Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
highalttransplant

RMG Winter Sowers Roll Call

highalttransplant
16 years ago

Well, I know I'm not the only around here that is doing it, and I thought it would be nice to have a thread going to follow everyone's progress. I love the WS forum too, but since our climate is a bit different than other areas of the country, our methods, and results will be also.

Actually, I haven't even started yet, but the kids are all back in school as of tomorrow, so I am about to get busy. I have plenty of seeds, and have a few containers saved. This is the only time of year that I don't give DH a hard time about drinking so much soda, LOL, since I NEED those 2L bottles!!!

Who else is winter sowing, and what have you sown so far?

For anyone who is not familiar with wintersowing, I have included a link below, but feel free to ask questions here, or on the wintersowing forum.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersowing information

Comments (121)

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Skybird,

    The lettuce and broccoli will be fine, but I may put all of the containers of tender annuals into one crate, to make it easy to bring into the garage if we have a real cold spell once they have all sprouted.

    It looks like you found a great spot for your wintersowing! You may want to check your flats for sprouts in a few days. Did you notice that the Calendula that has sprouted for me was sown just 10 days ago?! And our temperatures have been much cooler than yours!

    Does your plastic cover have any ventilation holes? If not, it may get too hot under there, and bake the seeds and sprouts. They don't have to be big ones, but you need some air circulation.

    Here is what my winter sowing area looks like today:

    {{gwi:367679}}

    Of course, I'm not even half way done yet!

    Bonnie

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    No holes yet, Bonnie, but since I'm still home 24/7 I'm watching them to be sure they don't get too warm. They're only in the sun for a little while yet at this time of the year, and the water that's now on top of the plastic is doing a good job of keeping it cool under the plastic. If you look at the pictures above you can see how quickly the sun is moving past the house putting them back in shade. The pictures were taken just a few minutes apart. I was rushing to get the plastic on to get another picture before they got into too much shade for a good picture.

    And---I'm not gonna even look for seedlings yet! I don't want any yet, so---head in sand!

    Skybird

  • aliceg8
    16 years ago

    Bonnie and Skybird, your stuff looks so neat and organized. I've only sowed a few containers (about a month ago I guess) and they are haphazardly placed against the house behind the junipers:

    Purple Millet (from Bonnie)
    Nigra Hollyhock (from Skybird)
    Lavatera (from Steve)
    Malva Zebrina (from Skybird)
    Columbine Chrysantha (from Skybird)
    Purple Coneflower seeds from 2005
    Cosmos Sensation from 2006

    The only thing that has sprouted so far (as of a couple of days ago) are the cosmos. (I didn't know to wait and do the annuals later!)

    My problem has been getting containers. There's just two of us, and we get our milk bottled and so to our neighbors. So this weekend I'm going to scour the local coffee shops.

    I just took a look at my seed stash, and here's what I have:

    12 packets of Nichols vegetable seed & one orange Cosmos left over from last year. I'll probably direct sow all of this, since this worked last year.

    Seed collected last year:

    2 kinds of Morning Glory
    Gazania
    Gerbera Daisy
    Zinnia
    Pink snapdragon
    Marigold
    Orange Cosmos
    Black tomato

    Traded seeds:

    Calendula (from Bonnie)
    Hibiscus Disco Belle Pink (from Skybird)
    Mixed color Hollyhock (from Skybird)

    New seeds ordered:

    Nasturtium Caribbean Cocktail (Vermont Bean)
    Nigella (VB)
    Gazania Tiger striped mix (T&M)
    Larkspur Gentian Blue (T&M)
    Centaurea "Dairy Maid" (T&M)
    Viola "Rose Shades" (T&M)
    Sunflower "Velvet Queen" (T&M)
    Zinnia "Red Spider" (T&M)
    Basil, "Swiss Sunset" (Territorial)
    Alyssum, "Snow Cloth" (Terr)
    Calendula, "Triangle Flashback" (Terr)
    Cosmidium "Phillipine" (Terr)
    Nicotiana, "Only the Lonely" (Terr)
    Nasturtium, "Jewel Mix" (Terr)
    California Poppy, "Apricot Chiffon" (Terr)

    Plus 14 new packets of vegetable seeds from Nichols and Territorial.

    Oh, and I forgot, Steve's herb seeds from Richters. Those came last night. Another 8 packets of seeds!

    So, obviously, I have a lot of seeds left I can winter sow. Just getting it done will be the problem! I scavenged several empty 1 gallon nursery pots the other day, and I'll try using those with plastic wrap on top too. In all cases, I'm only winter sowing 1/2 the seed I have - just in case!

