it's time to start planting!

The first event on my planting calendar is winter sowing. Many flowers need a cold period and winter sowing in plastic milk bottles is an easy way to start these seeds.

I used Skippy's Flower and Herb Calendar App to make my sowing calendar. I have a large new bed at the front of my vegetable garden that I want to fill with flowers for my bees (and me) this year. So, I'm looking forward to starting lots of flower and herb seeds.

Today I planted seeds in four bottles: Anise hyssop, wild NE asters, a bee mix, and a butterfly mix.





I collected my plastic milk bottles from Starbucks. I was a bit disappointed because I asked at the counter if they had empty milk bottle they could give me and I was told "no". But I since I saw them using lots of them, I went around back to their dumpster. Lot's of empty gallon bottles there. (I wonder why they weren't recycling them?) I pulled out four, a bit smushed and scattered with coffee grounds. There was even a nice paper bag to transport them. (Other places I've found plastic bottles are my Town recycling center, and curbside bins on recycling day).

Directions for winter sowing in plastic milk bottles are in the app. Also on my previous winter sowing posts.

winter sowing seedlings

winter sowing

I collected eight plastic bottle at our Town recycling center. I cut them open then added potting soil and planted flower seeds. After taping the bottles, I dug out a spot for them in a south facing area of my yard and then buried the bottles. This method is good for all sorts of cold hardy seeds, especially flower seeds that often need a chilling period. The bottle makes a nice little greenhouse and the hole at the top is perfect for letting in just the right amount of moisture.

I've tried this a couple times before. Sprouting has always been really good the hardest part is getting the seedlings out of the bottles before they are fried or rot.

sprouts in milk bottles

My winter sowing bottles suffered from the heavy rains. They ended up half full of water after the big storm and I forgot to check on them until a week later. I poked holes and drained them finally (I have to remember to do this before setting them out next year!). So far two bottles have lots of little sprouts. Since I have my new cold frame, I might as well open them up and put them in the frame.

I started up 4 more milk bottles with perennial flowers: Rudbeckia Trilobia, Rudbeckia Goldsturm, Prairie Aster, and Lavender Dwarf Hidcote.

winter sowing

I found 3 plastic milk jugs and planted then today. Two seeds I collected: Purple cone flower (Echinacea) and Feverfew (from Victoria's garden). Also a package of lavender seeds. I used wooden labels inside the jugs. (Last time I did this, I wrote on jugs and ink washed off.) I tucked then the jugs in with some old hay out in the yard - and put my gnome in charge of them.

winter sowing results

I've opened up my winter sowing bottles.

From the far left (the ones that grew best are bold-type):
Rudbeckia Indian Summer, Tansy, Delphinium Fantasia Mix
Purple Coneflower, Hollyhock Zebrina, Onions White Portugal
Wild Heliopsis, Dukat Dill, Delphinium Magic Fountains Mix
Onions Sweet Yellow Spanish, Shasta Daisy Alaska, Rudbeckia Green Eyes

Most of these did well. Only two pots have no sprouts: the wild heliopsis seeds that I collected and the Delphinium Fantasia mix.

winterplanting

grow plants, grow!

Notice the condensation inside these bottles. Its nice and warm in there!

Today I have exciting plans! I'd like to find another 4 or 5 plastic bottles and start seeds for broccoli, a couple types of lettuce, endive and arugula. Well, maybe not so exciting, but its almost like gardening.

winterplanting

one week update

This is the one week update for my winter sown bottles. No sprouts yet. No, I didn't expect there would be any yet. Just thought I'd check. I was impressed with all the condensation droplets inside the bottles. Since the temperature is in the teens now (11 F last night!), it seems to be staying MUCH warmer inside the bottles. Grow seeds, grow!!

winterplanting

winter planting

Finally - I got to this project I've been looking forward to. A dozen milk bottles, a dozen packets of seeds, and a bag of dirt. It felt good to get my hands dirty again. Even if it was in the kitchen sink.

I found this method of planting at wintersown.org, My Skinny Garden, and A Gardening Year and am giving it a try for the first time this year. I have read that it works great for perennial flowers like black-eyed susans, coneflowers and hollyhocks.

I wondered if it will work for any vegetables. I tried dill and onions. I hope to find another bottle or two and try some lettuce later.

I can't wait to see what comes up. I'd love to have a garden full of flowers this year. They get pretty expensive to buy.

Here's the list of seeds I planted:

Delphinium Magic Fountains mix
Delphinium Fantasia mix
Hollyhock Zebrina
Rudbeckia Irish Eyes
Rudbeckia Indian Summer
Shasta Daisy Alaska
Purple Coneflower
Wild Heliopsis (I collected)
Wild Tansy (I collected)

Dukat Dill (I collected)
Onions, White Portugal
Onions, Sweet Yellow Spanish

winterplanting
S&P

collecting plastic bottles

I'm going to try winter planting this year in plastic milk bottles. (Several bloggers have posted about doing this recently: wintersown.org, My Skinny Garden, Old Roses.) So, since it was recycling day in my town yesterday, I drove around and collected a dozen empty one gallon milk bottles. I have ordered a few types of seeds that I hope will do well with this simple method of planting:
Purple coneflower (Echinacea)
Zebrina hollyhock
Rudbeckia

I'm wondering if any vegetables/herbs would do well:
onions (from seed)
dill
lettuce
beets

S&P
winterplanting