My mistake last year was that I left containers by a southern house wall, so a combination of sun and heated bricks killed it all. Not everything died though some japanese greens from last winter still growing strong now.
I have to say it's an incredibly fun way to grow. Peeking in jugs while I'm having a coffee break has become my daily ritual.
It is fun, isn't it? I like doing my daily survey to see if any new signs of life have emerged. Nothing ready for planting out yet here, but that suits me right now.
I successfully winter sowed pumpkins and tomatoes last year. Haven't decided yet whether I'm doing pumpkins this year, but I'll be winter sowing my tomatoes in the next few weeks. I grow one variety where the seeds are expensive and just 10 to a packet, so I will also start some of those indoors as back-up. I wish I'd taken comparison photos last year, as it was quite striking to see how much sturdier the winter sown plants were. My other tomatoes that I have more plentiful seed for will be solely winter sown this year.
I'll be transplanting some of my containers this week as the weather calms down at last. I must say the plants are not big compared to the ones I'm raising indoors at the moment but very sturdy with well-developed roots
That's great that you've had more success this year. I'm really starting to see things taking off now, but still nothing quite ready for planting out. Yes, Winter Sowing doesn't get you there quicker, but it seems to produce sturdier, hardier plants.
I've got peas already germinated in the loo roll root trainers, onion sets looking good, broad beans (sutton), lettuce, leek, foxglove, pot marigold, rocket, raddish, chillis, dahlia, coreopsis and snapdragons. Trying to hold off on half hardy plants at the moment like cosmos and tomatoes as I might be going away for Easter.
I got my first winter sown plants in the ground today. A few things have been ready a couple of weeks, but it's just finding the time that's the issue. Nasturtiums went in today, but linaria, dahlias, ammi, daucus and my annual lupins are also ready to go. (And probably a couple of others I've forgotten.)
I've been holding back on the lupins as I've really been battling molluscs in my containers this year - the bloody things are everywhere! I often find them tucked up in the containers of a morning, having helped themselves to free bed and breakfast. I think I might try lining the containers with a mesh fabric next year. I think I'm going to put some of the lupins in the ground and see how they go, but hold some back. Though it's no great loss if I lose them this year - I have plenty of other things that can take their place. I'm definitely going to let the dahlias grow bigger before planting them, and I'm holding back my perennial lupins too. I also have a wall behind my border I want to paint, so I'd rather get that done and have fewer plants I need to make an effort not to squash whilst I'm doing so.
I’ve transplanted most of the jugs now. Delighted with results! Only a few of them couldn’t make it, zinnias sprouted but died in February when we got hit with -6C, and the same happened to cosmos (I had a good backup indoors).
That's terrific. So glad this year has been so much better for you. It's all a learning curve. My cosmos mostly got munched, but more are growing now, so hopefully they'll make it. I think I'll leave them till April to sow next year. I sowed them beginning of March and there was just no need. It meant they were smaller for longer and so more opportunity for them to succumb to the molluscs.
The only things I've grown inside this year are back up tomatoes (due to few seeds) and my sunflowers (due to slugs and snails). I have enough redundancy built in with my winter sowing that if something doesn't make it, there are other plants that can take their place.
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I have to say it's an incredibly fun way to grow. Peeking in jugs while I'm having a coffee break has become my daily ritual.
I've been holding back on the lupins as I've really been battling molluscs in my containers this year - the bloody things are everywhere! I often find them tucked up in the containers of a morning, having helped themselves to free bed and breakfast.
The only things I've grown inside this year are back up tomatoes (due to few seeds) and my sunflowers (due to slugs and snails). I have enough redundancy built in with my winter sowing that if something doesn't make it, there are other plants that can take their place.
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.