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    More germination!

    Alyssum 'Golden Queen'
    Calendula 'Zeolights'
    2nd container of Broccoli 'Early Purple Sprouting'
    Lettuce 'Black Seeded Simpson'
    Lettuce 'Parris Island Cos'

    Maybe the containers are getting TOO much sun! They aren't in the shade until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, but this spot is the most out of the way place I have.

    Anyway, does anyone know how tender Calendula is? Last year I sowed it late, close to the last frost date, so I'm not sure how cold hardy they are.

    Alice, congratulations on getting started! If you lived closer, I'd share some 2L bottles and milk jugs with you. Hopefully, you can score some at your nearest Starbucks.

    Anyone else have germination yet?

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    Nothing yet :-( I did 5 baggies on Feb 10th and 11 more on Feb 16th. I know some of them had longer germination periods (toad lily can take 7-30 days). I still have a bunch of containers that I haven't had time to cut and more seeds to get out.

  • aliceg8
    16 years ago

    Score! I got 7 milk jugs at Starbucks today. With this and the coffee grounds we picked up last year these guys are becoming quite the supporters of my gardening efforts!

    Question... is it too late to winter sow lettuce? Should I just direct sow under my row cover instead?

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    So, I have seven milk jugs ready to go now with moistened seed starter mix in them -- am I too late? I wondered when the weather got warm last week, but it's cold again now, so maybe I'm not too late?

    I need to go through my inventory and focus on the most important perennials (and a few trees) since I don't have a ton of containers, so I don't have a list right now, but just in general -- is it getting too late for WSing to have its desired effects?

    I will have some annuals like petunias to sow as well, but I think those should come later, right?

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Alice, I don't think it's too late to WS lettuce. Last year, I WS lettuce and spinach on March 17, and had germination in a week. On the other hand, if you have a row cover, and wouldn't have to worry about the wind or birds carrying the seed away, you would save yourself the trouble of transplanting it later on.

    Steve, I don't know what your last frost date is, but if you still have 3 or 4 weeks of lows below freezing, that should be enough for most perennials. I'm not even half way through with my wintersowing, but the rest of it is annuals, and vegetables. You could do the Petunias anytime over the next month or so. I've already sown mine, not because they needed to be done yet, I just wanted to do them, because I have such a long list of annuals to sow this year.

    Now if I could just narrow down my 20 something varieties of tomato seeds, down to about half a dozen, I would start wintersowing some of them.

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    I started my tomatoes and peppers this past weekend; 4 seeds in each cup and two cups for each variety (except bloody butcher, which only has one cup).

    nothing going on in the baggies I started in mid-February yet, but most of these have longer germination periods

    Jen

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I can't believe none of you guys on the Front Range have germination yet! Especially since we had so much snow and cold weather this year, and I had my first sprouts show up 2 weeks ago.

    Jen, that looks great! Soooo, do you work for Starbucks, or did you just "borrow" their cart, LOL?

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    I used to work for them, which turned into a nightmare. When they stop certain displays they throw them out - I threw it out (I just threw it out to my car); I have a few things I rescued :-). It used to be in the basement with misc things stored on it and I had just moved it to the garage last week until I found another way to use it. It hit me when I was getting ready to do the tomatoes and peppers and trying to figure out how to move all of those cups and keep the wind and neighborhood cats off of them.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hello fellow WSers!

    I finally got some tomatoes started, and I did them like you Jen, in cups inside of baggies. Here is what I WS today:

    Azoychka
    MiniBush Yellow Cherry
    Moskvich
    Roma
    Sungold
    Supersweet 100's
    Stupice

    Annuals:
    Gazania 'Daybreak Hybrid Mix'
    Gazania 'Daybreak Bronze'
    Verbena 'Amarillo'
    Verbena 'Peaches & Creams'

    Here is what has germinated since I last checked:

    Dianthus knappii (seeds from my own garden)
    Lychnis 'Lumina Bronzeleaf Red' (only one sprout so far)
    Alyssum 'Apricot Shades'
    Dianthus 'Ideal Select Red'
    Marjoram
    Lettuce 'Buttercrunch'
    Lettuce 'New Red Fire'

    Now that it is starting to warm a bit, don't forget to check those containers for sprouts.

