Linda (Gymgirl) may have had more success in her warmer zone than we would, Allison. I keep thinking when I retire, I want to live in zone 8

I didn't think about the difference in Linda's growing conditions and mine.
I agree with Allison on WS the coleus. Our growing season is much shorter, nights are very cool, even in the summer. Okay, no coleus in my WS jugs.

Linda -- our ground is not frozen either. We've had about an inch of snow "combined" this year.... and none forecasted either. just checked the forecast... Monday looks like winter... January 2nd. Our December was certainly above average... lets hope this continues... BUT we do need some snow or Spring we will be so dry....

We had frozen ground for several weeks this month. Now the pineapple express has move in the the night time temps are in the 40's & 50's. It has been raining up a storm.
This coming week it is suppose to go back to winter conditions.

No snow here yet, either, but almost twice our normal yearly rainfall! This has been our wettest year ever recorded. My friend heard on the news that by this time last year we'd had 16" of snow.

I haven't sown anything yet but I'm moving into the "thinking about it zone". I ordered just a few seeds yesterday for indoor sowing in spring. I don't have a clue what I'm going to wintersow but I will do some. I want to get all the Christmas junk put away so I can have my basement dungeon back - it's my planting and "dirt" place.

I also need to pot up my coleus cuttings, but not until I get my dungeon back.

Karen

we are raining now. 39°

48° here and raining buckets full.

Raining here too. Yuk! You would think when you live here your whole life you would get use to the gray days and rain. Not so! I want to be a snowbird! Not old enough

Funny thing, on our local news a couple of days ago, they were comparing our 2010 weather/rainfall with Seattle's. It was our wettest year ever with 73" of rain, while Seattle had something like 36", approximately half of what we had. I wanted to build an arc.

My garden didn't do all that well. I grow mostly flowers. My tomatoes were sad, the worst output in almost 30 years of growing them. Toms just don't set fruit and ripen in cool, cloudy, rainy weather. Seems everyone locally had similar results.

Early winter has been weird, too- unusually warm and only one light dusting of snow so far.

Karen

I swear NJ will be Venice someday.. ridiculous amount of rain this year

The thing is, we usually have dry summers here. Droughty, even. We had 2 stretches last summer that were hot and dry but each only lasted maybe 2 weeks. Other than that summer was cooler than normal, cloudy, and wet.

Most of my perennials are pretty drought tolerant, like coneflowers. I don't know what all this wetness will do to them in our clay soil. In a few months, I guess I'll find out the answer.

Karen

we started this year drought like.. and then monsoons.. I am expecting losses as well

Sorry, guys!

Been on another website documenting my Spring/Summer 2012 veggie gardening! 5 out of 6 flats of new tomato seeds popped last night! So, the season is underway.

Regarding the coleus in my before/after pic, those were purchased as wee plants. They did wonderfully well in that semi-bright spot under the "Two Trees" beds. That was the first and only bed I've done with coleus. Now that I'm about to build some RB frames for me edible landscaping, I'm sure more coleus will find their way into the landscaping.

Our temps right now are downright WARM!!!! In the middle of winter. My poor cole crops are starting to bolt, with almost 7 more weeks of winter left!

Shoot!

Had to eat a broccoli with little yellow sprouts on it, night before last....

Hugs!

Hi Linda. How warm is it? Were those tomatoes inside under lights?

It's warm up here, too- 57° right now. No complaints from me, though. I'm lovin' it! We have had a few cold days here and there, but nothing long-lasting. And only one light dusting of snow so far. By this time last year we'd had 16". This is my kind of winter.

Karen

So much for wintersowing - it was 65 and brilliantly sunny today.

Luckily I only put one set out - Primula japonica, and I'm not even sure the seed is viable anyway. Snort.

Our weather is very mild for this time of year. I'm waiting until the end of this month to do my WSing.

Yep, at *least*.

>> My tomatoes were sad, the worst output in almost 30 years of growing them. Toms just don't set fruit and ripen in cool, cloudy, rainy weather. Seems everyone locally had similar results

"Toms just don't set fruit and ripen in cool, cloudy, rainy weather" ... I agree, but decided to let three plants follow me home from anusery last Spring, just to see what I could get them to do in my yard.

I was delighted to get ANYTHING to ripen on two of those plants ... though even the Stupice were somewhat lame and the "Supersweet 100" were more like the "Semiripe 10 fruits".

I think my "delighted" results in Seattle were probably about the same as your
"sad, worst in 30 years" in Cincinnati!

I hope to get some plastic tents or hoops going this year, plus pots, so I can position them in what sun I do have. And move the young ones back into the house when nights go below 50 or 45.

We are growing our tomatoes in a long narrow bed, between to fences. I decided this year to try tenting the row with a heavy ml plastic to create a warmer environment. We'll see how that works this spring and summer.
The fences will provide the frame.

I'm spoiled. I usually grow great tomatoes with not too much effort. That made last years toms that much more disappointing. Horrible year for weather. 73" of rain is ridiculous.

I haven't wintersown anything yet either. Hoping to do a few jugs this week. I don't know what it will be but I guess I just feel like I need jugs of dirt on my deck in winter. I've been WSing for a while (I think this is year 7 for me) and it just doesn't feel right to have no WSown plants out there. For me, that's a critical part of winter.

Karen