Do any of you get a jump start on spring by winter sowing your seeds? Here is a website to get you going and at your gardens early: http://www.wintersown.org/ It shows some ways to make mini green houses and what seeds work best for winter sowing. Mother nature does it all the time. I am still learning, but plastic ice cream buckets are a good container to use. I have my portable green house to put some plants in trays and what not in also... I had better luck last year, it was my 2d year trying it. Be sure that whatever containers you use, they can drain excess water freely so your seeds and seedlings do not drown!
This subject comes up about this time every year but we usually don't hear about results. Sounds like you have had better luck than others here except for a long ago member named Biita who lived in the far northern region of Norway above the Arctic Circle. I know some have mentioned doing it but I don't know if they were successful. Be sure to take progress photos of your winter sowing this year. I thought about trying it, saved bunches of plastic containers then I realized that you have to actually have winter and it should last more than 2-3 days for it to work. I don't do any of the container growing anymore, I just stick seeds in the ground of the plants I know will overwinter and return in the Spring like Zinnia, Cosmos, etc. This year I have some Milkweed in the ground hoping they will make it and come up next Spring.
I have winter sowed for many years.Cheap way to get some nice plants.Use to trade plants and seeds on GW . And went to swaps.I have good luck with WS-some better then others.But stubborn and read more.Some of the seeds planted too deep.
I have never had zinnias overwinter here. It might depend on where you live though. Cosmos sometimes re seed themselves. Anything perennial or biennial, you can toss out in the garden in the fall, and it ought to grow. Some re seeding annuals will also return in the spring, like morning glories. I have some that do, their pictures are in my garden photos here. The mystery seedlings I had the other year turned out to be dianthus, and are doing nicely. No blooms in the winter of course. We had such severe drought this summer, that most of my garden just looked bad and I did not take many photos this year. When I have wild perennials that I want in my garden, I dig some up and transplant them. I moved some tiny variety of black eyed susans this year, and scattered some of their seeds. I hope they do well. Black eyed susans usually do nicely here. I moved some heal-all that is doing well, though only one plant of three made it so far. It has lovely blue flowers and grows wild. I moved some horse mint this year, I hope it takes. Milkweed grows wild here, but I have not gotten around to moving any of it yet. I want to move some golden rod into my flower beds also, that seems hard to move. I do have another winter sown plant that was doing well this summer, but I have forgotten what it is also. My labels do not seem to survive the weather, so I need to figure out something better than popsicle sticks for labels. Paper lables drown quickly. It is a perennial, so I think it will be back in the spring. I intend to try some more here in the next few weeks. Not sure how much, because I had to add the fall leaves to my compost heap before I got to use up the good stuff [and my son added some red clay to it, which I did not want him to. Apparently, he misunderstood where I told him to put the red clay.] I have used up about 1/2 the bag of potting soil I was able to find this fall. A lot of places around here just do not carry potting soil in the winter for some silly reason. My first year of winter sowing [several years ago] was pretty much a flop, since the containers did not drain well, and most things drowned. Also, some did not get any water, and those seeds did not grow. I will try to take pictures of my projects to post later.
Donna, that keeps them dry, but the inks fade anyway with the sunshine. I am still thinking on this one. After new year's I will try to get some winter sowing done here. I have a few perennials that I have not yet gotten into the ground or pots.
For markers try white plastic knives like you use on a picnic and a permanent marker. If it still fades coat the writing with clear nail polish.
Donna, I have never seen/heard of wax carpenter pencils. I do have some wide carpenter pencils for marking on wood for cutting it. Are those the same or different?
AA here is a picture of them with a marker thats been in the ground since last spring. The led looks like crayon but its not. I buy them at Ace hardware. The big box stores do not have them. So try small hardware stores Red or black ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden )
i've been winter sowing for 3 plus years now and love it! usually start on the winter solstice, but was aa bit late this year. to keep labels from fading, i put them in the container facing away from the sun. also, i keep a separate record on paper and numer all the plants.
