Me personally I would plant them out in their spots and not worry about the cloches, especially if you are not having below freezing temps.

I've used the red plastic covering last spring. Its good for keeping the frost out.

You could always do a bit of both. I pot some up for gifting to my Mom and such later. Most of the hardy early sprouters won't mind being put out though.

Where do you live that your sprouts are that large already? When did you sow them; indoors or outdoors?

I would think you could plant out most anything in zone 8 now. What are the seedlings? And what kind of containers did you use?

Karen

I have the same problem. I started sowing Jan 25 and immediately started seeing sprouts 3 weeks after. It could be because of the crazy up and down weather here in VA. Some of the seedlings in the flats have grown to the top and I don't know what to do. I can't take the tops off bec we still get freezing temps at night. What to do?

But overall, I'm not complaining. This is my first time to winter sow and so far all of my 20 containers have sprouts! :)

Here are some photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucylulu07/5490484614/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucylulu07/5489880123/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucylulu07/5489880111/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucylulu07/5490475264/

Lucy, I couldn't just stop at only looking at your photos of your winter sowing. You have an eye, I love looking at pictures so I sure hope you don't mind but I am still looking at your album. What great pictures!! You really do have a gift of capturing the artistic view in pictures!! Very nice!!

Thanks for all the follow-ups! I sowed mostly milk jugs, mostly with cheap (Hapi-Gro) compost from Lowe's and nothing else. I'm in Central Texas, about an hour north of Austin. I sowed 21 containers the last week in January, and the rest during some hard freezes the second week of February, and all of the containers started sprouting the third week in February. I have uncovered some of them and have some spinach, beets and radishes that are struggling with our 40-degree nights. But, it could be that my hen has been picking at them, though I think she'd have destroyed the whole container. ;) Today, I'm putting out the largest sprouts, because I figure I can sow more if these don't make it: sunflowers, cucurbits and lettuces. I'll probably interplant some hunks of French Marigold, and tomorrow start on the perennial borders. I'll take some photos of the seedlings in their containers and post later today. The best sprouters were scattered on top of cheap compost (mostly pine bark) in milk jugs. Much less work than the first batch! Go figure...

Annnd, we're off!

thanks for the kind words carolyn! can't wait for spring/summer :) hopefully, my winter sown plants will bloom colorful flowers so i can take pictures of them and share to everyone.