Wintersowing for 2011

   It is such a warm beautiful day outside today ( a warm 65°) , I decided to get started on a little wintersowing. I am much later than last yr. But this yr I have no intentions of sowing over 200 containers either. I want to see how things filled out from last year. With perennials they frequently dont show their true glory until yr 2 or 3. Mostly what I sowed today are the fantastic seeds sent to me from Renee's Garden about a month ago (see link in side bar). I participated in a group grow last yr sponsored by her.It was a lot of fun. I got about 15 containers sowed this afternoon. It didnt take long as I saved a few bags of last year's containers. So I didnt have all the cutting to do.
   I also sowed some more rose seeds I had saved. last yr I got two wonderful rose bushes this way. I expected some weird looking thing with flowers no where near the parent, but I got a wonderful surprise when they bloomed. What a cheap,easy way to make more roses.
  Traditionally, winter sowing is started on Winter Solstice. But I avoid the cold weather as much as possible. This is such an easy method to start seeds. Mother Nature takes care of most of the gardener's duties. Give it a try and drop a line to let me know how it did.

Winter Sowing Successes and Failures

    Below is the long list of results I had with winter sowing for the first time in winter 2009/2010. Out of about 230 containers I sowed, 23, as of yet have NOT germinated. I dont consider that too bad. I did get loads of nice stuff that i have been busily planting out. With still loads more to do. Winter sowing sounds hard to believe, almost too good to be true. When thinking about whether to try it or not, i kept thinking it was going to be too difficult, I wasnt going to be able to keep 100's of containers watered, or it just wasnt going to work. I have read on GW where some put them out in the thousands. I thought in the beginning I would reach no where near 100. Well after sowing a handfull of containers out here and there over about 5 months, it was a breeze. Didnt take hardly any time at all. then my worry about keeping them watered. in that 5 months, i watered maybe 4 times this spring. I didnt obsess about it. just took my waterhose out and dribbled water in each container. Then on days when i was really feeling lazy (which is pretty frequent), I just set it to spray, and run it back and forth over the tops of the containers as it it was raining. Not as good, but it got me by. This has to be the easiest method to sow plants by the 100's or even 1000's there is. Thanks to Trudi at wintersown.org for coming up with this. If you love to grow your own plants from seed, you have to try this out. You will be amazed!

Seeds that did NOT germinate, at least as yet:
I will give them another month just in case.

Anchusa Dropmore Blue
Aster purple
Aster purple ribbon
Aster Schone Von Dietlikon
Blue Thimble Flower
Caryopteris summer Sorbet
Chrysanthemum Clara Curtis
Coneflower orange
Cosmos- all
Echium Blue Bedder
Florence Fennel
Gaillardia Burgundy
Gaillardia Red Plume
Gaillardia Summer's Kiss
Golden Chain Tree
Hakoni Double blue balloon flower
Helenium yellow
Heliotrope Marine
Hollyhock figleaf yellow and peach
Joe Pye Weed regular and chocolate
Marigold Citrus
Salpiglossus
Silene orientalis

Seeds that germinated, and I still need to plant out:

