Let's Talk Seedlings: Greenhouse and Winter Sown Seedlings and Propagation

Impatien cuttings, Sweet Woodruff, Zinnia, basil, Great Blue Lobelia seedlings

From In the Garden

I've been busy in the garden and it only promises to get worse with all these seedlings. I mean what was I thinking?? As gardeners we can get a bit carried away with starting seeds. Oh how our gardens must be filled to overflowing with abundance such as never has been seen before. Seeds, seeds, seeds! Cuttings, cuttings, cuttings! And what do you do when you have all of these overflowing cell pack and pots? Well, post about it of course. I'll figure out the planting part later:)

Ever since I found out you could start impatiens from cuttings I've been a cutting fool with all of these new plants. I can't wait to plant them out. Impatiens are one plant I can always find a spot for. I'm not so sure about the zinnia, basil, sweet woodruff, and great blue lobelia you can also see in the above photo though. That will be another problem all together. 

I must say my seed starting endeavors have been successful. I think the secret is in the seed heat mat providing bottom heat. This heat seems to work magic on both cuttings and seeds. I recently saw a very neat  idea that I thought most thrifty. The idea came to me by way of one of my gardening magazines in which a reader substituted Christmas lights in a plastic Tupperware container for the seed heat mat. The lights gave off just enough heat to keep the seeds warm and provided a neat focal point as well. One of these days when this old standby heat mat gives out I might just try that trick.

Outdoor sowing area on the deck table.

From In the Garden

I tried winter sowing a few years ago and was not happy with the results. I surmised that perhaps I didn't use the right containers and maybe it was my fault all the seedlings did not survive past the container stage. This year I decided to use all milk cartons for my containers and the "Hunk of Seedlings" approach. The hunk of seedlings approach says to just plant a clump of seedlings without worrying about separating all of the seedlings. You can thin them later once they have settled in So far so good because most of my seeds have sprouted and are doing very well.

The winter sowing method basically says to sow seeds during the winter and when the time is right for the seed to germinate it will germinate. The method made sense to me but again, I have only just learned about this seed starting method about three years ago. I like winter sowing seeds in containers because I can have control of the seeds and seedlings. If seeds are sown in my garden in the fall or winter they tend to get lost. Some seeds need cold and warm temperatures to help with the germination so winter sowing provides this service-passively. Not only do the temperatures fluctuate quite a bit here in my area; which mimics the action of nature when seeds fall naturally from the plant in the fall, but moisture is usually always present so I don't have to water the seeds I have winter sown versus greenhouse seedlings. Some of the seeds I have sown in my milk jugs include: lychnis, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Mexican milkweed (Asclepias curassivica), sweet woodruff, hollyhocks, lilium regale, prunella, dames rocket (Thanks Darla!), and perhaps a few more I cannot recall at this time. So far these seeds have germinated: butterfly weed (tuberosa), sweet woodruff (also germinated in the greenhouse flats), hollyhocks, lychnis, dames rocket, and prunella. I am most excited about them all and expect the rest will pop up soon.

Sweet Woodruff winter sown seedlings.

From In the Garden

Now that I have all these seeds germinating what should I do with them? It seemed when I tried winter sowing before that the seedlings just kind of fizzled away in the containers so this time I have decided to be a bit more proactive with my new seedlings. Even though many of these seeds are used to germinating in cool weather and may do just fine, I wanted to baby them a bit. What I have done is separated these 'hunks of seedlings' into smaller sized hunks and transplanted them to a window box planter. I prefer window box planters because you can fit so many more plants in each elongated planter and there is a lot of soil available to each small plant. I do not like cell packs for propagating plants but do use them as well. The cell packs are okay if you buy the ones that have the large cell packs (no more than 32 cells per flat) and if you take very good care of them. Generally though I find the cell pack planting style to be a temporary way to start plants because the cells and trays wear out very quickly. The window box planters last a long time, usually have  a built in water tray, and are easy to handle and store. As of right now I have two window box planters full of three types of winter sown seedlings. I placed these pots in the greenhouse with the greenhouse sown seedlings and all are doing well. I am looking forward to everything getting a bit more girth so I can move all seedlings outside into a covered plastic germinating shelf I have stored on my porch. I have never used this little 'greenhouse' before but think it will be perfect for hardening off seedlings and cuttings this year.

One problem solved as to where I should put the winter sown seedlings, check. Greenhouse seedlings and cuttings doing great with bottom heat in the greenhouse, check. Now to find a spot for all of the cuttings and seedlings....

in the garden....

One note about the containers. When I cut my first milk carton I did not cut large enough drain holes. I think it vitally important these containers drain well so I had to go back and cut some large holes. I left the handle intact so I could close the top over the milk jug; which makes a small greenhouse that will protect the seeds from harsh weather like pelting rain. Pay close attention to drainage of your winter sown containers if you are getting  a lot of rain like we are here in Tennessee. 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden