Sigh, it is still cold here and snowing. Not a night in the next ten days where we will get above freezing. Some days we will get to hit 40! Today I am going to prep a ton more jugs I've been collecting. Still lots of annuals I want to winter sow. So for now I'm just in a holding pattern.

I had to temporarily reorganize my sown jugs. They were freezing to the ground and when we got a thaw they weren't draining. At least for now they are taking up less room out the back door!

Wow I really like the organization. I have mine sitting randomly on the patio lol. I'm looking forward to planting my warm season annuals. The ground is still too chilly for zinnias, cosmos and gazanias.

I have a couple of scarlet flax! I'm so excited because the seed was really, really OLD!

I only did a few things because last year we didn't really have a winter but next year I'll do more cause it worked out okay this year and I always run out of room inside even with TWO metro shelves with lights!

I usually see my first WSown sprouts around mid March, but it depends a lot on the weather each year. So far, it has mostly stayed pretty cold here, just a warmer day here and there.

Karen

That's great Arlene. I'm so glad you brought up scarlet flax. I had to look it up and it looks very similar to a mystery plant in my garden. Thanks so much. I wish I had room for two metro shelves lol. Next year I'll try to come up with better storage for the jugs. Here are a few things that sprouted recently.

Red Hot Poker


Garlic Chives


Mexican Hat


Eyeball Plant

I remember last year was so warm, so many trees were blooming in February. This Winter was a little colder here but for the most part, its been pretty mild.

I was wondering about stacking them. Do they get sufficent water with jugs above them? I am new at this. They look great!

wow that is some rack!!!... is the rain enough to get through all that?

No, it is just temporary. Right now everything is still quite frozen. And will be for at least another week. I will spread them out again after that.

Cameron, I see you use some of the large clamshells also! I like being able to see and they already have the holes.

I start all my veg. Garden as well as most all my flowers from seed so I seem to keep expanding. Believe me, there are some days we cannot even eat at the table because I am planting or making seed tape. I use to have to repot in the dining room too but I just got a greenhouse so I was able to move that mess out there :rofl:

Scarlet fłax, I believe is an annual so I am hoping once I finally get it to grow it will reseed itself. I have never tried Red Hot Poker from seed. I have one that my daughter gave me but it was at her house when she bout ghat it so I don't know what variety.

Jennifer has always been very neat, not like her mother!

I've been asking a friend to save any jugs or strawberry containers she has. I buy a package of strawberries every week so I can have enough for next year. I have two more clamshells that have hardy hibiscus and woodland passion vine on a windowsill. I'm starting to grow more and more flowers from seed, You are so lucky to have a greenhouse. My scarlet flax has kept its leaves all Winter for some reason. I didn't notice it until Winter when everything else was dead, it was one of the few plants that seemed to be evergreen. Maybe I have a different type of flax? I do remember an unknown red flower that looked very similar to the scarlet flax. I bought some Red Hot Poker roots, and I lost 3 out of the 5. Luckily the seedlings will replace the ones I lost. Both of mine are unknown varieties. I'm hoping they do well in my garden.
Here is a picture of my possible scarlet flax

Such a sacrifice, having to buy strawberries every week for the containers! What we don't do for plants!

Yep, sure looks like scarlet flax to me...but I have never grown it, just going by pics I have seen and the blue flax habit...maybe post in plant ID forum?

I am thrilled to death to have a greenhouse. My son actually got me a used one two years ago from Craigs List that we put up at his house since that is where the farm is and where we do our market gardening. Nice one from Charlie's. 8x12 I believe. I have had it full practically from day 1 except for the HOT summer months. But I needed one at MY house since I start all the seeds here. It has been a godsend! But again, it's already FULL and I still have a lot of seedlings to put out there. But I'll be able to put stuff from the GH into the ground as soon as I can find the time...

LOL you're right about that. I put a post in the ID forum last month but no one could Id it without a bloom. Someone did say it looked like some type of aster. I need to checkout Craig's List more. Unfortunately I don't have the room for a greenhouse, or the funds for that matter lol. Now that I know the basics for Winter-sowing, I will have less plants in my house. My dining room looks like a jungle because of all my houseplants

Yep, my dining room too! I always put on one of those cheap vinyl tablecloths around Jan. so I can water, plant, re-pot there. Thank goodness DH doesn't grumble about having to eat off a tray in the LR!

I am going to try more WS next year since I seem to be having some luck. Last year we barely had a winter so I was a little worried but this year was colder. Sure would save space in the house and that's at a premium since we "downsized" for retirement!

I need to invest in one of the tablecloths. I do a lot of repotting and my workstation is either the diningroom table or the kitchen floor I've always heard of Winter sowing but I never tried it. I'm really glad I did this year, because its convenient and saves space. My poor seedlings in front of a sunny window are still leggy, but the seedlings outside are so healthy looking.

I KNOW! The windowsills just don't cut it.

I have been doing seedlings for pretty close to 30 years, at some scale. I only read about WS this year and my daughter wanted to try and start her own seeds this year since it didn't look like I was going to be able to make my annual April pilgrimage to Michigan to deliver a car full of plants to her, but she has no place inside and her hubby was not thrilled with a light set up idea so she decided to try WS. (Of course she couldn't do just a few. I think she said she already has well over 130 milk jugs with more to do for tender annuals). She still has snow so there's nothing coming up for her but I'm betting she will be successful.

Kind of makes me sad she won't need me anymore! But now I can get her to do seeds for me that need more chill time than what I will probably get here. But you're 8a, I believe I may have moved to 8a also. I think it used to be 7b here. So you're probably the same as I am now. I'll be doing a lot more WS next year for sure!

Wow 30 years!? I started growing things from seed three years ago. Before that, I was never successful with seed starting so I tried to avoid it. I finally got enough courage to start some passion vines from seed and I was successful. Ever since then, I've been growing most of my plants from seed. Its amazing your daughter has over 130 milk jugs, she'll definitely have a very beautiful and full garden this year. I don't think I would be able to keep up with all of those milk jugs That's a great trade-off, to have her start seeds that need more chilling time. A couple of years ago, my area was on the borderline of 7b and 8a, and now I'm in 8a, which is kind of nice lol.

Oops, when I see it now I realize I am showing my age...

Second posting of this thread is a photo of her WS jugs. The thing is, she already has a full and beautiful garden! She was planning on making a new raised bed this year but now it looks like those plans are on hold so I'm not sure what she'll do with all her plants. Give some away, maybe sell some? Who knows. First they have to germinate. and then she'll have to pot them up and I'm not sure she even thought of that part

Well, I probably started because starting from seeds was so much cheaper. Now, with seeds and postage so much higher I do it more to get the varieties I want, and to save some money by starting them myself. Sometimes it's just to see if I can do it. That's what happened with the alstroemeria. But I had lots of failures along the way, damping off, no germination, leggy plants, and on and on. It's the successes that keep you going. and I give away a lot of plants to friends.

But it is fun to watch to see what germinates, when and then watch it grow. Very fulfilling!

Oh wow, I really liked her setup and organization. I have one plastic tray that's used to carry loaves of bread, but I have other seedlings in it right now. Next year I'll put my WS jugs in it. Hopefully your daughter's seeds will hold off until she's able to make the raised bed. It would be a headache to pot up all of those seedlings. I also grow plants from seed because its cheaper, and a lot of times, the seedlings are healthier than store bought plants. I'm glad I learned a thing or two from growing things from seed. The more successful I'am the more courage I get to branch out to new plants. I usually grow enough seedlings to share with friends and sometimes family. Its definitely very fulfilling.