luvsgrtdanes Mine will rarely ,, If you taped yours I doubt it , I had a few germinate (seeds) And the lids keep frost from falling directly on the seedling sprout leaves , (my biggest concern )
some seedlings don't care if it freezes or not , Like under leaves , keeping the frost from falling on them

As before it is the few frosts that chew up leaves , break plastic , and so forth , that I concern myself with ,,

Jimard, I do use the smaller jugs. I use those for my short plants like portulaca and anything that will be only 1 foot or less. I bake cornbread so I buy the smaller jugs of buttermilk. If I bought a half gallon size it takes me longer to collect a jug. This way I get at least one small jug a week. Works out nicely.

Luvsgrtdanes, I throw my lids away. In my zone, it works. The jugs still do what I need them to. I tend to approach ws'ing as if they were on open ground. I've had my Kablouna calendula and mother of pearl poppies germinate but the 26 degree days we're having now is not killing them.

I NEVER keep caps on. I have never had a problem with stuff getting in the jugs and harming the seedlings. Also, I find it critical to keep that top open so they get some snow or rain. Also, I don't have to worry about them overheating if we get a random hot day and I'm not around to remove the caps.

I do not understand what you mean by "falling frost"???

Karen , that's a neat one ,) Mine are as they look , gallon jugs , 5 people here , about every two or three days besides two or three garbage bags full collected during the summer in anticipation , Lots of jugs ,,
I will do some of the jugs up tonight for tomorrow it is going to 18 degrees ,, that is warm enough to walk them out there , and be back like poof ,, before the cold sets on ..

A violet or starter greenhouse , small things from my goofy garbage play as I call it ,,




jvdubb The frost as it happens Some have harsh effects ,

I'm afraid if I don't tape them shut they will blow open Thought maybe I'd skip it and save a step but don't think I will.
After two big group swaps and what I bought I have a lot of seeds to sow
My friend's husband is a cook for a convent and senior sisters home, he saved me tons of jugs

I just do it that way the way I do because I have failed all the other ways ,,, This one I do is best for me , the bend on the back of the jug has to be just right or they won't stay closed properly , tornadoes and high winds will get one once in a while ,, dogs cats 101 critters , but mostly things I can grow here grow anyway ,,

luvsgrtdanes best to do it the way all the gardeners show it done ,, you will find the perfect for you
Best of luck with the planting ,,,

Here is a picture of the jugs that I have sown so far.

The seeds sown that were store bought are:
Blue Sage
Dianthus Pinks
Evening Primrose
Cleome Rose Queen
Canterbury Bells Campanula and Calycan Mixed colors
Coleus Rainbow Mix (Pelleted)
Creeping Thyme
Bee Balm
Chinese Forget-Me-Not
Zinnia Envy and Peppermint sticks
Money Plant
Cosmos
Pumpkin on a stick
Passion Flower Vine
Bells of Ireland
Nasturtium Dwarf Jewel Mix
Oriental Poppy Mixed Colors and red
Concolvulus Blue Enchantment

My owe seeds that I sowed are:
Allium
Jacob's Ladder
Lupine
Monk's Cap
Orange Butterfly Plant
5 jugs of NOID Daylilies
NOID flower seeds



I especially like the booze bottles. Next spring I may have a few surprises. This morning I realized that I had these jugs sitting right under a bird feeder where I feed song bird seed that contains Millet. I couldn't get them moved fast enough. I sure hope more than the bird seed grows. I will be planting more jugs in the next day or so.

I had to at the liquor bottles!

gardenglassgems I am curious , I see no cuts , tape or opening besides the lids ,, What did I miss here

Here is what I winter sowed today:

2 Parris Island Romaine
2 Red Romaine
2 Dark Lolla Rossa Red Leaf
1 Broccoli Mix from a trade
1 Broccoli Waltham 29
1 Broccoli Calabrese
1 Malabar Spinach
2 Pak Choi Pechay
2 Sorrel Large Leaf
2 Spinach Corvair
2 Corn Mache Salad
2 Orach
2 Arugula
2 Mustard Red Mizuna
2 Spinach Renegade
4 Morris Heading Collards
4 Leek American Flag
4 Kohlrabi Purple Vienna
4 Celery Tall Utah
4 Celeriac Giant Prague
4 Kohlrabi Early White Vienna
4 Onion Yellow Sweet Spanish
4 Onion White Sweet Spanish
3 Pea Oregon Giant Snow
3 Pea Wando
Basil Genovese
Basil Sweet
Basil Cinnamon
Basil Lemon
Basil Licorice
Basil Thai

