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bookjunky4life

WS planning when pregnant

bookjunky4life
11 years ago

This is my fourth winter WSing. However, this year I am pregnant and due December 11 with my first child. Currently, I am still doing garden winter clean-up and prep and believe I'm in good enough shape to get that all done before I'm "too" pregnant. I know I will not have time to WS much at least first month or two after I deliver. I have prepped in that I have plenty of jugs, having kept all the ones from last winter (I did over 400) and have probably a hundred fresh jugs that are not prepped. I have 3 1/2 bales of Promix ready to go. I also have saved gobs of my own seeds from blanket flower, BES, orange cosmos, and a few others. I also have a short shasta daisy mix that I bought that could be WS. I have WAY too much veggie garden area (probably 1.5 acres) and need to convert that to perennial flower gardens. I hope to also gather some marigold seeds but don't know if the frost will get them before they mature, and more hardy pampass grass seed from my uncle's plants (sowed 29 gallon jugs this year! fabulous!). I can also plant large areas to sunflowers as I have a utility tub (like from Menards) about 2/3 full. I don't know if I should try to start WSing some things in the next month or whether I should try to do everything in like February? Also, gotta buy tons of those 10 cent packs of Alyssum. Grew some in pots and some in-ground this year and it looks awesome either way. I also have pretty much zero $$$ to spend on seeds but would like suggestions on trading/cheap seed purchasing and suggestions on good solid perennials to try to WS.

Kayla (and soon-to-be daughter Quorra who will be my gardening accomplice)

Comments (4)

  • northforker
    11 years ago

    A baby!!!!! So happy for you! The fact that you can even THINK about your WSing plans with your first baby coming in December is very impressive and just shows how committed you are.

    Here is my advise: Welcome that little darling to the world, nest and nurse and read stories and admire your tiny seed for a few months and just see how it goes for WSing. If you are blessed with a baby that is "easy" - - sleeps, comforts easily, etc, you'll be ready to WS with plenty of time left to do so in late winter in zone 5. If you are given a baby that just needs MORE of you (believe me, you'll know...), this may not be the year to try to hit the hundreds of jugs mark - - -you may just be scattering Allsym for direct sowing in the spring! It does really well that way too -- no worries!

    Here's the thing - - you have to get to know your individual baby before you can plan how your life will work with WSing (and with everything else in your life). They come in so many different varieties (smile). You will adore whatever kind you get but making firm plans until you know what you've got may set you up for feeling overwhelmed. Decide to decide your WSing plans on Feb. 1st, when you are an old hand at this mothering thing!

    Best of luck to you and your new little sprout!
    Nancy

  • mnwsgal
    11 years ago

    How wonderful and exciting this time is for you. Nancy's advice is excellent. Let your and your baby's relationship inform your ws this year. Your past experience tells you that it isn't just sowing the jugs but caring for them and then getting all those sprouts planted that take time and energy, both in short supply for new mothers.

    If you have harvested enough seeds you could cut the stems with remaining seeds and tap them along the ground where you want more of that plant and/or leave the stems on the area all winter. This works well for many annuals and perennials. I have done this with BES, cosmos, alyssum, gaillardia, larkspur, moss roses, and others with good results. This way if you need to cut back on your ws you will still have some seedlings. Sunflowers do well for me direct sowing in the spring.

    Some perennials I have ws: aquilegia (columbine), buddleia, penstemon, salvia, delphinium, digitalis (foxglove), dianthus, verbascum, agastache, platycodyn (bellflower), anemone, hibiscus, hosta, huechera, helianthus, heliopsis, helenium, polemonium, asclepia, hardy geranium, primula.

  • docmom_gw
    11 years ago

    What a beautiful name, Quorra. I agree with the prior advice. You will be amazed at how your time disappears. If you have time to sit on the toilet long enough to accomplish much, you'll be lucky. With my first, I didn't sit down for a hot meal for months. But it is the most wondrous, miraculous time of your life. And they are only babies once and so briefly. We say these standard phrases of advice that everyone has heard, but they take on new meaning when you are actually living it. Best of luck and treasure those moments.

    Martha

  • margaretyoder
    11 years ago

    Can you put the soil and seeds in the containers, and just not put them out or water them at all until you have time later? Do you have someplace out of the way in which you could store the dry seeded containers? like a garage or basement. I've never winter sowed yet, myself, so there could be something wrong with that idea... but it seems to me it would work.

    I personally couldn't do any gardening the first year and half with a demanding baby, I was just focussed on survival. But, you may have an easier time of it!! Let's hope so! good luck.

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