Pretty stout winds, Karen.

Tell me if I understand correctly, now. Starting seeds can mean any type of container by any method, but indoors. Winter sowing specifically means to use a container with some kind of adjustable or removable cover and those containers are left outside. Direct sow is to scatter or plant seeds outside straight onto the ground.

lovemyhouse,
Yes, that is pretty much it.
http://www.agardenforthehouse....

Reading this article I think also answers the question of when to sow the tomatoes, March it seems for tender annuals, I would place Tomatoes in this category the way most people grow them.

Thank you, Seed.

Thanks Seed. The man in that article lives in zone 5b, so I doubt I would need to wait as long as he does. I had veggies out in the garden by the middle of May last year, and I could have planted them even earlier, if I had them.

Yes, it did state in a cold climate for the March date. But even here in 8B we have had snow in April(very rare). So for your area now might not be to early? I set out beautiful plants last year, the frost came one day (just one day) that I had to be away, and very few of the plants survived, good things I had spares.

@kqcrna Karen what kind of lid do you have on the container with the cups of tomatoes? Is it clear? I like that idea

Ronnie, my dogs are on their way to your house so that you can take a picture of them with their noses poking through the fence.

I was going to use plastic wrap for some of my containers, and then put a rubber band around it to hold them in place. Not sure if that is a good idea or not, but I'll find out! I bought some wide rubber bands today.

Seed, in Utah, I always had snow on the tomatoes. Never failed. But, I never lost any plants, either. I always covered the cages with a dark plastic garbage bag, held on with clothes pins, whenever the weather looked bad. Worked perfectly! If the plants were still pretty small, I would just cover them with a large bucket, since I sometimes waited to put a cage around them. We had snow in June a few times.

Lookin' good, Natalie.

Karen

Looked pretty trashy to me! But, I didn't lose any plants, so it was fine to look trashy for a bit!

Natalie I'll be waiting
Snow in June would make me cry

Quite a common occurrence at my house!!


Now back to the topic

Natalie,
Yes the black plastic bags is my normal routine also just got caught short that one day.

Ronnie: What a face! a Saint Bernard? Love 'em!

Karen

No Karen, that was Abby my Bulldog

So cute!

When I was a kid, my neighbor had a St. Bernard, who thought my Mom's house was his second home. I loved that dog!

Karen

We had two growing up and two litters of pups! Heaven

Puppies! *Squeeeee!*

And, I winter sowed a pack of mixed cherry tomatoes, some kind of thing where they are different colors but you don't know which are which til they bear fruit...... pretty dumb really but I bought it because they looked so pretty on the package.

Anyway, got a couple sprouts last week or so and figured that would be it and now, all of a sudden they are all popping up! And of course I have no place for all those, so now that I've transplanted all my daylily seedlings to pots, I'm going to start on the tomatoes next. It will be a little while because most of them are still too small, but soon! (In between planting out all the zinnias that are ready, and a few other things....)

Found out that I started my seeds way too early! Next year, I'll wait a month. The plants were taking over my kitchen widow, and I couldn't see outside because of the tomato plant jungle. They are all in the ground now, even though it is too early. I've had to cover them a few times, but they seem to be doing okay.