Here is the directseeding forum.

Hello,

I have poor eyesight and have been known to accidentally pull all my seedlings when I direct sow. Is there any kind of trick I can use to avoid this problem?

MollyD

Hi Molly.

I have to admit, I have the same problem sometimes. I've been growing seeds for several years but still can't ID many seedlings. But in my head they fall into certain categories and I know that they're not weeds. I can't always distinguish rudbeckia hirta from gaillardia or echinacea, but I always know it's one of those. I gave my friend a seedling last year which I thought was a rudbeckia, it ended up being an echinacea. Oh well, it was pretty and not a weed!

I also have trouble differentiating larkspur, nigella, and California poppy, but i know it's one of those three.

It is a good time to direct sow those larkspur that we talked about. Really early fall is best, they germinate and winter over as tiny seedlings. They are very cold hardy and have no problem surviving all winter even in below zero temperatures. They might wilt and pout a little but quickly recover. But if you sow them now they should germinate at first sign of spring and do well for you. Mine do best (i.e. get taller) in full sun but some that I grow in morning shade, afternoon sun are nearly as tall. They don't demand too much water.

Once you get a crop established they'll self sow and you'll never have to sow them again. It's worth an investment in a good quantity of seeds the first time to have them forever.

Here we have been buried in snow for weeks so I haven't seen my flower beds. But here's one of my beds taken in January before the snow. See the green blanket covering the bed? That's about 95% larkspur! And after single digit temps with no insulation from snow.

Karen

I'm in Columbia Tenn so it doesn't get that cold here. A heavy snowfall seems to be 3 to 4 inches and maybe once or twice the whole winter which is Jan and Feb. Relatively mild climate here.

MollyD

Your lucky, Molly. We rarely get this much snow either. It's a good thing I'm a wintersower too or I'd lose my mind in winter.

Karen

having seeds to get started really does make it seem like you're gardening when the weather is nasty outside. I'm hoping to enclose the side porch in the next two years and use that for some seeds and plants too. That'll expand things for me!

MollyD

Have you ever tried wintersowing? (seeds sown outside, in winter, in milk jugs?) Oh, honey, if you want to expand, come to our wintersowing forum!


Karen

I haven't cause I lived in such cold places that most things left in pots outside in the winter died.

MollyD

Molly, people wintersow from Alaska to Florida and around. Give it a try and I guarantee you'll get great results that way. And it doesn't take up space inside, doesn't require grow lights or racks or any equipment. All you need is containers, potting mix, and seeds.

Karen

well now I'm in Tenn so yes I'll try it next time. Winter here is rather short but hey anything that lets me garden through it is worth a shot.

MollyD

Molly, you can actually use the same method any time of year. I don't do my annuals until spring (to avoid early sprouting and later freeze) but they do great. I also used the same technique (ouside in a milk jug) for some rud hirta last summer. Planted out in fall and they'll be bigger plants this year to start blooming sooner than if started this year. The milk jug acts as a mini greenhouse.

Visit the wintersowing forum here some time.

Karen

where is the wintersowing forum?

MollyD

Here you go Molly

http://cubits.org/Germination/...

If you click on SEEDS (sowing, growing & collecting) cubit
either under the last post of this thread or on the right panel in bigger letters, you will see several forums in this cubit. One being wintersowing.

Molly, try it, you'll like it! Don't throw away any nursery pots or trays this summer. Wash them out and store them for the future. Trust me, this is my first year trying WS and although I've been a gardener for 30 yrs. I always bought starter plants and spent hundreds of dollars, not counting the cost of mulch each year. WS did take away the bleak of the snowy winter we had. I haven't even had all my seeds to germinate yet, and I don't have any moved to my flowerbeds and I'm already thinking ahead to next January and plans to start WS again. In late Fall, start saving your plastic milk jugs, 2 liter soda bottles. Be sure to wash them out right away so there's no sour milk odor. Look for those plastic milk crates at yard sales or you can buy them for about $6 at office supply store. I like to use these to put my sown milk jugs/liter bottles in. It keeps them compact, animals can't turn them over. You can sit your containers in cardboard boxes even, but when they get wet from rain or snow, they may fall apart on you, that is why I like the plastic milk crates. They even come in colors, so they would be easy to spot under the snow. Check out www.wintersown.org website. Trudi Davidoff has it packed full of wonderful information. The people that are administrators for this website are experts in my opinion and have been so helpful and kind to me this winter. There's also Dave's Garden which is a paid site, and another FREE website called Gardenweb.com.

Not much in the way of snow here. I can garden from Feb to December if I pick the right plants. I'm planning on getting some helibores when I can to kick off the season each year.

I did start several jugs of plants a couple of weeks ago. Nothing sprouting yet.

MollyD

Just went outside to spray the jugs outside with some water from the first hose that I hooked up. Can't help thinking that this stretch of ultra warm weather the seeds and seedlings might need a drink from someone other than mother nature.

Mine are still wet from snow melt and rain. And they're sprouting, so they obviously don't need my help.

It was 38° when I left for work this morning; it's 62° now. My coleus are on a field trip to the front porch for a little sun.

Karen

Speaking of having trouble identifying seedlings.....I was out doing a little clean up after work today. Spotted something that looked like small starts of Canada Thistle. Fortunately, I only ripped up one before I realized it was the poppies I seeded last year.

I've done that many times.