With the warmup in the weather I'd expect some southerners to be getting a few sprouts. Our winter was horrid, like most of the eastern half of the country, but we're having a great warm up in the last few days. When I got home from work it was so nice out I had to take a walk. It's 66°, sunny, and nice breeze, Perfect!

We're supposed to get colder again (highs in the 40s) but that's OK. The worst is over.

Karen

Yikes--I haven't even gotten my jugs out yet. Hope I'm not too late (although it was 60 here today, I'm sure that won't last too long).

Linda, I've only done 9 jugs myself. But some southerners on the GW forum have lots of sprouts.

Karen

I haven't started any either. There is to much snow and to cold. This will be my first year to try winter sowing.

I have some sprouts. Maily poppies, but also have some purple broccoli, cornflowers, batchelor's buttons, an agastache and dianthus micro chips. I am prepared to give them some protection if the freezes begin again.
Still so many things I wanted to sow...Maybe there's still time.

Bev, congratulations. Those things are all pretty cold hardy. They should be fine, esp. in N.C.

We've had a few nice warm days, 60-ish. Now the cold comes back with a low of 34° tonight.

Karen

Thanks! We've had an exceptionally cold, snowy winter and today was 72! Talk about crazy weather. Don't envy you getting cold again after mild days. I know that this spring fever we're getting is going to result in a cold let-down. I'm going to try to get some more things sown tomorrow. Maybe it's getting time for some 'mater seeds to go out!

I can handle cold spells for a while, it goes with the territory. When you live in Ohio, you learn to expect that in February. Now by April I don't handle it well, but in February it's OK, the snow on the ground is gone and the end is in sight.

I haven't even checked out what tomato seeds I have. I might but a new one or two to try, always fun. I never do them until late March, or even April sometimes.

Karen

OK--I decided it was time to stop slacking off here, and finally got 13 jugs ready to put out today. Of course, we're having a monsoon-like rain today, so I guess they'll get well-watered.

I WS some poppies, foxglove, delphinium, sea holly, chinese houses, Indian Paintbrush, and giant scabiosa.

Does anyone know if you can WS Cosmos? Seems like you ought to be able to, but couldn't find them on the wintersown.org website.

Cosmos is a reseeder...at least it is for me so it ought to do fine. I usually sow my annuals a bit later than perennials, or am willing to protect them a bit if they sprout earlier.
Sounds like you've gotten a good start. I'd be interested to see how the Indian Paintbrush does for you. Never tried that one, but love them.

Cosmos reseed like weeds for me! They WSow well, but I never did them until other annuals- around March- if I didn't want to have to protect them from late frost. I did them when I did other tender annuals like zins or marigolds.

I have some dwarf cosmos that reseed in my yard every year- admittedly cute- but they do reseed like weeds.

Karen

mom2goldens said:

Does anyone know if you can WS Cosmos? Seems like you ought to be able to, but couldn't find them on the wintersown.org website.

I checked on the list that I have from Trudi's Wintersown.org website and it is listed under hardy annuals to WS. I sowed them outside last year with success. I hope this helps.

kqcrna said:With the warmup in the weather I'd expect some southerners to be getting a few sprouts. Our winter was horrid, like most of the eastern half of the country, but we're having a great warm up in the last few days. When I got home from work it was so nice out I had to take a walk. It's 66°, sunny, and nice breeze, Perfect!

We're supposed to get colder again (highs in the 40s) but that's OK. The worst is over.

Karen

The weather has been nice here in January and the first half of February, but now we are experiencing weather colder than it has been all winter. Last week we had a blowing snowstorm that left us without power for over 3 days and toppled several trees and large branches, some the size of small trees with slight damage (fortunately) to our roof, and now a colder one with even more snow is on its way due to arrive tomorrow night.

I knew that winter was not over even if it appeared to be spring-like. I was afraid if I had started too early that all would be for naught and so I have started now in earnest now that winter is really here. Has anyone started in warmer weather and then have things come up and have the winter cold knock them down? (I guess you can see, that I am new at wintersowing, as last year was my first year.) Actually it was cold all last winter and most of spring so my wintersowing did pretty well. My summer veggies were less than stellar though.

Evelyn, this is my 6th year wintersowing, so I've come across a little of everything.

I have had sprouts killed off by late freezing weather, when I first started. They were tender annuals which had sprouted in early warm weather, then they bit the dust when the cold returned. I've never had that happen to things that are perennial or hardy annuals here. To avoid that, I sow my perennials and hardy annuals in winter. I wait until later, closer to spring, to sow the tender and half hardy stuff. This includes my tomatoes and flowers like zinnias, marigolds, cosmos. I haven't sown those yet this year. I'll be doing them in the next 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the weather and forecasts. Then after those things sprout, if we have late hard frost, I'll throw an extra cover over them overnight. I don't worry about covering the perennials or hardy annuals.

Consider this: We just had a week with highs if mid 50s to high 60s for a week. That's enough to make zinnias and tomatoes sprout. But the low tomorrow night will be 28. I'm gad I haven't sown anything tender yet.

Karen

Thanks, Karen! I would not even consider starting anything tender this early. I start only with hardy annuals and perennials. WeI appreciate the advice, should it become so warm then turn cold again, or be unseasonably warm during winter. I knew that spring was not here yet. That "Old Man Winter" was playing hide and seek. LOL!

Not, it's not over. But I expect this weather in February in Ohio. It's not as bad as deep winter, though. I know that at this time of year the cold spells will be short-lived. Snowfall will only be on the ground for hours or days, not months! This doesn't depress me like the winter cold and snow do.

Karen

This is the most snow we have had all winter, except in late November. then it was rain, snow then more rain then snow. Now it is cold!

we have not had warm enough temps for anything to germinate, thankfully. I think i have about 35 containers done -- have a ton more to do, but havent had the time yet.

I will probably start my annual at the end of March this year... unless the weather really breaks and not expecting freezing temps ... we shall see.

Karen -- do you ever find that your seedlings get "leggy" and if so, do you pinch them??
I would think "no" -- but figured you are more experienced than me. ;-)

No sprouts here, either. I've only done 9 gallon jugs and I think they were all perennials. There's a jugs of rud hirtas which usually sprout pretty early, but haven't yet.

Terese, if you mean pinch them while they're still in the jugs, no, I don't. But I don't usually give them time to get leggy either. Once they have a couple of true leaves, I try to get them into the ground. I often transplant them into beds long before my last frost date. They don't seem to put on much growth until they're in the ground. I might pinch them later. I do have to pinch a lot of my established perennials at different times. e.g. Lobelia and hibiscus get pinched each year at about 10-12".

For annuals, since I don't sow them until spring or close to it, it does tend to be around "last frost" time when I transplant them. Again, they're pretty small, and don't usually need pinching until later.

Karen

I lied, I do have sprouts. I just checked and I have one calendula. Also radicle emergence on gypsophilia paniculata and cynoglossum. Temp here is 35°.

Karen