good idea using the upturned cake containers. do you put holes in the plastic covering the white handled containers?

yes, greylady. I clipped the plastic cover to make ventilation holes. I grab those trays whenever I see them in the alley or on the Home Depot parking lot.

Hello there pit! Long time no see!

Just dropped in to do a bit of lurking. Haven't sown anything in two years, but hopefully will get some done this year.

Gotta get back into the swing of things ....

PV

Hi pvick, so good to see you post.
Same here. I did not WS anything two years in a row. My garden is so stuffed I have to thin out many things. But I want to WS some annuals this winter.

I bought two bags of potting soil. I still need to clean out the garden to make room for a makeshift table for the containers, but today it's bulb planting for me.

Enjoy your fall weather.

Hey pvick! Good to see you. Like you and pitimpinai, I didn't sow much last year - maybe half a dozen containers (as opposed to my usual 250!) But I did not sell bouquets at the market this year, and I'm also changing my gardens over to more shrubs and easy-care things due to health issues. I do hope, though, to WS some more annuals this year. I'm really enjoying the few things I did sow last year, especially the zinnias!

Pitimpinai, those cake containers are great, but I would feel compelled to actually BUY (i.e. EAT!) all that cake to get them, lol!

:)
Dee

This post was edited by diggerdee on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 10:36

Good tip on those cake containers, never thought of using them. My daughter works in the cake dept at a supermarket and are constantly throwing out dented containers. Guess what Im going to have her bring home now....lol

Milk Jugs and Salad containers and Lasanga pans with tall dome tops for me!

Was thinking about using those large round icecream/sherbet containers with the handles.

Great ideas on containers. I used milk jugs and Kool whip containers and they worked amazingly well. What are folks winter sowing this year?

Great ideas on containers. I used milk jugs and Kool whip containers and they worked amazingly well. What are folks winter sowing this year?

I am planning to sow:
- Some tree seeds
- Petunia
- Annual Lobelia
- Vegetables
- Prairie Smoke - possibly

That's it. I have only 1 1/2 bags of potting soil and I am not planning to get anymore.

Wow, you guys are ambitious! I do mostly "spring sowing" now - using winter sowing techniques for sowing annuals in April or early May. I like the idea of the pails but have never seen anything like them anywhere.

Last year was my first WS year, and I used milk jugs- they worked great!

This year I've been saving up kitty litter jugs to use- they are bigger and sturdier than milk jugs. I'm also using milk jugs again.

Mostly planting wild flowers- WS seems to work well for it.

I think milk jugs are the best for WS and that's coming from someone who used to WS seeds in four inch black plastic square pots for years. I was able to get some plants grow that I never had luck with before: larkspur, foxglove, delphiniums, poppies, to name a few. I could always get them to grow in the pots, but then they'd die off. Frustrating. I do want to try some new stuff. Prairie smoke looks beautiful. :-)

Has anyone used 2 liter bottles to winter sow? Can I just leave the cap off the top for ventilation or should I start with a few smaller holes in the top!

Hey Texas! Yup, you can use 2-liter bottles. Clear ones would be best. Caps are ALWAYS off.

PV

How do you make holes in the 2-liter bottles? Drill, I guess?

I use a soldering iron to make the holes in my containers. I always keep a slightly damp towel on hand to wipe off any plastic that sticks to the iron.

I have used a small kitchen knife to make holes.

I use quart & gallon milk jugs and 2 & 3 liter soda bottles. I use several cutting tools. I like to use twist ties instead of tape just in case I need to open them up. Here is a cutting diagram.

Although I've only WSd for 1 year, I prefer 1 gallon milk jugs as I find it easier to separate out the seedling. Just my $0.02.

I first made the transition from milk jugs to vinegar jugs. They are much sturdier and totally round so easier to clean out. We use vinegar for cleaning, laundry, cooking so jugs were easy to come by. Putting plant stakes or sticks through the handles was a great way to keep them from tipping over and propping the lids open in spring.

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Now, I am loving my big yogurt containers with plastic bag cutouts in lids. Much easier to sow into, plant out of, clean, and store stacked for next year. They are plenty deep enough. Only down side is less head room for growing plants in spring. Usually I take the tops off by the time they are big enough to hit the roof. Eating 1-2 containers a week keeps me in steady supply.

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Thanks everyone for sharing your pics. Great ideas and I can't wait to try them. I love WS!