    Happy almost spring!
    Bonnie

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    Well, I unwrapped my WS flats yesterday and, much to my amazement, I have things up already! (Just sown on February 21!) Mostly itÂs all the different kinds of poppies. IÂm going to need to find a way to prop the plastic up so itÂs not laying down tight against the soil anymore. Decided IÂd wait till after next Monday since we could possibly get a snowstorm then, and since itÂs supposed to be pretty cool till at least then, they shouldnÂt grow enough to be damaged by having their heads squashed down before then! TheyÂre still just tiny, tiny, just barely visible seedlings. As a matter of fact I had to REALLY look to spot some of them!

    WhatÂs coming up so far is:

    Three varieties of opium poppies
    Three varieties of California poppies
    Papaver Rhoeas, Flanders poppies
    Iceland poppies from Stevation
    Androsace ÂStardustÂ
    Penstemon barbatus - I think itÂs probably ÂRondo and IÂm pretty amazed itÂs upÂespecially this quicklyÂsince itÂs old seed I collected when I was at PaulinoÂs. Maybe thereÂs hope for some of the other old seed IÂm trying too!

    This is fun,
    Skybird

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    Skybird, chopsticks work great for propping up the plastic. I picked up 100 pairs at an Asian market a couple of years ago for around $4. I'm using them to keep the baggies from falling in my mater & pepper cups and in the other things sown in baggies.

    I still need to get the poppies and other flowers going.

    Dafy -> feeling like the white rabbit :-)

  • dereks
    16 years ago

    I have two containers of shirley poppy sprouts. I'm amazed that they would sprout already because it has been so cold. They were beginning to sprout when we were having lows in the low 20s. Since then it has warmed up some and now the containers are chuck full of sprouts. I guess they are in a hurry to get started.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Skybird and Dereks, congratulations on your sprouts!!!

    Once you get sprouts, you'll get container checking fever, LOL! I've had containers with no sprouts in the morning, have sprouts in them by afternoon, which makes it hard not to peek in there, if you happen to be passing by.

    We had some snow this morning, which is gone now, but I went to check on my sprouts. Everything looks fine, the weather hasn't bothered them at all. I also found some new sprouts today:

    Oregano
    Calendula 'Apricot Daisy'
    Amaranth 'Pygmy Torch'

    Last year, I had such late germination on my wintersown peppers, but someone on the WS forum had an idea that I might try. Sow them in a WSing container inside, but while the sprouts are still pretty small, go ahead and put the container outside. The extra heat from the mini-greenhouse will protect them from the cold, and the sun exposure should encourage growth faster than being indoors in my windowsill, plus they will already be somewhat hardened off, since they will be exposed to the outdoor temperature fluctuations, even if the container buffers that effect a bit. Then I can gradually remove the top half just during the day, until the danger of frost is past. Hey, I'm willing to try anything, since I didn't get any fresh peppers, even from the storebought transplants last year. Since I don't have a greenhouse, or room for a light setup inside, this seems like the next best option. Anyone have any thoughts about this idea?

    Bonnie

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I received a couple of trades in the mail today, so of course I had to sow a couple more things:

    Gomphrena 'QIS Carmine'
    Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes'
    Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (they sent the whole seedhead, and I couldn't exactly identify the seeds themselves, so I just broke it up and sprinkled it around, then put a little soil on top. Will see if it works.)

    Bonnie

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    Wow, Bonnie, I'd like to be one of your neighbors! You'll probably have so much stuff that you'll be giving away young plants in a few months.

    So, I finally got around to it and winter sowed ten things tonight. I've been trying to frame my basement this month, so I haven't had much time to pay attention to garden stuff. Here's what I sowed today:

    Echinacea 'Ruby Giant'
    Lychnis 'Rose Campion'
    Alyssum 'Oriental Nights'
    Callirhoe involucrata
    California poppy 'Summer Sorbet'
    Coreopsis 'Mahogany Midget'
    Thymus serpyllum
    Vitex agnus-castus
    Syringa reticulata 'Mandshurica'
    Aquilegia caerulea

    Some of you will recognize these as things you gave me in trades this winter. Thank you so much for them! I still have lots of other seeds, but I have such limited time these days. I also ordered some new seeds this week. I don't know how I'm going to do all the garden things and finish my basement this spring!

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    Remember the Callirhoe has VERY irregular and often slow germination, Steve. If you didn't put in a bunch of seed, add some more. A few of them will germinate more quickly than the others, so it gives you better odds of getting something to germinate before you give up.

    Keep the faith,
    ;-)
    Skybird

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    I got 11 more containers sown saturday and have 10 more to get prepped - now I have to go out and get more soil sunday. That's still not everything I want to get started. I'll post the list soon.