Agastache Korean Mint
Allium neopolitanium
Alyssum Carpet of Snow
Aster Tiger paws
bachelor buttons
Balsam
Bellflower, White peach leafed
Blue pimpernel “Blue lights”
Butterfly Weed, orange
Caryopteris Worcestshires Gold
Cineraria Stelata
Coreopsis Early Sunrise
Dahlia Hello bronze
Delphinium Blue jay
Delphinium larkspur
Dianthus raspberry swirl
Dianthus Sooty
fever few virgo
Foglove, dwarf Foxy
Foxglove, strawberry
gaillardia
Geum Rivale
Godetia Amoena
Gomphrena soft pink
Helenium red
Helenium red
heuchera marvelous marbles
Hibiscus Pinot Noir
Hollyhock Chaters
Hollyhock mix, rose, red, yellow
Hollyhock peach
Hosta mix
Hosta Sagae
Jacob's Ladder blue
Larkspur Kingsize Scarlet
Laura Bush petunia
Liatris
Marigold safari yellow
marigold Scarlet starlet
Marigold Sweet cream
marigold, orange from McDonald's
Marigold, yellow from McDonald's
Melampodium butter diasy
milkweed, swamp
Nasturtium Alaska
nasturtium cream Sickle
nasturtium Empress of india
nasturtium milkmaid
Nasturtium Whirlybird
Nicotian Crimson king
Night Scented Stock
Penstemon “Lipstick”
Penstemon Cobaea
Petunia Double Madness Rose
Petunia Hurrah Blue
Petunia Ramblin Red
Poppy , California
Poppy, pink
Poppy, Shirley Red
Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset
Rudbeckia indian Summer
Salvia Splendens
Shasta Snowlady
Shiso
Spirea, blue mist, Black knight
Sweet Alyssum
Thyme
Tithonia
Tithonia Fiesta Del Sol
Wallflower, siberian
Zinnia Aztec Sun
Zinnia benary's giant
Zinnia Cherry Queen
Zinnia Dreamland red
Zinnia Envy
Zinnia Exquisite
Zinnia magellan Coral And Cherry
Zinnia peppermint Stick
Zinnia polar bear
Zinnia Profusion Deep Apricot
Zinnia profusion fire
Zinnia Purple prince
Zinnia, tall

TOMATOES: Some of these guys are 10"tall right now, also some were sown indoors.

Black krim- 2
Black plum- 2
Brandywine PL: 5
Caspian Pink- 2
Cherokee purple- 3
Early girl- 2
Ladybug- 3
Mortgage Lifter- 5
Sungold Cherry- 2
Supersweet 100's- 5

Seedlings/plants that are planted out and doing very well:
Remember these plants were put out in clumps called HOS. So there are several in each clump. And some i sowed in a couple of containers.

Agastache blue Fortune
Agastache golden jubilee
Alyssum Gold Dust
Ami Visagna
Antirrhum Rembrandt
Ballerina Sea pinks
Balloon flower, tall pink
Bellflower, giant
Bellflower, purple Clustered
Bellflower, white peach leafed
Calendula Bon Bon
campanula peach leaf bellflower Blue
campanula Superba
Canturbury bells
Carnation, cardinal
catchfly
Cineraria Stellata
Coneflower, purple
Coreopsis Blue Butterfly
Coreopsis Early Sunrise
Coreopsis Sternthaler (from 2004 seeds)
Coreopsis Sunray
Cornflower Dwarf blue
Cosmos Double Rose bon bon
Daylillies, OP
Dianthus Eastern Star
Dianthus raspberry
Dianthus Siberian blues
Echinacea Berry Pow Wow
Echinacea White Swan
Feverfew Flora pleno
flax, blue
Foxglove ( 100's)
foxglove, dwarf Foxy
gaillardia Arizona Sun
Gaillardia oranges and lemons
Garlic
Gypsophilia Convent garden
Heuchera unknown
Hollyhock, Chaters Double icycle
JMG Cameo Elegance
JMG Chocolate Silk
JMG Fuji no Murasaki
JMG Gray mist
JMG Hige Red Feathered
JMG Tempest
Jupiter's beard
Larkspur blue butterfly
Larkspur kaleidoscope
larkspur rocket
lavatera trimestris Pink beauty
Lavatera Trimestris Rose mallow
Lupines
Lychnis Abbotswood Rose
Mallow Piroette
maltese Cross
Malva Moschata Alba
Malva Mystic Merlin
MG Red Sunsmiles
MG, Heavenly Blue
Money plant, White variegated
nasturtium Climbing Spitfire from Renee's
Nicotiana Hot Chocolate
Nicotiana Lime green
Penny Black
Penstemon Barbatus navigator
Poppy Dark pink fringed
Poppy dark purple fringed
Poppy laurens grape
Poppy orange
poppy, annual hot pink
poppy, pizicato
Popy red mix
Rose Campion Angel's blush
Rudbeckia Cappucino
Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset
Rudbeckia Double gold
Rudbeckia indian Summer
Rudbeckia Tiger Eye gold
Rudbeckia ToTo
Salvia blue Queen
Schizanthus Angel wings
Shasta Crazy
Shasta Snowlady
Shrimp plant
Sidalcea Elsie heughs
Sidalcea pink mix
Sidalcea, pink dwarf malva
Snapdragon, giant tetra mix
Snapdragons Candy Corn
Veronica Blue Streak
Wallflower bedding mix
Wallflower fairlady

