Hello All!! I was wanting to start a few experiments in my zone 5 and this will be #1 out of the many I plan to do. I will keep you posted on this one to see how they turn out. Every 4 weeks I will start a new jug with the same variety of seeds from the same packet of seeds (total of 4 plants to 1 jug). The last one around 5/19/15 I will directly sow them into a container (I only container garden) and it will not be transplanted. My average last frost date is Mother's Day weekend. The others I will transplant into their permanent container on Mother's Day weekend (depending on space I will transplant 2-3 but maybe not all 4). This will be a tricky time to do it because we get hail storms at that time so I will have to cover a lot of plants!!

Experiment #1
To see how tomatoes and peppers will do with winter sowing. Also, when a good time to plant them in milk jugs for the best result (too cold, too hot, not enough time, too much time, too big, too small, just right )

Jug #1 Pepper, Cayenne Long Slim Red
Jug #2 Pepper, Basket of Fire
Jug #3 Tomatillo, Pineapple
Jug #4 Tomato, Large Cherry
Jug #5 Tomato, Great White

#1 because it's older seed from 2014 I got from the dollar store, it's also one of our favorites, and I might be able to find a home for some of them (when experiments over there will be 20 of each)

#2 because it's one of the few peppers I saved seed from. My husband liked it, it's colorful and it was one of the last surviving of our peppers.

#3 I had enough for the experiment and I want to give a few to new homes (not sure what I would do with 20 of them!!). I also wanted to try a tomatillo, mine last year didn't ripen.

#4 I wanted to do a cherry tomato and this was one that I had enough for the experiment. This one is also from the dollar store in 2014.

#5 I wanted to try one that wasn't red and this one I had enough for the experiment.

And it begins..... Planted today 1/19/15 with organic potting soil. Weather is high of 43 degrees, low of 28 degrees. Had snow earlier this morning but I planted them at 11:00 and snow has stopped with the sun shining!

Jug Luck to you LC

I am hoping for some myself

@jimard8 jug luck to you too!!!

Weather update

1/20/16 High 48 degrees Low 23 degrees Cloudy
1/21/16 High 43 degrees Low 25 degrees Partially Cloudy
1/22/16 High 54 degrees Low 29 degrees Partially Cloudy
1/23/16 High 61 degrees Low 32 degrees Cloudy
1/24/16 High 48 degrees Low 28 degrees Mostly Sunny
1/25/16 High 37 degrees Low 18 degrees Cloudy, Snow Flurries less than 1"

Littlecheryl) Lettuce, onion, and Wildflower weather there for you .

Weather week here 29 now , That is the lowest in the forecast ,, 50 coming being the Highest ,
I will do some more Snapdragons to start , Butterflies love them ,
Going a little slow , but getting there

LC I am stealing your thread a bit here ,,
Kind of an Waaahhhh I wanna play too ???
Jugs are becoming more Jugs , good thing this is not Moonshine Of course I might be moving around like it ,if it all grows



a poppy making runners left ,

Hi! Littlecheryl, Have you ws'd tomatoes before? I'm looking to grow tomatoes from seed for the first time, and would so much prefer to ws, primarily because I don't have a heating mat/grow light. I read a blog in your zone that starts them in April. I just would like to hear from others who have had success with this. I think your experiment will be really interesting to see the outcome! Thanks, All!

@AnnofPA This is my first year WS. Also my first year growing tomatoes from seed. I am just experimenting for my zone In Colorado we have very strange weather. Just yesterday we were 64 degrees. Tomorrow we are getting a foot of snow. Also we got about 2 inches of snow last night. If they sprout sooner you could always bring them inside. For the purpose of this experiment I'm leaving them outside. Sorry I couldn't of been more helpful.

@AnnofPA I've winter sown my tomatoes for the past three years. They do well here in Southeast PA but are a bit later in producing fruit than my neighbor who buys his plants started. Once it's warm and stays warm they shoot right up. That is about the only difference I see. I start mine in late March but only because I'm busy doing flower seeds.

Thanks, Ronnie & Littlecheryl! I'm definitely going to try ws'ing tomatoes and haven't decided if I'll try to start a few inside as well. I ws my flowers too, but they sorta take care of themselves until the temps heat up. I'm really hoping I have good success with the tomatoes. It hadn't even crossed my mind that I could ws them and I was trying to figure out how to get them started inside w/out grow lights etc. So excited! Thanks All for your posts!

So I had to stop my winter experiment. I didn't get the community garden plot that I had planned for to accommodate this project. Maybe next year I can start over.

well that's disappointing .
Growing anything anyway ? usual at home ?

Yes I am growing the usual at home....with some additions of course! I just had to use up the space in my garden for the items I was going to grow at the community garden so it took the spot I was going to do the experiment. If the experiment turned out I would have 25 of the same 4 things Some would've found homes...but most I would've hoarded.

Aw Cheryl, I'm so sorry about your plot. I was looking forward to reading about your adventures. At any rate, if it will make you feel better, everything I ws'd of yours is coming up well. Days in the 60's. Nights in the 40's. Monday will be in the 80s. Let's hope next week everything comes up and gets planted.