    No sprouts yet, but I'm reminding myself that what I planted takes awhile to germinate under normal conditions, so will take longer with WS.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Congratulations, Steve, on WSing your first containers! I hope that you are able to find time to do some more. It would be a shame to stop at ten containers, LOL!

    Dafy, last year I didn't buy enough soil before winter set in, and had a hard time finding it when I got started WSing. This year, I stocked up, and I've already had to buy more. Thankfully, the stores have seed starting mix out already.

    The only new sprouts today are the Lavender seeds I received from Skybird last year. When I sowed some of them last year, I didn't get any germination, so I am relieved to see them. Obviously the seeds were fine, it was just user error : )

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    I picked up a 3 cubic foot bag so that should get me through. I didn't get anything sown today because of a stiff neck.

    Saturday I sowed
    3 different lettuces (all in one tray)
    African daisy
    Queen Anne's lace
    "white daisy"
    Hare's Tail grass
    Catchfly
    Clarkia - double mix
    Poppy - Breadseed
    Poppy - Double lavender
    Poppy - Swan's Down
    Snapdragon "Black Prince"
    Gerbera Daisy - orange

    Dafy

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    Skybird, thanks for the reminder on the Callirhoe. When I got those in trade from you, I was impressed how well you labeled things, and I did read the irregular germination warning. I sowed them quite densely, and I still have a good bunch left over for next time. I hope I get some sprouts, because that's a plant I've been wanting for a long time.

    And Bonnie, I do have three more containers ready to sow. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these plants if they all sprout!

    Speaking of that, how do you handle the sprouts -- how long do you leave them in the containers, and do you thin them out if you leave them in there for a while? Do you find that the roots get damaged when transplanting if you've left them in the container too long? How long is too long? Do you scoop out clumps of them and just plant the clumps or do you try to separate the clumps apart and spread them out a lot? Do you transplant them to small pots to grow on or put them straight into the garden?

    Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions. Thanks for helping!

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    Oh, I just realized I already asked a question back in January about how long to leave the sprouts in the containers. Sorry to repeat. But there are a few new questions in my last post -- mostly about separating the little guys when you remove from the containers. And whether they go straight into the garden or into pots.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Morning, Steve! I had to go back and read my previous answer, so I wouldn't repeat myself too, and I saw that I wrote I was going to have about 50 containers this year. Hmmmm... I'm already there, so I guess I was off by 25 or 50, but who's counting : )

    Anyway, you can either plant the sprouts in chunks like little brownies or HOS (hunks of seedlings), which works great for groundcovers and things like Alyysum, Creeping Phlox, Portulaca, etc. For things that you only want one or two in each spot, you will have to separate them, a regular fork works great for this. That is one of the lessons I learned last year, not to sow too heavily. I only planted one seed per container for my tomatoes and peppers this year. That way they can stay there until I can plant them in the garden or into their permanent pots. Unless the garden space isn't ready yet, or you sowed too heavily, I wouldn't worry about potting them up. As long as you have 3" or 4" inches of soil in the container, the roots should be fine. I tried scooping the plants out of the container with a spoon when I planted out, but in the end, I ended up taking a scissors and cutting the container apart to get them out. Obviously, if you plan to reuse the same containers next year, this would not work for you, but with a family of five, we have an endless supply of milk, juice, etc. containers, so I just threw the leftover pieces into the recycle bin.

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    It's about time...I finally have sprouts!

    Matthiola incana - 10-week stock (sown 2/16/08)
    Cranesbill geranium Pratense (sown 2/16/08)
    Myosotis - Forget-Me-Not "Blue-Bird" (sown 2/10/08)

    Only a couple of sprouts in each so far, but the baggie method is working.

    WhooHoo!

  • Azura
    16 years ago

    Ive got a bunch of sprouts now but Im still sowing. Im wondering at what point it officially becomes spring sowing?

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    That's awesome, Dafy! Now you'll be hooked on WSing forever.

    Here is a picture of my Alyssum 'Golden Queen' sprouts:

    ... and one of my lettuces, I can't remember which one I took a photo of, and yes, I oversowed a bit:

    My most recent sprouts are:

    African Daisy 'Buff Beauty'
    Cilantro
    Dill

    I thought I was done ordering seeds for the year, but thanks to a few $ back from Uncle Sam, I just placed a couple of small seed orders, which included that beautiful Snapdragon 'Black Prince' on your list, Dafy!

    It's time to start digging, so that I will have somewhere to put all of these plants!

    Bonnie

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Azura, I didn't see your post until after I sent mine, so what has sprouted for you so far? Last year, I kept WSing until the end of April. After that, most of what I planted were veggies that were direct sown. You can use the same method in the spring and summer, but you will probably want to give the containers more shade, and check them more often for water.

