Hi All!

Is it too early to start winter sowing in zone 5b? We had temps of -13F the other day, so I'm hesitant to put anything out. This is my first year trying winter sowing, since we just moved from Texas, where winter sowing meant just planting out in the warm sunshine any time of year!

Thanks!

Absolutely. Go for it.

You might just want to wait until closer to spring for tender plants. For hardy annuals and perennials, any time is fine.

Karen

How exciting! I can't wait to see how these turn out!

What seeds are you planning to sow now? Hardy ones in your zone?

Karen

I haven't completely decided what to start with right away. I only have five jugs, so that's my main hurdle right now!

This list has given me some good inspiration: https://www.agardenforthehouse...

I need to get out my seeds and compare them to what's here, decide on a few more to order, and figure out where to get more jugs.

What kinds of things do you winter sow?

I haven't WS'ed in several years. I did it for about 10 years- many, many jugs each year. Now my garden is full.

I still grow tomatoes from seed every year, sometimes with the WS method outside (in spring), and sometimes indoors under lights, depending on the weather.

Since we retired 4 years ago, we've been spending about a month in Florida in winter. That kind of made WSing more difficult.

Karen

We used to try to escape the Texas heat in the summers when we could as well, but it sure is nice down south at this time of year! Winter sowing seems like such a great way to keep the dream of spring alive even when it's frigid.

Heidi: This is my first year officially to W/S too. I tried onions last year that turned out great. This year the hardy ones are outside in this really cold weather in Ohio...and worse coming this week...actual temperature without wind chill -10 degrees. I hope that they come up. I planted the cold hardy vegetables: onions, lettuce, pak choi, turnips, kale, spinach, beets, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, chamomile (it likes freezes and thaws)

My husband has a fish tank and regularly changes out the water with gallons of distilled water so I have several that I went through. I had to cut 2 liter soda bottles now in preparation for the up coming tender plants. But, that being said, I am still going to plant seeds inside under grow lights and heat because I don't want to take a chance that they won't make it.

Frugal Gramma: How exciting that you tried out several different varieties this year! I still don't have mine set out, but I hope to in the next couple of days. At least my first few, and then I will need to find some more containers. I'll be interested to see how yours turn out!

Is it too late to begin winter sowing? It is Feb. 28th. I am planning to begin with tomatoes, lettuce, and kale plus some herbs. Thanks, Tracy

Hi, Tracy! Depending on your zone, I would wait on tomatoes or start them indoors, since they really like a lot of warmth to grow. But the cold hardy crops, like lettuce, kale, and many herbs, should be fine still!

I agree with Heidi. Start your tomatoes inside ASAP.