Planting Out Winter Sown Seedlings

  This is my first year winter sowing, and I know it wont be my last. This has to be the easiest and most productive way to mass sow seeds. I sowed out over 226 containers. I still have a few that haven't (and may not) germinated yet. But I cant complain, because I have so many that have. Some are even almost 6" high. I did find out that it is best to have the soil moist before trying to pop them out of the milk jugs. If the soil was a little dry, and I tried to pull out clumps of seedlings, or turn the jug over to get them out, they would fall apart. But if the soil was moist then I could take them out as one big cake, and separate the clumps into the size hunks I needed. Or as winter sowers call HOS, hunk of seedlings. Instead of planting out individual seedlings, it is much easier and quicker to plant them out in hunks. And from pics I have seen on Gardenweb, it looks much nicer and fuller when the plants have matured. Here is a clump after I turned over the milk jug and slid it out:

Now all I do is divide this large clump up into a few smaller ones. The size of the hunks are determined by how heavily I sowed, and the type of plant. A few things, I realized too late that I sowed way to heavily. Such as the Butterfly bush...es. These seedlings are packed into one jug. There is now way I am going to need 100's of Butterfly Bushes, no matter how well I like them. But I am learning,lol.

Winter Sowing Progress

  My first attempt at wintersowing is showing real progress. So far I have 224 container so far. Roughly 72 sprouting. I just got done spending about 1/2 hour carefully watering each one. This is probably the second time I have watered them since sowing out. I am real excited about these, and can't wait to start planting out all the little seedlings. I am sure I will probably regret that last statement once the time comes. I plan on doing the hunk-of-seedling method. This quick method involves just taking a "hunk" of seedlings and planting them. Survival of the fittest. So far the list below is what I have coming up as of today:

Butterfly bush mix colors
Joe Pye Weed, regular and chocolate
purple Coneflower
Delphinium Pacific Giant " blue jay"
Foxglove
Superba Clustered Bellflower
Coreopsis "Early Sunrise"
Pizzicato oriental poppy
Cardinal Carnation
White Peached Leafed Bellflower
Ballerina Sea pinks
Canterbury Bells
Hollyhock..Rose red and yellow
Snapdragon giant tetra mix
Snapdragon Crown "Candy Corn"
Schizanthus Angel Wings
Rudbeckia Tiger Eye Gold
Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset
Rudbeckia Prairie Sun
Gaillardia Summer's Kiss
Rudbeckia Cappucino
Nicotiana Hot Chocolate
Dianthus Siberian Blues and Eastern Star
Sidalcea Pink Mix "Elsie Hughes"
Penstemon Cobaea
Penstemon Barbatus navigator
Shasta Daisy Goldrausch
Campanula Glomerata Superba
Heuchera unknown
Hollyhock Chaters Double Icicle
Mallow Pirouette
Maltese Cross
Veronica gentianoidus "Blue Streak"
Feverfew Double flowers
Poppy Orange
Echinacea White Swan
Larkspur "Blue Butterfly"
White Peach leafed bellflower
Cardinal Carnation
Rudbeckia ToTo
Coneflower Orange
Caryopteris "Summer Sorbet"
Helenium Red
Dianthus Carnation "Raspberry parfait" *
Coreopsis "Sunray"
Alyssum "Gold dust"
Calendula Bon Bon yellow
Lupine
Foxglove Dwarf Foxy
Cherianthis Wallflower Bedding Mix
Kitaibelia Chalice
Antirrhum Rembrandt
Malva Moschata Alba
Daylilly (open pollinated)
Liatris kobold
Nemophilia "Penny Black"
Annual Hot Pink poppy
Annual Poppy Mix..single and peony
Lavatera Trimestris Rose Mallow
Digitalis Mertonsis "Strawberry Foxglove"
Jupiter's Beard
Rose Campion "Angels Blush"
White Variegated Money plant
White balloon Flower
Thyme
Agastache Korean Mint
Bachelor's Buttons mix
Sweet Alyssum "Snow Crystals"
Alyssum "Carpet Of Snow"
Poppy Annual dark purple fringed
Blue thimble Flower
Shrimp plant
Cornflower "Blue Midget" dwarf
  What's funny is, I almost bought a "Dianthus Raspberry Parfait" plant at Lowe's the other day, but talked myself out of it. Now I see I have seeds sown of it, that are now coming up. Many, many seedlings. A lot cheaper than paying roughly $4 for ONE plant.

