Yes...It's the same way for me here in Indiana. I decided not to do any sowing until Feb. That is about when I started my seeds last year and everything did very well. I work at an apple orchard and we were getting the greenhouses ready for spring a few weeks ago. It was in the 70's in the greenhouses...I knew then that if I sowed any seeds, they would be up in no time. The low tonight is 21 and the high for Fri is 48.

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Not any different here in MA either. I'm near the NH border and zone 5.

we just got 3 inches of snow today and anything before that has been gone within a day or 2.

Temps predicted to be in the mid 50's again this week and then cooling off.

For the last several years I haven't started any WS before the 1st week in February, after starting out 9 years ago in Dec. and January. then a year of super warm temps and friends in the next town over started WS in Dec, had sprouts in January and lost all of them in Feb and March when the "real winter" hit the area.

All my records for the past 8 WS seasons show that it didn't matter if I started sowing seeds in Dec., Jan., or the first 2 weeks in Feb. the seeds all germinated within a week or 2 of each other. Seeds getting out in the 1st 2 weeks of Feb had more than enough cold stratification to germinate when they where supposed to and my end results where always the same near 100% germination and plant out if not !00% germination and plant out.

I won't be starting any WS this year before Feb 1st. then it's whatever happens will happen with the seeds.

Annuals go out 1st 2 weeks in Feb.

Then wait till March and start the biennials, then the hardy annuals, annuals and then the tender annuals the last week in April.
By May 1st, all my sowing is done and the germination has started already.

Don't panic if you haven't started yet. there is still plenty of time and I'm betting plenty of cold weather and snow yet to come.

Fran

I'm in Missouri too Deanna so my weather is a lot like yours - several days in the 50's and a few in the 60's in January so far. I wish I had a better place to set my containers that would be in full shade. I think that would keep them a little cooler than where I have them now in partial sun. Even with air holes, the sun shining on those plastic lids warms them up. I hope February or March isn't extra cold to make those averages even out.

A little snow would be nice. My husband got a new snowblower and he's itching to try it out.

In Idaho we've had a very dry and warmer than average November and December. Then last week, it all changed and we have had more snow in a week than we did all of last year. The same storm that affected the Seattle area hit us hard.

My containers are somewhere out there, buried in snow. Nothing had sprouted, so I'm not concerned. I had started sowing during the last week of December, all of them jugs were sown with perennials.

I just hope this is it, and we go back to dry, if nothing else.

I haven't changed much, though our weather has also been very odd. I've had about 35 containers of perennials outside since late December, but I never checked to see if they'd sprouted. I'm pretty busy. Now our weather has gotten back to normal. The last three days our highs have been in the 20s with lows around 5 and wind chills in the negative teens. I plan to do a lot more sowing as I accumulate more jugs. I did set up indoor lights and I've started some coleus and begonias. I have a new yard that is mostly shade, so I'm embarking on a new chapter in my gardening. Hope everyone has good results this year. Maybe we'll need to do another seed exchange to supply everyone with annuals if the perennials don't do well come spring.

Martha

After rethinking the issue, I think I'll wait another month before putting my containers out. Should be safe then. It's incredible that it's January and the ground isn't even frozen. Usually it's frozen by November.

Christie - lol about the snowblower! Last year we had record amounts of snow, and this year one of the weather guys is predicting we'll be in the top 5 for least amount of snowfall since they've been keeping records. I think he's on target for that. And seriously, it's probably better to wait on the containers for the simple fact that I don't want to be out there trying to water them b/c of our lack of precip.

Deanna

I went ahead and sowed. My containers are frozen even when the temps were in the high 50's. However, it is very cold now w/snow and all.

Because of the high temperature's, my concern, is I am going to have to delay the annual flowers and vegetables.

i ws the same. perennials and hardy annuals will be fine. relax!

despite the warm Winter, I have not changed a thing. Just going to go along as I have the past 3 years, no time to start over-thinking things now!

It's been a warm winter so far here in Minnesota too. It definitely has affected my winter sowing. It's been nice though because I've been to busy to start anyway. :-) I will get to start winter sowing this weekend. Woohoo!

Amy

It was 59 degrees yesterday. My containers are on my deck which is on the south side of the house. The forecast is for continued above-average temperatures. I'm afraid that I'll have sprouts too early and then a possible bitter cold to kill them. So I moved all the containers to the north side of the house so that they're in the shade and won't have the greenhouse effect. Got my fingers crossed! I have a new house and no garden so I need lots of sprouts.

I've only done 4 jugs so far and I'm in a holding mode.

I hadn't planned to so much this year because, after 6 years of wintersowing, and having bought a few plants too, my yard is pretty full.

BUT, we've had our wettest weather ever. We had 73" of rain in 2010 (norm being 41"). This year is starting the same with an exceptionally warm and wet weather. It's pouring again now, and we're under flood watch again. Our clay soil is beyond saturated, and I fear a fair amount of plant loss this year from winter wet.

I do plan to do a few more jugs of perennials just in case, and a few annuals and tomatoes in spring. I'm also going to start a few begonias and impatiens inside under lights, probably in Feb.