    Bonnie

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Sowed a few more things today. Since they were mostly annuals, I may be pushing my luck a bit, but I had time, and wanted to get a few more out of the way.

    Alternanthera 'Purple Knight'
    Coleus 'Wizard Sunset'
    Helichrysum 'Silver Mist'
    Parsley krausa
    Rosemary
    Salvia 'Coral Nymph'
    Salvia 'Lady in Red'

    Going to try and hold off a couple more weeks before I start basil, marigolds, or zinnias.

    Happy spring!
    Bonnie

  • Azura
    16 years ago

    Okay I finally made a list of what has germinated. Please let me know if you think any of these sprouted too early and may need to be babied a bit. I hope I didnt sow some of these too early!

    • Red Dwarf Foxglove

    • Blanket Flower 'Goblin'

    • Clarkia anieba 'Tall Mix'

    • Siberian Wallflower

    • Agastache foeniculum - Anise Hyssop

    • Chives

    • Lychnis x arkwrightii 'Vesuvius'

    • Excelsior Foxglove

    • Borage

    • Lychnis chalcedonica Maltese Cross

    • Tall Coreopsis (Lonetree Library)

    • Butterfly Blue Delphinium

    • Fernleaf Dill

    • Purple Ruffles Basil

    • Lychnis viscaria 'Feuer'

    • Foxglove - Foxy

    • Short Coreopsis (Lonetree Library)

    • Dianthus Amazon Neon Purple

    • Larkspur 'Rocket'

    • Lychnis viscaria ssp. Atropurpurea

    • Papaver Somniferum

    • Black Eyed Susan

    My container total is up to 70 now but Im coming to an end, I wont have room in my beds!!

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    The only thing I see on your list that could be a problem, Azura, is the basil. We're supposed to get into the low 20's in the next couple nites, and I'm not sure if it can take colder temps when it only has seed leaves, but grown up basil is one of the first things to freeze in fall, so I'd watch that one pretty closely.

    And I don't know anything at all about clarkia, so I can't help with that one, but everything else should be just fine outside---especially with the protection your winter sowing containers will give them.

    Don'cha luv baby plants!
    Skybird

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    All of a sudden I have to go out of town for about 10 days at the end of next week. Since I only have a few that are sprouting (and can't rely on my roomie to remember to check them while I'm gone), do you think I can move them to the shadiest part of the yard until I get back?

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    That's probably a good idea, since it can't hurt them, and may save them if there is a heat wave. You may want to water them before you leave too. I'd be willing to bet you have some new babies when you get back!

    Bonnie

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    My most recent appearances are:

    >>Tanacetum, Painted daisies
    >>Gypsophila repens, Pink creeping babyÂs breath
    >>Aubrieta, Rockcress, purple
    >>Larkspur ÂRocketÂ
    >>Armeria pseudarmeria, Large flowered thrift
    >>Bellis perennis, English daisy
    >>Briza maxima, Quaking oat grass
    >>Dianthus barbatus, Sweet William, bright red tall
    >>Berlandiera lyrata, Chocolate flower

    And since there was no "head room" the way IÂm starting mine, I needed to do some modifications, which I did about a week ago. Since I have a large (relatively speaking) area covered, rather than individual "tall" containers, I needed to improvise a way to keep the plastic up off of the seedlings, so I decided to put several inverted standard one gallon pots around the edges of the flats, then I laid a piece of hardware cloth (that I got free on FreeCycle) over the entire top of the flats to support the (very thin) plastic, put the plastic over the whole thing and weighted it down with various things around the edges. I did put a short piece of a stake across the middle to keep the hardware cloth from "sagging" down in the middle. I just inserted the ends of the stake into the holes in two pots that were opposite each other about in the middle.

    Here are two pictures of the setup now that the plastic is raised up several inches above the seedlings.


    The plastic on the ends and on the back side is just tucked under the edges of the pots, and since thereÂs enough weight on top of the pots, it doesnÂt blow loose. And the plastic on the long, exposed side is wrapped around a piece of 2 X 2 that just happened to be the right length, and then weighted down with a couple bricks to keep it stabilized. In effect, IÂve now created a mini greenhouseÂI guess you might call it my version of a hoop houseÂwithout the hoops! :-)

    When the sunÂs hitting it I roll the plastic up around the 2 X 2 on the long side to ventilate it, and if itÂs still getting too warm, I can pull the plastic out from under the pots on one or both ends to have adequate ventilation. (I have a picture of it with the side rolled up, but itÂs the only picture that hasnÂt been downloaded right now, and I donÂt want to waste batteries to do that one picture, so IÂll post it later sometime!) So far itÂs workingÂsince IÂm still off workÂbut if I werenÂt here to watch it, the whole thing would be kaput by now!