Foxglove

Lupine

Winter Sown Sprouts

Well, So far things are looking good for lots of new flowers for 2010!

I See Green!

 Some of my winter sown seeds are finally starting to sprout. I looked in all of my 161 containers, and overlooked these a few times before I actually seen them.They are my first winter sown sprouts of the season. They are called Cheiranthus Bedding Mix
" Wallflower".  I received these in a gardenweb trade. They are a hardy biennial, so I figure I wont get bloom until summer of next year.
Zones- 3 thru 7
Sun or partial shade
Soil: Well Drained
Height 18"
Use: Ideal for bedding, edging, patio, containers

•   You gotta look close to see these guys. They are almost a yellow-green in color. I have never grown nor seen these flowers in person. I am wintersowing a lot of things new to me this year.

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Still Winter Sowing

Today, the weather warmed up to about 45 ° so I went outside to sow some more containers. My 3.5 yo granddaughter quickly joined me. Shortly after starting it began misting. But I continued. I just had to frequently wipe off the lids and plant markers so the marker wouldn't run. Anyway I manged to get another 21 containers sowed out. That gave me a total of 150 containers so far. I thought it would be pretty painstaking to get very many done, but by sowing a few at a time, it is going very quickly.

Winter Sowing Update

I just sowed out another 41 containers this morning. This gives me a total so far of 129 containers sitting out in the snow. Today, I sowed out such things as Poppies, Day lilies, Larkspur,Hollyhock, Bellflower's, Heuchera, Mallow,Butterfly Weed, and Rudbeckia ToTo. I am waiting till Late March to sow out my tender annuals, and tomatoes.

Winter Sowing

This is my first time winter sowing seeds. If you would like more info on how this works, check out www.wintersown.org  I have about 88 containers out so far. Also check out http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/wtrsow/
These are all covered with snow right now, and have been so for a few weeks. Seems the snow no more than starts to melt off, then we get some new. But I guess thats typical for this time of year.
Hopefully I will have loads of new plants to put out in this year. I love trying my hands at new things. I have learned how to take cuttings and propagate my flowers, shrubs, and trees. It is much more satisfying to watch your new plants take root, or grow from seed. Its just not the same buying them in pots in the store.
edit:
I wanted to add that according to other winter sowers, you no longer have the problem of dealing with damp-off. I always have trouble with that in the traditional sowing methods. There is no worry about seeds sprouting before frosts are over. Perennials and hardy annuals are planted out anytime during the winter, and tender annuals are usually put out around March in my zone. To winter sow, you just recycle old containers such as milk jugs, juice containers, and 2 liter pop bottles.Cut in half, punch drainage holes in the bottom, fill with dirt, plant seeds, tape shut, and set out. Oh, and be sure to leave the lids off . Then in the spring and probaby thru summer you will be planting out all your new goodies.