant every seed in every packet and I got over the guilt rather early of not sowing the gift seeds that I really wasn't interested in. I do still have plastic containers out in the yard with seedlings in them....blooming nicely...kind of like container gardening but yucky containers for that purpose. My husband still loves me and encourages my new obsession ;*) he even tilled me a holding bed for my perennials. I am in a weird part of zone 5 and have discovered that most of the annuals I love don't germinate soon enough to provide the blooms I want for the summer. There are a few that did fine though and those I will winter sow again...the others I will either sow indoors or purchase. I don't know what zone you are in but I want to point out that the warmer zones get results a lot sooner than the colder zones (I know that is obvious but it was frustrating that they had sprouts and I had snow!). This has been a fun and wonderful experience for me. It really helped with the winter blues and has improved my garden with plants I never would have bought but have grown from seed just fine. The friendship and generosity on this forum is exceptional. I'm glad you joined and I'm glad I joined too! Bonny

My day started out pretty early. Cheryl and I took Izzi and KC to the groomers and dropped them off and then to another town and we had a great breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I had a hard fried egg on sourdough toast covered in some really good tasting melted cheese. On the other half of the toast more good cheese melted and a couple pieces of bacon and a piece of ham. That came with fried apples. Cheryl shared half of a sweet potato pancake, so good. I had unsweetened iced tea to drink. Around 3 in the afternoon after shopping all the time, we went to Steak and Shake and each had a big milk shake during the "Happy Hour". So no supper for me tonight. Had a good day and hope all did too. Sue

Read a few books so far, but not as much as normal as the whole family is up about 30 minutes to an hour later than normal so less time to read before I pass out. I finished the below ones: The sun-down motel by Simone St James which I really liked even though it had some elements that I normally would not pick the book for. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris which was really good and is in part based on real people. Such a hard topic though. Now I'm almost finished with a little lighter reading Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney which had lots of twists and turns and was a good psychological thriller The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - Started this one about a month ago and had dropped reading it twice, but finally got through it. For me it needed me to get about half-way through it and then it got interesting. Another psychological thriller. Now almost finished with a little lighter reading with the latest book by John Sanford in the Lucas Davenport series: Masked Pray. Only have about 20 or so pages left, but it has been an easy read and interesting as it relates a bit to the current political climate, but not one of the best in the series.

2020 Bean report. Summer was mostly cool until 7/14 and then cool again starting 9/15. All are pole beans and all were started in peat pots starting May 1 when the soil was still too cool to start beans outdoors. Summer days average 75F nights are commonly 50 F or even below. Alice Whitis. 8/22 large snaps. 9/8 some rubbery. 9/12 some are drying. Aunt Jean’s. 7/20 snaps. 8/12 some turning a bit yellow. 8/28 some are dry. Aunt Kate’s. They were planted late on 5/21. 7/19 they branch heavily with several vines going up from the bases. 9/8 immature full size 4 inch snaps. 9/12 large number of medium size ¼ inch diameter snaps good for green beans. 9/19 Many are full and some are rubbery and mature. Barnes Mountain. 8-8 first blossoms. 9/12 some small and ideal for green beans. Some large. Small crop but good for late September use. Black Greasy. One early trellis. 8/25 lots of greasy snaps. Perfect for green late beans. 9/15 still fine full snaps. 9/19 some are dry. Clay Bank Fall, two early trellises, two late. 7/26 snaps. 8/22 loads of pods with red streaks. 9/8 many are dry even on the late trellises. 9/19 most are dry but there are still many usable full snaps. This is my favorite so far. Frank Barnett discovered these. Frank Barnett Cutshort. 8/8 first snaps. 8/25 very tasty full snaps. Small crop this year. John Morgan Stumbo Greasy Cutshort. 8/2 heavily branched vines are still fairly short. 8-8 climbing well now. 9/12 there are 2 inch snaps. 9/19 I do not expect to be able to enjoy full size snaps or save seeds. Monachine/Pellegrini. 8/30 full and changing color. 9/12 some are rubbery. 9/15 many are dry. These are fine full beans. Monte Cristo is grown for family members who think Blue Lake is the ideal bean! Two early trellises started 5/1, one 5/15, one 6/1, one 6/10. 7/26 snaps. 8/2 loads of full size snaps. 8/30 mostly over large and tough. 9/5 they are finished. Robe Mountain. These are also grown for Blue Lake fans. 7/30 there are snaps. 8/2 loads of full size snaps. Better than Monte Cristo when big. Royal Corona. White runner 6/27 the tall vigorous vines have blossoms! 7/13 there are 3 inch snaps. 8-8 fat maturing pods. 8/21 some pods at yellow shelly stage. 8/30 mostly dry. 9/18 picked the rest of the dry pods. (Zeedman they tolerated hot late July and August days, many above 90F. The shellies were fine and even DW liked them.) Ruth Bible. 7/30 there are snaps. They are similar to Tennessee cutshort but vines branch more and have heavier foliage. 8/22 foliage is still much heavier than Tennessee Cutshort and full snaps are good. Tennessee Cutshort. 7/30 there are snaps. 8/22 snaps maturing on almost bare vines. The full beans are very good.