    It was just snowing very lightly here a little while ago, but weÂre supposed to have a VERY warm week coming up, and IÂm going to be getting to the point where I have to start wateringÂand I donÂt think IÂm short enough to get inside my mini greenhouse, so I guess IÂll have to dismantle it one day to water, and I can check for additional germination again then...

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    OK, I was late sowing, and it's been only one week, but my Alyssum have started sprouting now. Cool!

    I am a little concerned that my California poppies might be getting too warm out there, since they like cool temps to germinate. I moved them to a shadier spot.

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    Clarkia, Irish Eyes Rudbeckia and African Daisy are sprouting. I moved everything right up against the fence where they should be shaded most of the day. I'm off to Oklahoma tomorrow for about 10 days - cross your fingers the babies are fine while I'm gone.

    One thing I did learn is not to use green ink because it bleaches out really fast. There are two containers that are either foxglove or catchfly - I managed to figure out what the others were based on the group of seeds I had sown that day and the letters that were still sort of visible (wintersowers wheel of fortune?)

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Last night the forecast called for a low of 19 degrees. I decided to put all of the containers that had sprouted together in a couple of milk crates and bring them into the unheated garage. All of the containers that hadn't germinated yet were left outside. When I woke up this morning it was only 15 degrees! I'm sure some of the tough ones, like Dianthus would have been okay, but I'm pretty sure I would have lost some sprouts if I hadn't moved them. Hopefully, there will only be one or two more nights where the lows drop into the teens.

    Has anyone else had lows in the teens, and did your sprouts come through okay?

    Bonnie

  • stevation
    16 years ago

    Uh oh... I'd better check them when I get home. It got down to 16 at my house last night. I had Alyssum, CA Poppy, and a few Lychnis sprouting. I'll bet the poppies made it OK -- they're darn tough, but I don't know about the others.

  • dafygardennut
    16 years ago

    I sure hope not, I'm still in oklahoma and won't be able to check until sunday.

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    16 years ago

    IÂm finally getting back here with the picture of my mini greenhouse with the sideÂand one endÂrolled up!

    I got down to 20 last nite, and didnÂt do anything special at all with my flats. They ARE covered with plastic, but since itÂs no longer touching anything, I really donÂt worry about the seedlings. If we should get down into the low teens at this point, I might go throw a sheet over the top of the plastic, but since this stuff has been living in the cold temps every nite, I figure it can pretty much fend for itself! You go, seedlings!

    Nothing new to report on germination because the flats have stayed wet enough so I havenÂt had the plastic all the way off for the last week to check things out. My compost project kept me too busy to be doing much else!

    Dafy! Stop and think about that green ink you used to mark your plants! Blue is the color that fades most easily (I used to operate an offset printing press = knowledge of colored inks!), and yellow isÂwellÂyellow! Green is blue and yellow! (Red fades very quickly too.) If youÂre marking on white plastic markers, I very highly recommend a soft lead pencil (#2 or softer) (I sold office supplies for 20 years too!) Graphite, which is what "lead" pencils are made with these days, will last a long time in sun without fading. And ordinary wood pencils are a LOT cheaper than the "garden markers" they sell that they claim wonÂt fadeÂthat DO fade. If youÂre marking on a dark colored pot, light color china markers (grease pencils) or crayons last a LONG time.

    How did your seedlings do, Steve?

    Skybird

  • dafygardennut
    15 years ago

    it was the only pen handy at the time - i've used both china marker and black sharpie.

    I'm back from Oklahoma - seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position :-). I had to cut back half of the lime basil in the aerogarden so it looks like pesto for dinner tomorrow. I went out and peeked at the baggies and two containers of poppies, canterbury bells and the white daisy are up. The cranesbill is not looking happy at all and lettuce looks toasted. I'll give everything a better once over tomorrow.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi, Dafy! I'm sorry to hear about your lettuce and cranesbill. Are they toast because of a hard frost, or has it been real warm there? I'm sorry but I'm a bit out of touch with what the weather has been doing on the other side of the state.

    Last year, when we dropped into the teens unexpectedly, I lost a few sprouts, but it wasn't the whole container. It was mainly just the ones along the outside edge. Did you lose all of them? I've moved all of the sprouted containers into three milk crates, so that it makes it quick and easy to move into the garage, if I find out that temps are falling into the low 20's or less. Some things don't really need the extra protection, but if I'm going to bring some of them in, I might as well baby them all.

