I know that this probably will hurt so much, since you have been babying these plants in the hope of seeing them produce fruit. But when you transplant your babies, pinch the flowers out (I know it sounds crazy) but when you transplant that baby into its final home you want the plant to focus on strengthening its root system before it start giving energy to fruit production. I learn the hard way. I promise once the root it’s solid you will get lots of blooms. Good luck from some day “Clara’s Crazy adventures” (girl can dream lol)
That's exactly right.....I bury the stem and pinch off the low leaves and suckers as they are starting...within few weeks they are tripled in size and nice strong stalks....I put coffee cans around the plant to prevent with cut worms and also helps when watering...fill it up and the water goes right to the roots...same with cukes and peppers....you can also use solo cups cut the bottom off put it over the plant into the dirt about 1"...same with can...
Hi Esther, I just found your videos and love them! I read in one of comments a question about repelling critters...I live in VA (for what it"s worth) and I plant a lot of things - seeds, bulbs, plants - in pots, and crushed red pepper (like you put on pizza) really does the trick.
Hi Esther, thanks for sharing all your experiences and keeping it real. Couple of questions... When you pot up your extras do you add a bit of organic fertilizer? Also: Have you had any critters nibbling on your newly opened jugs (I have lots of squirrels and chipmunks here in Maine...) Do you think tulle would keep them away? Thanks from a fan!
I have had the occasional nibble but since they're on a raised deck the critters have mostly left them alone. Tulle might help but it won't stop squirrels I've learned. When I pot up my seedlings I mix in some fresh potting soil. I plan to post a video on potting up extras soon.
Hi Esther! Saw a comment about your site on Susan's gardens....Do u plant brussels? I did for the first time last yr.. they did great. .but I had to keep them covered till late fall....butterflys( catapillars) just wouldn't leave them alone.....i had to water Alot cuzbit was so hot and dry here(SE Ohio zone 6)...anyway. Wish i had all your space...id be obsessed like u! Ha!! Or 'Posessed' haha!!!! Best wishes for 2024!!!! I'd love to try the winter gardening if i can rustle up some water jugs!! I just ordered some seeds from Baker Creek....
Awesome!!! So fun! Good on you! :) Can't wait to see all the fruits of your labor!!! Pun intended. :) All the best! Peace and Good Fortune and Good Health to you are yours!!
I see lots of green behind you!!! Shhh don't mention those squash bugs! dang slugggsss!!! You can always prune those blooms off the tomatoes if you are not ready for fruit yet. It will focus on growing versus growing fruit. I didn't get to winter sow this year but next year I am doing it!
I am enjoying all the videos that you have provided and I am in Central Texas Region 8 and getting ready for the garden and wanted to check to see if we can start seeds in red solo cups and keeping them inside a large Rubbermaid container that is clear ?
I actually am going to be testing something like that out this year. I've heard of gardeners doing that method with some success. What I've heard (but again I haven't tried it myself) is you need to line the bottom of the container with a couple inches of soil, which will help keep up moisture levels in the solo cups/container. Best of luck!
I'm in zone 7A. In my zone you can start your tomatoes via winter sowing from Feb through mid April (you don't time starts in the same way you do for starting indoors) I tend to transplant my tomatoes in mid to late May.
Hi What month was this video made,when did you seed and what climate are you in? Thank you I seeded a bunch of everything and am about to seed tomoatoes and peppers ( ive done the ones that take 100 days to produce) and will do the 65 day ones. Would you say its too early in zone 7 b? Ty
Last year I did my first winter sowing and it wasn't super successful. Especially my chamomile. :( Debating trying again. Also, was so good about keeping my tomatoes labeled ...until I put them in the ground. Then it was totally a guessing game🤣
You should definitely try again. Check the age of your chamomile seeds. I had 2 failed attempts but was able to succeed when I got a fresh packet of seeds
Esther, I've prepared jugs that are 12" tall and 5" wide for my tomatoes. I'm afraid I will not be able to get the plants out of the jugs when they are ready to plant in the garden. Would you tell me how I'm going to do this. The regular jugs don't have this problem.
So Esther, since tomatoes and eggplants are tender (eggplants really so) does it matter when you winter sew them? I started all of my varieties of tomatoes and eggplant under grow lights. I have Patio Choice yellow getting ready to turn 👏🏻👏🏻. I’d like to try and winter sew some tomatoes next go around. Input please? 😊
It technically doesn't matter because they won't sprout until the nighttime temps are warm enough. So the plants take longer to take off in the jugs than when you grow indoors but they more than catch up once transplanted. The temps inside the jugs are warmer than outside too. But you do need to cover the containers with blankets on freezing nights once plants sprout. I didn't loose any tomato or eggplant seedlings to freeze or cold this year. Because tomatoes grow so fast, I tend to wait until April to sow the seeds but you can technically sow them anytime in the winter once you are in the "dead" of winter. The seeds stay in stasis until temps warm up. Check out my winter sowing 101 series to learn more.
