Wintersowing
Submitted by Micki43164 on Sun, 10/07/2007 - 22:34
I am trying my hand at wintersowing this year for the first time.
I have read everything I can find on the internet about it.
I am so excited.
My DH is in the construction field and they go through gatorade like crazy, so they are saving the bottles for me and I am hoping to have over 600 bottles.
I have also collected various other containers including babyfood jars that I have been drilling holes in the bottoms.
My yard will look like a trash heap this winter but oh so pretty come spring.
Here is a list of what I am going to wintersow.
1 Aster
2 Baby’s breath
3 Bachelor buttons
4 Black eyed susans
5 Blackberry lily
6 Button bush
7 Canterbury bells
8 Carnation giant mix
9 Christmas trees
10 Cleome
11 Plains Coreopsis
12 Cypress vine
13 Dame’s rocket
14 Delphinium magic fountain
15 Flax
16 Forget me not
17 Yellow four o’clock
18 Foxglove lavender
19 Gaillardia unknown
20 Hibiscus blend
21 Hibiscus yellow
22 Hollyhock unknown
23 Joe pye weed
unknown
24 Larkspur sublime bicolor
25 Larkspur giant imperial mix
26 Lupine Arroyo
27 Mistflower
28 Morning glory clark’s heavenly blue
29 Morning glory scarlet star and white star
30 Penstemon unknown
31 Annual phlox drummondi mix
32 Rose of Sharon mix colors
33 Sedum
34 Shirley poppy mixed colors
35 Sweet William tall double mix
36 Sweet William pink
37 Orange trumpet vine
38 Zebrina
39 Zinnia
40 Columbine
41 Salvia
42 Gaillardia Oranges and Lemons
43 Gaillardia Burgundy
44 Balloon Flower
45 Catchfly
46 Echinacea Magnus
47 Rudbekia Prairie Sun
48 Daylily
49 Stachys
50 Lychnis
51 Clasping Coneflower
Has anybody else tried wintersowing any of these....if so...how did they do?
Who else is wintersowing this year and what are you growing?
__________________
n/a
I tried it last year without
n/a
LOL, Chris!!! I don't
LOL, Chris!!! I don't think the health department would be concerned with what I was growing...lol....I think if I lived in town...they would care that my backyard was filled with a bunch of old gatorade bottles though. The boxes would hide the bottles so my yard didn't look so "trashy". The wind is so strong out here though that I will have to have something to put the bottles in so they don't blow down and end up floating in the river. Instead of standing on the shore and finding a message in the bottle...you would find a seedling in a bottle. Hey, that would be a cool thing to find!
Micki
A friend is a bloom that never fades my trade list http://www.gardenhere.org/node/483
n/a
I use two liter bottles, 20
I use two liter bottles, 20 oz bottles, ice cream containers, milk jugs all sizes. .I also use all sorts of of clear plastic containners from fast food places and grocery store... I cut the bottles then when I am finished I tape them up... I also use gal and qt baggies... I have had all the kids saving me all their containers...
I haven't done any wintersowing yet this season...but I do have a few diffferent poppies and hollyhock seed that I want to get in the ground today so they will come up in the spring..
Peggy
"That way, the health
"That way, the health department folks won't see what you have in there."
Am I having a moment here
.....why would the health department care what you are growing????
Micki -- Also, either a wax
Micki -- Also, either a wax pencil or regular lead pencil sometimes lasts longer than the permanent markers. ANother idea is to make a chart of what you put in each location -- so you can refer to it later if your markers wear off. Also -- it is the sun the lightens the marker, usually, so sometimes just putting the written part into the soil is helpful.
Blessings all -- praying for your needs. Theresa T
I'd plant your forget-me-not
I'd plant your forget-me-not and any other biennials (that mature and bloom in their second year) ASAP -- then they may sprout and get mature enough to bloom next spring (2008). Otherwise, don't count on blooms from them until 2009.
Blessings all -- praying for your needs. Theresa T
micki --since your hubby is
micki --since your hubby is in the construction field, how about have him build you a wooden "box" into which you can put your bottles that you are winter sowing. If the box is made high enough, it should totally hide the bottles - and also keep them from falling over in a bad storm. That way, the health department folks won't see what you have in there.
Just a thought.
Good luck with that.
