Some things will do well in a south window. Peppers and tomatoes will probably be fine. I have never grown onions from seed, to me it's a bit of a waste of time. Lettuce should be planted outdoors as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Zucchini makes a really big plant. I'm sure some people start it inside but I never would. Same for cukes. They don't like being transplanted. Dusty miller I have never grown, and marigold seeds can also be planted straight into the ground when it's still cold. They are a good candidate for winter sowing or just direct sowing.

Agreed on the zucchini and cukes -- they will grow soft stems inside where there is zero wind, then when you plant them outside the wind will destroy them in a day. Sprout those seeds in paper towel when the weather warms in late May, then sow the just-sprouted seeds where you want them to grow in the garden.

Excellent! These are great tips - exactly what I was looking for. Do cukes and zucchini do well winter sown?

I wouldn't wintersow either one of them. As Gil and Don mentioned, cucumbers don't like to be transplanted, so they'd do a lot better sown directly into the garden. As for zucchini, if you want to start them outside, do so in May, and bring them inside if it gets too cold overnight. Or you can do them directly in the garden and cover with something at night. I've used tomato cages with a clear plastic bag over them. The bag can be rolled up during the day (held to the cage with clothespins)and dropped down at night.

I have started cucs, melons and squash in the house in a south window for many years. I start them in peat pellets or paper pots so I put them directly in the ground the last week in May and it doesn't disturb the roots. I start them only about 1o days or so before planting out so they are just at the first true leaf stage. I find it gives them a bit of a start with moisture and warmth. I have started many zucs in peat pellets and planted them out 3 weeks later with lots of fruit to harvest later in the summer. All are warm soil germinators so not for winter sowing. :) I have always started my tomatoes in the same window and just planted deeper when planting out or grown them out under plastic on the deck till late May.

Ginny

Every time i transplant tomatoes, i plant them a bit deeper. My brother-in-law taught me a trick too. When you finally put them into the garden, dig the hole wider and deeper and when you put them into the hole, gently bend the stem so that the roots are to the side. Then fill it in. I've been doing this for years now.

I start most of my plants on the windowsill and, as suggested, I've had best results with tomatoes, flowers, and herbs. I used to start most of my squash in this fashion, too (with no problems), but conducted a little test last year and discovered that there was no real net gain with transplanted plants over those which were direct-seeded. Really, it's just nice to have a little greenery around the house at the end of winter.