Karen

Karen,

That's amazing that you've had so much precip where you are, and it's been dry, dry, dry for months on end here.

Deanna

The weather has not changed a thing for me. It's been warmer than usual, I ws'd what I could in December in long sleeves and a windbreaker. I thought that was fabulous! I've been too busy to ws more than just a couple of pots since then, but hoping to do more in the next two weekends when temps are still going to be warmer than usual. My ws schedule is based on my time to do it, not the weather.

Okay, after reading all of this info, I am in zone 7a. Virginia. Right now we are having a warm spell for a couple of days, then they say it will get cold again..around in the 20's to 40's. I have never WS before, so if I planted some containers, would you think that I should plant them now?? and should I put them in the shade?? All of this sounds so weird to me, putting plants out now even if they are in containers, but I want to try this. All of you seem to be getting great results and I have a lot of space to plant and am tired of paying big money for plants.. any info would be helpful. Thanks!

Coppertop,

We aren't putting plants out right now.

We are putting out containers with seeds planted in them. These containers are actually mini greenhouses.

If you've got holes in the bottom and holes in the top that vent out heat, and allow Mother Nature to add moisture to them, you have the best way to get a jump start on getting seeds planted for the coming season. Put them in the shade, the seeds will sprout when its time for them to.

If you've labeled them well, you know exactly what is planted where, & they won't get eaten or washed away.
Another good thing is you won't be pulling out your seedlings thinking they are weeds!
Yes.. go ahead and start planting your containers and putting them outside. They'll be fine.

I guess most of us are thinking the same thing. For a few weeks in Dec. and early January, it was bitter cold, just a few weeks ago and now we've hit the warmer temps but I did my wintersowing last weekend and they are outside hoping for colder temps. It was 50 or 60 today and the outside thermometer reads 53 now..confusing! I only have 16 gal. milk jugs out there.

Went to K-Mart today and as we entered the store, there in middle aisle is Burpee Seed Rack..and I swore I wasn't going to buy any more seeds but it kept calling my name.."Come and check me out, I know there's something you want here.! LOL! I caved in and bought 2 pkt. of rosy
colored alyssum..all the seeds were 40% off.. I think this wintersowing is a addiction!

I'm in holding mode as well at the moment. We've had a few days in the low 50ies, and I don't want to have anything sprout yet. But I'll start prepping the containers this weekend, I hope.

I'm in a holding pattern as well. We have really only had one snowstorm this year, a few dustings and a lot of rain. I was in shorts this past week. I hadn't planned to do as much as last year either, I still have some of last years unsprouted jugs on my deck, still keeping the faith.

After the snowstorm in October, everyone around here thought we were in for a really nasty winter but it just hasn't been the case. It is really hard for me to complain that the weather has been too nice....

I haven't put anything out yet, and with a few days in the 60s/50s this week I'm glad I waited. It's in the 30s today, but supposed to get up to 50 tomorrow then 40s the rest of the week. I'll probably start putting out some jugs this week.

I haven't started any either. Been so crazy warm that I have leaves and flowers on my forsythia bush, my viola yesterday, today and tomorrow still have leaves on it and blooming and some of my perennial herbs have yet to die back.
For the first time, I have small pots of rosemary that look perfectly green and healthy. Usually by now they are history.

Will have to get a few perennials out, I'd say before the 18th, and then it will just be the various annuals in March and April.

I'm really cutting back now on number of containers. Beds are quite full now and no need for the more than 1,000 containers that I started with 9 years ago.

Fran

I'm about to start tomorrow, which is later than I've ever left it. As everyone else has commented, we have had an exceptionally warm winter, in fact (fingers crossed), I think I might nurse my 3 rosemary plants (they're in the ground, not in pots) through the winter. They've been covered with a 'snow' blanket which lets in light and moister, and holy cow, they are looking good.

I have my containers sitting outside on a covered porch facing east. In past years, really soaking the soil before planting the seed and putting the containers out has seemed to make up for the moisture they don't get by being out in the elements. They appear to get enough morning sun to get them germinating, but again, the roof keeps them from warming up and drying out in the hotter sun of mid day, while protecting them from any hard frosts at night.

I agree, it is nerve wracking and I worry that we'll have a horrible cold wet spring (we will pay, one way or the other, we all know it....) which may delay planting all these wonderful, hardy wintersown plants.

This freakishly warm winter (not that I'm complaining!) has me wanting to sow everything, but then I check past years & know that some seeds do better for me when started later, so I'm trying to be strong! My bulbs are all sprouting, I have 2 crocus' blooming & I'm afraid that we're going to be hit by a big storm & kill them off, but I know they're tough!

I've several seeds that only require a few weeks of cold, but I'm afraid to sow even those. It's 77F in partial shade today. The temperature is slowly creeping to 80F. The forecast says it should get up to 81F. Luckily, this week's nights should be in the 30's and 40's and days in the 50's and 60's. I wonder if this will be a snow-in-March year.

On the positive side, the breadseed poppies I started a few weeks ago (and was afraid that they were planted too deep) have started sprouting.