|
| 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 |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| 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 |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Tue, Nov 8, 11 at 13:38
| 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 |
|
| Welcome aboard Jana,your gonna love it.Especially this summer when you have so many sprouts you have to plunk and run.. |
|
- Posted by sassybutterfly_2008 7 NorthWest GA (My Page) on Tue, Nov 8, 11 at 18:01
| 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
|
- Posted by daisydawnny 5 (My Page) on Tue, Nov 8, 11 at 20:34
| 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. |
|
| 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!
|
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Fri, Nov 11, 11 at 4:27
| 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:
This is the narrow area behind my garage in August 2010:
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. |
|
| 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!!) |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Winter Sowing Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.