Newbie - committing to this!

12 years ago

OK - I'm just going to jump in with both feet! (or both thumbs, as the case may be). I have never WS before, but given where I live - we MAY have 3 warm months a year - I'm gonna do it!! I will take all the advise I can get. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about planting, but if you look outside my house, you will see that I know NOTHING! Have been trying to grow, using several mediums, for many years, but I just can't get anything outside to keep growing! VERY frustrated!!!! (And isn't gardening supposed to be relaxing?? lol!) Am ready to be putty in your - kind, loving - hands.

There are some incredibly beautiful pictures in these posts, and I would LOVE to be able to grow just a fraction of what I have seen! I think it will help me get thru the long winters that we have.

Thank you - in advance - for your patience!

Jana

Comments (11)

northforker
12 years ago
Welcome Jana! You will find WSing to be the best way to build beautiful gardens at a fraction of the cost of buying plants. Lots of support offered here and we love to help newbies. Start collecting milk jugs and clear box containers (salad, spinach, anything that will hold 3-4 inches of potting mix) and start looking around for seeds in friends/famly gardens! You can also get a newbie seed pack from Bakemom when she posts.

Remember, no questions are silly. But do read the FAQ's - there is so much helpful info in there.

Nancy
terrene
12 years ago
Hi Jana, you will love winter-sowing. This is a very fun forum. Your problem is not going to be getting sprouts, but trying to figure out what to do with all your new seedlings! There is a lot of trial and error to gardening, but growing your own plants from seed will give you much more to work with.

Oh and it definitely does help those long winters pass by!

It is also helpful to scan through previous posts. There are some threads with lots of tips.
Related Professionals
Windham Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Severn Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Wixom Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Peabody Landscape Contractors · Wakefield Landscape Contractors · Battle Ground Landscape Contractors · Cudahy Landscape Contractors · Fort Myers Landscape Contractors · Mesa Landscape Contractors · New Cassel Landscape Contractors · Round Lake Landscape Contractors · Sammamish Landscape Contractors · Setauket-East Setauket Landscape Contractors · Tavares Landscape Contractors · Silver Firs Landscape Contractors
docmom_gw
12 years ago
Ditto what's been said. If you want to know how to make outdoor plants happy, check out the composting forum. Any soil can benefit from the addition of organic material. Don't let the overly scientific types scare you off. Just throw some leaves and kitchen waste in a pile somewhere (or directly on the garden) and let the microorganisms and worms do the work. Many of the folks here are also amazingly knowledgeable and will answer all of your questions.

Martha
kqcrna
12 years ago
Welcome, Jana. Wintersowing works well without the expensive lights, heat mats, and mess in the house. And no damp-off. Just be aware that spring sprouts might show up a little later in colder zones so don't be discouraged when our show-offs in the south start bragging about their sprouts in February! Sprouts just show up later in cold weather areas, but they'll come.

Karen
gardenweed_z6a
12 years ago
Welcome Jana! You're about to have so much fun in winter it ought to be illegal. The biggest challenge will be figuring out where to plant all your sprouts. Do yourself a favor and sketch the layout of your property/garden on paper, including trees & structures, and figure out where you've got full sun/part sun/dappled shade/deep shade, etc. It'll save you a lot of time, effort & head scratching when planting HOS* season rolls around. If I ever get cable Internet back (I'm in north-central CT; no power since 10/29), I'll post some before/after shots on this thread to whet your whistle.

*Hunk O Seedlings
tomva
12 years ago
Welcome aboard Jana,your gonna love it.Especially this summer when you have so many sprouts you have to plunk and run..
sassybutterfly_2008
12 years ago
Welcome Jana!! You are so gonna love Winter Sowing!!! Ditto on what everyone else has said to you... FANTASTIC and knowledgeable bunch here!! Always willing and helpful with any questions you may have!

AND since you're jumping in with both feet..lol.. come on over and join in this year's Winter Sowing Swap if you'd like. I'm hosting this year and I'd love to have you! Here's the link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Swap 2011
daisydawnny
12 years ago
Jana welcome....all I can say is WOW!!!!! You will be an addict in no time.....never in my life would I think I would embrace Winter.
TraceyOKC
12 years ago
Hi Jana, I love your enthusiasium!

This will be my first year too and I am so full of hope. The ladies involved with the Winter Swap and Newbie projects are really wonderful.

Keep us posted on how youre doing. Good luck!
gardenweed_z6a
12 years ago
Jana, here's a view of the scope of change winter sowing had on just one small area of my garden last year (my first to WS):

This is the narrow area behind my garage in May 2010:

{{gwi:390902}}

This is the narrow area behind my garage in August 2010:

{{gwi:262210}}

{{gwi:390906}}

The majority of the plants were WS. The walkway bricks were buried everywhere on the property--my parents used them for mulch and over time they sank. I dug up around 500 of them. The fence was originally in front of the house up near the road, decorative only. The hill behind the garage is short, steep and treacherous; the fence is happier here.
janaInCo
Original Author
12 years ago
All I can say is WOW!....what warm welcomes! Gardenweed...LOVE the pics!!
I've been collecting containers - and yes - checking to see if things are deep enough. Am telling husband and son where the containers are going to go. This is VERY much in my head! (AND am sharing it with one of our best growers in town!!)