I too am curious about the number of sunlight hours to expose the containers and the aspect?
I put them all on the northeast side of my house, but thought they needed a little more sun to warm, so I moved them all to a south east side. We have a neighbors house blocking most morning sun in their northeast side. They get morning sun til 1 or 2 and shade thereafter in their new spot. But don't follow my lead, I'm a newbie and really have no clue if this is the optimal sun vs. overheating. I just did what seemed 'right'.

Others have suggested east facing will prevent afternoon heat up, but may delay sprouting by a week or more. While others have said put them in their 'locations' to be planted...if they're full sun plants, put the containers in full sun, etc.

Thanks for posing the question.

I've been doing this for a long time and have never worried about where the jugs are. For me, they go on the patio which faces sort of west. I'm not sure afternoon sun matters at this time year -- it's still mostly overcast here and the sun isn't that high yet. You probably don't have to worry much about your seedlings until the weather really starts to get warm/hot. Then I'd maybe move shade lovers to the shade. I think the biggest thing is making sure they don't dry out.

One of the advantages of winter sowing is that the seedlings don't emerge until they should, and they tend to be hardier than coddled, indoor-started plants. They're perfectly adapted to the conditions they sprouted under, and barring late frosts, in which case I just throw a sheet or something over them, there's not much you have to do for them.

Caryl

I try to put my jugs in the sunniest spot possible to start, so they will get as much warmth as possible early on, to encourage germination. As sprouts appear, I move them into a spot similar to what they will need permanently, ie shade or sun, etc. Any jug in full sun, I try to keep tops off ASAP to avoid frying seedlings if the weather gets warm unexpectedly.

Martha

Mine are always placed on a west patio in full sun. They stay there until I am ready to transplant (June through Sept.) I never move them.

Thanks to the above folks for sharing how you placed the jugs in full sun to facilitate germination. I plan to place each jug in their appropriate sun/shade area that they will eventually end up.

I'm getting so excited!

There are also comments on this issue in the Welcome Beginners Hugs and Hand Holding thread.

There are also comments on this issue in the Welcome Beginners Hugs and Hand Holding thread.