(1.) Some of the containers sat for a couple of days with the lids on them before everybody commented to get the lids off ASAP. So, maybe they suffocated?
(2.) I planted the containers for some things too early before I knew any better. For example, the strawflower that I planted in Jan should have been planted much later, like March or April.
And by the way, Poppies get on my nerves! They are all half dead and if I can get one flower out of 3-4 milk jugs I'll be jumping for joy. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.I'm hoping to get the Cosmos and the Lupine in the ground later today but the rest need to grow a little more.
Want to see more about my winter sowing adventures? Here you go.
Poppies grew quickly from seed for me last year in the wildflower patch, I'm kind of surprised that you went with winter-sowing for them. That said, I haven't spotted any coming back in there so far this year and I know I scattered seed from bunches of spent blooms. So overall winter-sowing wouldn't go in the success column?
ReplyDeleteheather - stop bragging! no really, I tried an actual plant last year that also died. That's why I tried the seeds. And I would definately put winter sowing in the success column. I will still have tons of cosmos, lupine, calendula, zinnia, verbena, milk weed, and some other stuff. And the one I'm the most excited about is the bells of ireland. I've got a few little seedlings in the milk jug! I'd say you should really try it this winter if you havnt already. it's a great way to get cheap annuals, if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first shot at wintersowing. I planted 6 jugs and 4 shallow trays in bags. Four jugs did great: marigolds, two kinds of basil, and marjoram. Lavender and thyme did nothing at all. In the trays, only mustard greens did really well; pennyroyal and blackberry lilies did nothing. Overall, it was a success. I need to experiment more with herbs and annuals. I hope to at least double the number of jugs I try.
ReplyDeleteGina, I love Bells of Ireland - I will put them on my list for next year!
Good luck with the poppies, I've never had success with them.
ReplyDeleteI got the little greenhouse from Walmart instead -- it was only $30 and it has definitely helped me get a jump on spring. I could have started a few weeks earlier, but didn't get around to pulling it out of the shed and assembling it as early as I should have. I also saw it helped my store-bought tomato and pepper seedlings through a couple of cold spells here.
ReplyDeleteMy wintersowing was a failure because we really don't have long enough winters. I pretty much cooked my seedlings. At least you have a 75% success rate.
ReplyDeleteI would just throw the poppy seeds at the ground and they grow in they may not like any special attention.