T
p>Blessings all -- praying for your needs. Theresa T
Penny...what seeds did you
Penny...what seeds did you winter sow. Do some do better than others? Connie, I plan on putting a piece of freezer tape on the inside of the bottle with the name of the seed written on that....hope it works. My hubby suggested writing on a popsicle stick and then polyurethaning it. I think I may make that a winter project for him.
n/a
MIcki, I did wintersowing
MIcki, I did wintersowing last winter. And I did very well with it. Hope you get all your flowers growing well so you can plant them on your 8 acres.
Just a tip,,,you may want to
Just a tip,,,you may want to put a marker inside the bottle to label what it is,,,even with permanent marker,,,the writing on the outside of the bottle may not be there in spring,,,trust me!!
Connie
~ Connie ~ Zone 5 ~ MN
That is how I was when we
That is how I was when we lived in town. I was always complaining because I had no room. So now I have 8 acres of nothing....and am always complaining that it will take me until I am old to get this place looking as nice as my yard did in town. Be careful what you wish for, because you may just get it. It wouldn't be so bad, but we have really heavy clay out here...my soil was all amended in town....so before I can plant....I usually have to remove all the clay and then haul in new dirt. It is crazy having to pay for dirt....ummm...what is this earth made of? Its like paying for air at the gas station...or buying ice....ughhh....don't get me started...lol! Anyways, I have been blessed with plenty of room to try many things.
Micki
n/a
Micki, you are lucky to
Micki, you are lucky to have that much land! I would love to have that much land....Part of it would be used for a large swimming pool, but I would love to do veggies, and have a berry patch, fruit trees and loads of perennials and tropicals....I am not a winter loving person. In Iowa, even though I lived in an apartment, it sat on 5 acres of land, and the landlords generously allowed us to have very substantial garden spaces. They would charge us $17 at the most for the summer, and they furnished tools, hoses and water. It was a great deal! Around here, the majority of the dirt here, if you can call it that, is rock!
Susan, the Texas Yankee Ranger and the Forum Manager
n/a
Wintersown gave
Wintersown gave instructions for doing a lot of sowing with a 20 ounce water bottle and a plastic bag.....I guess you use the bottle to hold things up -- and to create a mini greenhouse. I thought it was a cool idea, but with the limited room I have, I have to be careful about really choosing what I want to plant!
Susan, the Texas Yankee Ranger and the Forum Manager
n/a
Yes, I got the seeds from
Yes, I got the seeds from wintersown, but they sent me all veggie seeds...lol. They are now on my trade list. I plan on having a small veggie garden next year, but I am not planning on starting those from seeds. I just can't see putting that much work into something I am just going to eat....but then again....I will spend hours in the kitchen preparing a good meal. My reasoning makes no sense, but hey....I am from Ohio...lol
Micki
n/a
Micki ~ I've done a
Micki ~ I've done a bit of winter sowing. Last year I had great luck with Delphinium, Poppy, Foxglove, Lupine, Rudbeckia, and Lychnis. (of the ones one your list),,, and I heard it was a hard year for it because of the late freezes. ~ Boy,,are you organized! I haven't even thought about seeds yet!
~ Connie ~ Zone 5 ~ MN
Did you order those free
Did you order those free seeds from the Wintersown Organization? They have wonderful information about wintersowing!
Susan, the Texas Yankee Ranger and the Forum Manager
n/a
I am going to start them in
I am going to start them in February in the gatorade bottles. There is a wintersowing site with alot of information and it says for my zone....I should start in February....then come May, I should have plants to put in the ground.....granted it is not that easy, but alot easier than what I did last year...trying to start them inside with the grow lights and all and then trying to harden them off and losing a bunch. I hope this works....I am only going to try about 5 of each seed type, that way I will still have seeds to start outside come spring if I completely botch this. I still have seeds coming also....like I said....my backyard is going to look like a dump this winter....lol! I will post pictures. Thank goodness I live out in the middle of nowhere or my yard would probably make the paper as one of those eye sores and I would have the health department knocking on the door to clean up my mess.
Micki
n/a
Gracious, Micki! Are you
Gracious, Micki! Are you planning on keeping those outside all winter while you are sprouting them or will you keep them someplace inside?
Susan, the Texas Yankee Ranger and the Forum Manager
n/a