I learned about winter sowing from you. Since this was my first time trying it, I only planted cool weather vegetables. Did you WS your peppers and tomatoes too? If so, did you plant them the same time as your cool weather vegetables? Or did you plant the peppers and tomatoes in early spring?
I winter sowed most of the peppers in late February and March and tomatoes in late March through mid-April. I transplanted the cool weather veggies in mid to late March. I'm transplanting the summer veggies this weekend.
hi, hard to find gardeners truly winter sowing like u! Q- im in zone 7a; last frost date April 15th. Can I winter sow the following, bok choy, spinach carrots, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and kale? thx soooooo much in advance for ur help!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. In fact I'm winter sowing all but carrots on your list this weekend. Video coming on that soon. People have had success winter sowing carrots but I haven't tried winter sowing them.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures thank u soooo much! Last question, I've heard there's a special marker don't fade. What's it called? Thanks so much for all of your help!
I've winter sown large lima beans and green beans successfully in the past. Here's a video I did last year in which I harvest Christmas lima beans from plants I grew via winter sowing. czcams.com/video/wC4QlS_8Ofo/video.html
Keep an eye on them and watch for whether any seeds sprout. Any sprouted jugs will need to be covered with a heavy blanket on nights where temperatures reach freezing (I tend to cover sprouted jugs if temps are going to get within a few degrees of freezing). Make sure to uncover them during they day so they can get sun and be warmed by it as well. Best of luck.
I ...and I know I did not plant till April 5 but they don’t grow before that anyway....mine are all spindly...and small or did not sprout at all ...where are you from again ...I thought you were in canda but now I think I am mistaken you for someone else ...
I'm in Maryland Zone 7A. I tend to see cool weather stuff germinate in early March and warm weather varieties sprout in late March and early April. Usually peppers and eggplants are the last to emerge.
My hot peppers from last year, I have no luck trying to get the seeds to germinate, I have a couple seeds left over I will be trying again outdoor, you are not so keen about the cabbage, why ? I also think that you did a good job with everything especially the tomatoes
That stinks about the pepper seeds not sprouting. I had trouble with year old seeds too. Maybe they don't last as long....over the years. The cabbage plants you saw are the ones I couldn't fit into my garden. I had planted up 4 and didn't have room for more and now the remaining seedlings haven't had enough soil or nutrients for me to feel comfortable giving them away without worrying about how they'd do.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures That makes sense with the Cabbage, after a while of Gardening you just have to trust your instincts ,this is my first year planting Garlic and Cabbage, my Garlic is doing fine ,but the Cabbage just have to wait and see how it grows
I know that this probably will hurt so much, since you have been babying these plants in the hope of seeing them produce fruit. But when you transplant your babies, pinch the flowers out (I know it sounds crazy) but when you transplant that baby into its final home you want the plant to focus on strengthening its root system before it start giving energy to fruit production. I learn the hard way. I promise once the root it’s solid you will get lots of blooms. Good luck from some day “Clara’s Crazy adventures” (girl can dream lol)
Yes. Great advice!
That's exactly right.....I bury the stem and pinch off the low leaves and suckers as they are starting...within few weeks they are tripled in size and nice strong stalks....I put coffee cans around the plant to prevent with cut worms and also helps when watering...fill it up and the water goes right to the roots...same with cukes and peppers....you can also use solo cups cut the bottom off put it over the plant into the dirt about 1"...same with can...
Esther, these winter sowing videos are very helpful, I’m going to be binge watching these 😊
Sorry for the delayed response. Thank you for watching!
Hi I just found you and I love your videos! I'm winter sowing most of my native perennials, can't wait for may!
Fantastic! Welcome to my channel. I'm sure you'll have an amazing year!
Hi Esther, I just found your videos and love them! I read in one of comments a question about repelling critters...I live in VA (for what it"s worth) and I plant a lot of things - seeds, bulbs, plants - in pots, and crushed red pepper (like you put on pizza) really does the trick.
Oh. Nice. Thanks for the tip!
I keep watching this this to reassure me on my first time winter sowing everything. 😂 Thank you for sharing!
You rock, Esther😊 thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.
Thank you!
This why I winter sow too! It's so easy and I think the plants are much healthier and tougher for being out in the elements.
Yay! Yes, I agree!
I started planting out a few of my winter sown plants and it was so exciting, absolutely a game changer!
💯💚
Nice selection of plants to give away!
Thank you!
greetings from Chicago
I will be trying this technique for the first time!
fingers crossed
Excellent. Best of luck!
Awesome! I’ve never done it myself, but clearly it’s a great option! ❤️🌷
You should try it this coming winter. Maybe even just try starting with a few jugs.
Definitely give it a try. I tried it this past winter after discovering this channel. My lettuce and kale are still doing great!
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures Gotta find my jug supplier now! 😂😂❤️
Lol. Just start saving every big juice bottle, milk jug and giant pretzel jar you use.
Have fun at the swap tomorrow! Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Thank you!
Your seedling are looking wonderful. Rudgers are the heartiest tomato of my bunch.I planted all my tomatoes and squash plants tonight.
Nice! Its my first year growing Rutgers. I'm very much looking forward to them.
