Today I started this year's winter sown seeds. We've been squirreling away clear bottles and hoarding toilet paper rolls for months and it feels so good to make a dent in the pile. Our guest room will be clear of containers and ready for guests soon!
I did a few things differently this year which are worthy of note.
First, I cut the containers "higher" to allow for more soil and greater root development. I don't know if that idea will make a difference, but soil amounts last year seemed inadequate.
Second, I mixed two different types of starter soil. Last year I noticed that a lot of the soil in my containers (come spring) was dry and hard... with no germination. Word to the wise, don't scrimp on good starting soil. Hopefully this mix will keep things from turning into adobe.
And lastly, I labeled my containers differently. I found this great tip from fellow Minnesotan blogger, Sweet Domesticity - Maria makes lovely aluminum tape labels for her seedlings. This way, I'll be sure that the condensation/rain won't wash away my markings... like it did last year <--- which was totally annoying!
Have you started any seeds yet? What's your method? Are you trying anything new, or do you stick to the tried and true?
** If you're new to the winter sowing method, check out this post for some great resources on the topic.
Did you have success with this last year?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, well... that depends on how we define success :) The ones that germinated were mostly toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes filled with soil and set outside in a tall "greenhouse" flat. I think the amount of soil (only about 2") in my milk jugs had a lot to do with the lack of germination last year. I would say it was successful enough that I haven't given up! I also started way too early last year. Now, I will winter sow the majority of my seeds in March and the ones that need more cold I'll complete this month.
DeleteWhat a cool idea...seed starting is way over my head
ReplyDelete