    Here it has been windy for at least a week, and the forecast is calling for rain/snow and more wind the next couple of days. With the cool and cloudy weather, there has not been much germination lately. Most of the perennials are not up yet, except the Penstemon pinifolius 'Compactum'. So whoever I sent seed to, they should be viable.

    Oh, and how was the Lime Basil pesto? I am going to grow Cinnamon, Lemon, Lettuce Leaf, Sweet, and Red Rubin Basils this year, but haven't tried the Lime before. Is there much of a difference between the Lime and the Lemon? With the recent weather we've had here, I'm holding off at least another week to sow them.

    Most of the herbs I WS are up now, except the chives, garlic chives, rosemary, and parsley (that one was just sown a week ago). I'm beginning to think I'm chive impaired!

    Well, my eyes are going blurry, so I'll call it a night.

    Bonnie

  • stevation
    15 years ago

    Hey, sorry I've been too busy to visit here for a week or so. My seedlings made it through just fine! I still have Alyssum, CA Poppy, and Lychnis sprouting (more Lychnis than before now), plus some of the Iceland poppies are sprouting, too. Still no action on the others, but I was happy to see that our 16 degree morning last week didn't kill what was already sprouted.

  • dafygardennut
    15 years ago

    The lettuce got toasted - looks like it drained too well and had too much air circulation. The cranesbill may survive - I only had one sprout. As of yesterday I have Astilbe, Cleome, Queen Anne's lace, Joe Pye Weed and Floss Flower (Ageratum) sprouting - a couple were hard to see because the sprouts are almost the same color as the dirt. I covered the containers of baggies with sheets last night and won't check until the snow melts.

    The pesto was fabulous - a couple of large handfuls of the lime basil, 3-4 small cloves of garlic, toasted pine nuts, pepper, lemon juice and fresh grated parmesan (sorry no measurements). I haven't tasted lemon basil to compare with the lime. The lime grows really well and has more of a lime aroma than flavor. I have WS'd any of the herbs yet; there was just too much going on with having to leave so unexpectedly and now I have to take my oldest shopping for a prom dress. I might need to sow these after everyone goes to bed by garage light :-)

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I was looking over my germination records, since it's too cold to go outside and do any gardening this morning, and thought I would post what has germinated for me so far, so here goes:

    (32 containers out of 68 sown)
    PERENNIALS
    Alyssum 'Golden Queen'- WS 1/11 and 2/5, germ 3/1 and 3/8
    Dianthus knappii - WS 1/11, germ 3/8
    Lychnis 'Lumina Bronzeleaf Red' - WS 1/19, germ 3/8
    Penstemon pinifolius 'Compactum' - WS 1/11, germ 3/28 (1st seeds harvested from my own garden to germinate, YIPPEE!)
    Scabiosa 'Moon Dance' - WS 2/25, germ 4/8

    ANNUALS
    African Daisy 'Buff Beauty' - WS 2/18, germ 3/18
    Alyssum 'Apricot Shades' - WS 2/5, germ 3/8
    Amaranth 'Pygmy Torch' - WS 2/18, germ 3/14
    Calendula 'Pink Surprise' - WS 2/18, germ 2/28
    Calendula 'Apricot Daisy' - WS 2/25, germ 3/14
    Dianthus 'Ideal Select Red' - WS 2/5, germ 3/8
    Gazania 'Daybreak Hyb. Mix' - WS 3/12, germ 3/24
    Gazania Daybreak Bronze' - WS 3/12, germ 3/21
    Gomphrena 'QIS Carmine' - WS 3/15, germ 4/8
    Millet 'Jester' - WS 3/28, germ 4/8
    Petunia 'Prism Sunshine Hyb.' - WS 2/25, germ 3/22
    Verbena 'Amarillo' - WS 3/12, germ 4/2

    VEGGIES & HERBS
    Cilantro - WS 2/18, germ 3/18
    Dill - WS 2/18, germ 3/18
    Lavender - WS 1/27, germ. 3/16
    Marjoram - WS 2/5, germ 3/8
    Oregano - WS 1/19, germ 3/14
    Sage - WS 2/25, germ 3/27
    Spearmint - WS 1/15, germ 3/23
    Broccoli 'Early Purple Sprouting' - WS 2/5 (2 cont.), germ 2/28 and 3/5
    Lettuce 'Black Seeded Simpson' - WS 2/18, germ 3/1
    Lettuce 'Buttercrunch' - WS 1/30, germ 3/8
    Lettuce 'Jericho' - WS 1/30, germ 2/28
    Lettuce 'New Red Fire' - WS 1/30, germ 3/8
    Lettuce 'Parris Island Cos' - WS 2/18, germ 3/1

