Seedy Saturday - Winter Sowing Has Started!

First though I have to talk about how the temperatures have dropped. I walked out of the house a week ago to find this...

Yep, there is a sheet of ice on my water feature. Somewhere in there are my fish. Down at the bottom and hopefully, since it's fairly deep, cold but not fish-popsicles. 

Since it is on the edge of the patio, it does get sun during the day, so it will melt (but I did play with the ice and break it up). 

Now onto Winter Sowing!

'Created' by Trudi Davidoff, this method has several things going for it.

First, you are using nature to move your seeds along. Plus you are recycling items which normally you would probably send to the recycling bin. Third, it fits my 'benign' gardening style - basically, do it and leave it alone. Fourth, it's not taking up space (which I don't have) inside requiring lights and heat mats and moving seedlings back and forth.

Most importantly, I get to garden during a time of the year I am usually sitting there impatiently awaiting the right time to start seeds indoors. And usually starting them too early, thus causing it's own issues. 

And fifth - my Montana buddies did it last year! And being their friend (and competitive) I had to give it a try this year.

So I gathered up the few milk cartons I had and punching holes in some 'Tupperware' and looked around for something else I could reuse. I will be seeing about getting some other containers to plant in over the coming weeks as I still have a lot of seeds to plant.

I also want to try starting sugar snap peas and green beans and transplanting. Charles Dowding (No Dig Gardening) and Monty Don (Gardener's World) both do it, something I have never done. 

I probably sowed too thickly in this container, but it is lettuce and spinach, and I will prick out until I transplant. I have TONS of lettuce seed, so I can afford to lose some. In fact, I will have seeds for the next 2-3 years at least.

Also sown were some flowers. Winter sowing is supposed to be particularly good for those seeds which need overnight soaking and/or stratification (moonflowers, morning glories). 

A week ago I planted the following:

• Tom Thumb Pea 
• Bloomsdale Spinach
• Seed Savers Lettuce Mixture
• Night-Scented Stock
• Night-Scented Tobacco Nicotiana
• Grandiflora Mixture Sweet Pea
• Moonflower
• Cup and Saucer Vine 
• China Family Heirloom Poppy

My containers sit on the edge of the patio. This way they get the sun and some of the rain.

There is another shipment of seeds coming from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds which include some more poppies. I also have some seeds from Miss Oklahoma which I need to go through and plant out, especially the comfrey. 

Now, the two green and one blue pot are not part of the 'winter sowing project'. They are the 'I was standing in line at Lowe's and say the 50% off sign on bulbs' project. And my inner Monty Don kicked in and I had to snatch some up.

There is a pot with purple alliums and paper whites layered in - alliums on the bottom, paper whites on top. I am actually expecting to see the paper whites peek through soon as they were already sprouting. 

The other two pots are tulips - double bloom ones. The blue pot in particular I am interested in as there are a couple of pink Angelique tulips I hope do well. 

How well my pots do this spring, only time will tell.

In the meantime, I am gathering more containers.