CarolineScott said:There is only one problem with using vermiculite for seed starting!
That is:- it makes it so easy- that you can get even more addicted
than you did with traditional winter sowing in milk jugs ! ?

this is my first attempt at winter sowing, but I am so glad I read this thread and ordered some vermiculite before I got started! I'm actually growing in a mix of 80% vermiculite and 20% castings from a worm bin. my first WS containers have been outside for six days and I already have chamomile sprouting.

thank you to everyone who regularly posts in this forum, I've learned a ton from ya'll in the past few months.

You will have lots of nice plants,
and the beauty of winter sowing is that they are already hardened off.

Oh Heck... I seem to have "lost" the winter sowing forum or thread....

Karen or Chelle can you point me in the right direction... I wanted to comment about stratifying seeds in the frig with vermiculite... I know I posted in January, but can't find it.

I think it was probably this one, Terese.

The thread "First Wave of WS Seeds" in Winter Sowing forum

Chelle ... I found where I could see all the posts I've made, but still can't find it....

I think there was also the old link to Jonna's vermiculite tutorial ... and I mentioned I had some penstemons in the frig...
Grrrrr - Hope it wasn't on DG, i'll have to go look there...

BUT someone has commented to be watchful for mold ... 2 days after I put them outside still in the ziploc, mold formed on one of the surface/seeds... I watered lightly with peroxide and water... and seems the mold did not harm ... all 3 of them have germinated nicely. YAY -- now if they'd survive down here... some say it's not cold enough. Time will tell.

btw - my single Cosmos is setting out 2nd set of leaves. Still waiting on the other 2 seeds.

Weird. I recall the penstemons in the fridge post. Thought it might have been here The thread "Introductions, Who and Where are you?" in Midwest Gardening forum but the time and date of your post was Jan/14/2015 at 11:44 PM, and there's nothing there...unless I missed it somehow??

I had mold form on some of my seeds too...didn't seem to slow them down a bit.

Great news on your cosmos! That's the chocolate one, right?

Terese,
I think it may have been over at Ella's cubit. I'll see if I can find my post about moldy penstemon seeds.

Okay, I made a new post on a thread over at Ella's so it should show up on your Cubit home page. You can check and see if it's the one you're trying to find.

For those who haven't yet tried vermiculite sowing, here's a great example of how the seedlings look...root and all. They won't grow much if any more without first being transferred to growing medium. This one has used its stored energy to get to this point, and will need a boost to grow any further. This seedling has been sprouted now for 10 days. It looked the same on the first day as it does now. No tangled roots or packed-down medium to deal with...just lift it out and toss it in some growing mix.

Crotalaria sagittalis-


(It looks huge , but this is a small 16 oz container, roughly 3" high)

@chelle thanks for that, I am at the point where everything is sprouting and I am trying to figure out what to do. this is my first attempt at winter sowing

You're welcome, Wayne.

Sounds like you're enjoying success...that's great! Did you use the sealed container with vermiculite method? If so, your seedlings will hold in there for quite some time... no need to stress too much over getting them out.

Chelle, will this work for any seeds. like Brugmansia.

I wouldn't see why not Doris. Maybe just try a couple of them to start out with and see what happens. I haven't grown brugs, but I did sprout iris seeds in vermiculite. The only difference for the iris was that they sat outdoors (in the shade) for a period of oscillating temps, rather than inside. Brugs probably don't require a cold chill, so indoors should work just fine.

I did a bunch of seeds in vermiculite in 2-L pop bottles a couple of days ago -- I hope they germinate as fast as yours did, Chelle! (and you are so right -- it really is easy... )

It really is amazingly easy, isn't it?

Weather-wise, next week is looking like a good time to work indoors or under cover here, so I'll need to be getting those that germinated in early February potted up and ready to move outdoors. The garden beds are just about ready for them now though, so the timing is great. I don't rush to do tomatoes and peppers anymore, so I haven't started those yet either...but the time is getting close!

It looks like it will be rainy here next week as well