Tom, I have plastic tubs and I just put an inch of water in the tub, set in the jugs and let them sit for 20 minutes or so. We get enough precipitation that I don't have to water until spring.

I'm usually in too much of a hurry to let jugs sit in a tub for 20 minutes. I use a 5-gallon bucket and fill it half way and dunk the containers till water pours "gently" over the edge of the bottom. I try not to let the water wash over the surface of the soil. Fortunately, I don't have to water often. I also don't have any "precious" plants that I'm afraid of losing.

Martha

I rarely have to water b/c ma nature takes care of that and i plant out early. For later germinating seeds, I bottom water.

I don't think I've ever watered a winter sown container - not until well after things have sprouted. Mother nature does a good job of that here, I have to be more concerned about drainage than dry. When seedlings are still in their pots and need some moisture (probably sometime in April or May) I use a watering can with rose if I'm feeding, garden hose with mist nozzle if just water...all from the top, I don't pick up pots and bottom water at that point.

Tom, we may or may not have some snow, we don't have snow every year...but we do have rain :)

I hold the milk jug at a sight angle and slowly dribble some water in, letting it run down the inside wall of the jug. Best advice: Some water dribbled in slowly is going to achieve your goals. Rapidly dowsing the soil surface with a deluge of water is going to dislodge the seeds from the soil and make a huge muddy mess.

thanks everyone, you all kind of cleared up the watering part. more then likely i won't have to water either for we get lots on rain here in my area. But I wanted to know how most did in case I needed to. Trudi you are right about not wanting to distured the seed , so I am thinking (I do that sometimes!) I have a gallon pump-up sprayer with a fine nozzle. it has a long spout that will reach into the container. it is new so there would be nothing in it to hurt seed. seems might be the fastest, safest way. might be worth a try.
thank you all for all your helpful knowledge. don't know what I would do without you all !
Tom

While I've only WS for two seasons, my experience has been too much water (i.e., rain) rather than not enough. It isn't until much later in the season (in my zone) that sprouts left in WS jugs might need supplemental water. They're so darned tough as a result of WS, chances are they'll revive even if they appear to be at their last prayers when you notice they're dry. All else aside, prayer probably can't hurt.

The pump sprayer is a great idea especially if you have lots of containers. I use a hand sprayer and mist each container. That works best for me. Some where I read that you need to water when you don't see condensation on the inside of the containers. As long as there is condensation, they have enough water.

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

yes Matt, that was what I had in mind, I have the sprayer that you pump up and it goes for quiet sometime before having to pump up again.
gardenweed, I may will have the same problem with to much water, for we get a good amount of rain here in my area. but as of yesterday I have accumulated 94 gallon jugs, 43 2 liter bottles and several large juice bottles. I never thought I would collect so many by now! But I now have most cut, drain holes in, seedling soil put by, seeds sorted, and paint pens ready...and only 41 days till winter soltice!

Tom - thanks to newbie nerves, my first year I carried 100+ WS milk jugs inside my garage and set them on a folding table so they could dry out. This year I tacked a shower curtain to the side of the house and draped it across the folding table to keep the rain off the jugs. The first year we had a 4-month-long drought from June-October and I didn't lose a single sprout. This year it continued to be soggy right through this latest storm. It's too soon to say if any of my WS plants were lost from being crushed & mangled but because they were grown from seed via WS, while my fingers are crossed, I'm guessing not.

Bottom water in a tub.

{{gwi:445735}}

Karen

I've never needed to water jugs before late May early June. Never before sprouts (so I don't worry about dislodging seeds). I just set the head on the hose (it's got one of those brass coneshaped nozzle things that let you determine the velocity and spread of the water coming out)on a medium setting (like rain -which the jugs have dealt with for months already)and sprinkle above the open sprouts. My jugs are set up on shelving units, so some water that drains out of the upper jugs ends up landing on the lower jugs. I do try to hit at all levels, but upper jugs get more and it just drains out. No problem.

I'm planning on Wsing two or three hundred jugs this year. I fill kiddie pools with several inches of water and let the jugs sit about half an hour.