    I noticed a lot of folks have poppies up, and realize that I hadn't sown those, so I did them this past week. Hopefully, they will pop up soon. I sowed the golden one that you sent me, Steve, and a cream colored one called 'Milkmaid'. The other thing I noticed that other folks have germination on is chives. This is my second year to WS them, and I did the regular kind, and the garlic chives. Neither one is up so far. Maybe someone can bring an established clump to the plant swap, if I don't get any germination. Most of the things I'm waiting on are perennials, with a few annuals that were just recently sown. Oh, and my wintersown tomatoes.

    I'm going to wait another week or two, then sow my zinnias and basils, and then I will be officially done wintersowing. From there on out, everything else will get direct sown into the veggie garden.

    Anyone else finished? Or just getting started?

    Bonnie

  • Azura
    15 years ago

    I've been done for over a month now, mostly because Ive been concentrating on amending my beds, keeping my compost hot and moving plants around. I have been naughty about getting the exact date of germination in my spreadsheet but I think I have less than ten items out of 70 left to germinate.
    What else are you going to spring sow, Bonnie? Maybe I just need some ideas to get me going again.
    Also, when are all you folks planning to take the covers off of your jugs?
    Bonnie, I will be happy to give you a big clump of chives at the swap. I have the normal kind, although I wish I had the garlic chives too. I'm not even sure why I wintersowed them, I have several clumps in the yard. Maybe I was sowing them for you and just hadnt realized it yet. :)
    Last question: Should we start a RMG Winter Sowers Roll Call Part 2? I dont know if we have anyone still on dialup but this post is getting unwieldy.

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Azura, I was thinking about starting a "Winter Sowing Results" thread once I start planting things out. I can't believe a thread I started in January is still going!

    The only things I have left to sow are basils - Red Rubin, Cinnamon, Lemon, Lettuce Leaf, and Sweet. And zinnias - Profusion Apricot, and Envy. Oh, and Red Perilla (shiso). I think I may direct sow the marigolds into the veggie bed, but they could be WS too. If you have any cosmos, those are good ones to spring sow, since they aren't frost tolerant either.

    The high today is supposed to reach 70 degrees, so I may take the tops off of some of my containers today. This month is the trickiest for me, since the days are warm, but we still dip into the 20's some nights. If I don't check the forecast, and forget to put the caps back on, some of the more tender things may get frost bit. I'm not worried about the perennials, but things like Calendula, Gazania, Petunia, African Daisy, and the annual Verbena, aren't quite as tough. I wish I had a shadier spot to put my containers in the spring, but the north side of the house is where the children's sandbox is, and I'm afraid the temptation would be too great for them.

    Thanks for the chives offer! Maybe someone else will have a clump of garlic chives for both of us that they could bring to the swap. Should start a wishlist for Charlene's Spring Swap too?

    Bonnie

  • dafygardennut
    15 years ago

    My sprouts seem to have stalled, no true leaves yet. The only things that haven't sprouted are the peppers & maters, and things I've since learned can take 3 months and up to a year to germinate. I've made a note not to give up on those. On a positive note I'm up to 18 that have sprouted:

    Cranesbill "Pratense" - only two sprouts, but they're looking good
    10-week stock
    Amaranthus (Love Lies Bleeding)
    Cleome (Spider flower)- pink/purple and pink
    African Daisy
    White Daisy
    Queen Anne's Lace
    Rudbeckia "Irish Eyes"
    Joe Pye Weed
    Forget-me-not "Blue Bird"
    Datura
    Ageratum (Floss Flower)
    Canterbury Bells
    Swan's Down Poppy
    Double Lavender Poppy
    Clarkia Mix
    Either Foxglove or Catchfly (this is the mystery container)

  • highalttransplant
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Dafy, my Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes' aren't up yet, but that is one that I really hope will germinate. Already have a spot picked out for it, LOL!

    Hey, guess what? I think I may actually be done!!! Today I sowed 5 kinds of basil, two types on zinnias, and some red perilla. Everything else on my germination chart that hasn't been planted will probably get direct sown.

    Final count = 86 containers

    Now it's time to start planting out! Yippee!!!

    Bonnie

Sponsored
Kohlmark Flach Architects
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Kohlmark Flach Architects: Enriching Lives Through Purposeful Design