I ran out of wooden sticks to label or I would've done more. I still have seeds coming from 3 other swaps....I need to step on getting more containers at this rate This is my first year doing it so I'm taking notes and learn what works in my zone. I am using the containers w/o lids for the hardy greens and as I get more containers with lids that will be my warm weather crops that I'm thinking of doing in 2 waves...for experimentation.

Ronnie, glad you got a good laugh out of the liquor bottles. I am glad that I thought of using them. Now to empty more so I can use them, if you know what I mean.

Jimard8, I cut the milk jugs in half except below the handle. The other bottles are cut in half except for a small area for the hinge. I have them taped with clear packaging tape. I cut slits in the top of most of them for extra ventilation plus put drainage holes in all of them. I am going to help my gf plant some for her tomorrow. She has never done this and will be bringing some milk jugs and possible booze bottles with her.

Littlecheryl, great job. I might start a few veggie seeds also if I can get more containers to put them in. Those tubs look like a great idea. Did you put drain holes in the bottom of them?

I like the vegie idea ,

gardenglassgems I was wondering

I might try using upside down bottle tops I use for funnels , for dry times to catch water on top of the jugs from morning dew , But that would about drown the seedlings in some rains , like lately as the past season ,

Here are some pictures of three things that I added to my milk jugs to try to make it easier to transplant the plants without too much stress on their roots. I folded one end of a cardboard toilet paper roll to make a bottom. I also cut paper towel rolls to match the size of the toilet paper rolls and folded them. I added soil to the bottom of the jug, added 10 rolls, added soil in and around the rolls, then watered thoroughly and added seeds to each one.



In this second one, I used cardboard egg cartons cut in half and trimmed to fit. I added soil to the bottom of the jug, then added the 6 pk egg crate, then added soil, water, and seeds. I centered the egg carton so that I could also put seeds on both sides of it. I hope the roots have room to grow in their own area.



In this third picture, I used 2 4-pack plastic plant packs and trimmed them so that 2 would fit in the milk jug. Once again I added soil, then the plastic pack, more soil in and around the plastic pack, water, and seeds.


In the spring I will post how this worked. I will post pictures of my plants if I am lucky enough to get my seeds to grow.

OMG, Jeanne, I also tried toilet paper rolls in my 1st container that I planted last weekend, with the same thought that it would make transplanting easy.




I planted my last 4 containers, (for now) , yesterday.

What a great idea using the toilet paper rolls to separate you seedlings. But I am concerned about the their longevity in the container. In your experience do they come through the winter and do not deteriorate during the cold, wet spring?

That's what I wondered, seems they may be too wet to hold up come planting time

I don't know how long the TP rolls will last yet, I'm trying them for the 1st time this year, I'll keep you all posted about how it works out.

I have never tried the toilet paper holders before but am hoping for the best. Even if they are deteriorated somewhat, the roots should still be somewhat confined in a cylinder shape I would think. I will definitely post my results come spring.

Annette--Great minds think alike....Good luck.....

Jimard, are you not making drain holes in the bottom half of your jugs? That will keep your seeds from being drowned. It won't matter how much rain, snow, or frost gets in the jugs then. I use my husband's soldering iron to poke holes. I tried heating a nail but that took too long. You could use the point of a knife to make holes or slits.

Last year I used the egg carton cardboard. Big mistake. Too soggy and fell apart. I would think poking holes in the Styrofoam ones would be better. Just a thought.

Thanks Jeanne, good luck with your plants as well!

I first used the TP rolls as collars around my pepper plants last summer, to prevent damage from pests. I just checked on them, they're still intact, despite being exposed to the elements for over 6 months. I suspect the ones I used last weekend should last until the winter sown seedlings need to be planted out. Time will tell.

Here's another use for the TP rolls.

http://foragefood.blogspot.com...