Hi Esther, thanks for sharing all your experiences and keeping it real. Couple of questions... When you pot up your extras do you add a bit of organic fertilizer?
Also: Have you had any critters nibbling on your newly opened jugs (I have lots of squirrels and chipmunks here in Maine...)
Do you think tulle would keep them away? Thanks from a fan!
I have had the occasional nibble but since they're on a raised deck the critters have mostly left them alone. Tulle might help but it won't stop squirrels I've learned. When I pot up my seedlings I mix in some fresh potting soil. I plan to post a video on potting up extras soon.
Hi Esther! Saw a comment about your site on Susan's gardens....Do u plant brussels? I did for the first time last yr.. they did great. .but I had to keep them covered till late fall....butterflys( catapillars) just wouldn't leave them alone.....i had to water Alot cuzbit was so hot and dry here(SE Ohio zone 6)...anyway. Wish i had all your space...id be obsessed like u! Ha!! Or 'Posessed' haha!!!! Best wishes for 2024!!!! I'd love to try the winter gardening if i can rustle up some water jugs!! I just ordered some seeds from Baker Creek....
Thanks. I did try Brussel sprouts once. But they didn't do well in the winter and so I pulled them. I may try again this fall.
Yay!!!
Everything looks fantastic!
Thank you!
Awesome!!! So fun! Good on you! :) Can't wait to see all the fruits of your labor!!! Pun intended. :) All the best! Peace and Good Fortune and Good Health to you are yours!!
Thank you!
I love your videos!
Thank you Judie!
Awesome!
Thank you!
Beautiful Esther!
Thank you!
Opened all my jugs. Harding them off ready to plant tomorrow.
Belated comment here..nice!
AMAZING, new subscriber first comment and like… keep them coming🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Wohoo! Welcome to the channel! And thank you!
Beautiful! Maybe I can meet to plant some this weekend.
Thats awesome! 👏
Thank you!
Great video!
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you
You're welcome
You make it look simple!
Thank you!
Awesome... I like your garden.. Hi from Malaysia...
Thank you. High Rosnah!
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
Wow you are a power winter sower for sure! Have you started your winter sowing for this year (2023) yet?
Thank you. I've started some native flower seeds that need cold stratification.
How does winter sowing work? Do you do it before your frost date? I'm so intrigued. And would LOVE to learn that process.
I recommend you check out my winter sowing 101 series -- here's the link to the playlist czcams.com/play/PLguaVQqEAnIUkHd85gtfgoj4CX9JAILY0.html
I see lots of green behind you!!! Shhh don't mention those squash bugs! dang slugggsss!!! You can always prune those blooms off the tomatoes if you are not ready for fruit yet. It will focus on growing versus growing fruit. I didn't get to winter sow this year but next year I am doing it!
Good tip on the tomato blossoms! Yay for trying winter sowing next year!
I am enjoying all the videos that you have provided and I am in Central Texas Region 8 and getting ready for the garden and wanted to check to see if we can start seeds in red solo cups and keeping them inside a large Rubbermaid container that is clear ?
I actually am going to be testing something like that out this year. I've heard of gardeners doing that method with some success. What I've heard (but again I haven't tried it myself) is you need to line the bottom of the container with a couple inches of soil, which will help keep up moisture levels in the solo cups/container. Best of luck!
Great video! I’m in zone 7A, can I winter sow tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes and peppers early March
Yes absolutely!
Wow !!! You go Esther !!! 😅😅😅
Thank you!
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures Finally put out my Sunflowers surrounded by plastic forks 😂 wish me luck 😉
Fingers crossed for you! The fight has been real for my sunflowers.
what zone are you in? when did you start you tomatoes and peppers in your jugs? In what month do you open them and pot them up?
I'm in zone 7A. In my zone you can start your tomatoes via winter sowing from Feb through mid April (you don't time starts in the same way you do for starting indoors) I tend to transplant my tomatoes in mid to late May.
Hi
What month was this video made,when did you seed and what climate are you in? Thank you
I seeded a bunch of everything and am about to seed tomoatoes and peppers ( ive done the ones that take 100 days to produce) and will do the 65 day ones. Would you say its too early in zone 7 b? Ty
Wow!! I grew kohlrabi that way but everything else I killed because I was impatient lol.
Well there's always next year.
🙌🙌🙌
Thank you!
Great video! Where did you get your shade covering from?
If it was the bridal tulle I got it from Amazon. If it was the grey stuff I got that from a buy nothing group and it's screen door material.
I am going to a seed swap tomorrow too. In Indiana
Nice! I hope you have some great gets!
Last year I did my first winter sowing and it wasn't super successful. Especially my chamomile. :( Debating trying again. Also, was so good about keeping my tomatoes labeled ...until I put them in the ground. Then it was totally a guessing game🤣
You should definitely try again. Check the age of your chamomile seeds. I had 2 failed attempts but was able to succeed when I got a fresh packet of seeds
have you tried watermelon and cantaloup
Successful Sowing Season! 🏆
Yes! So happy!
When did you start the tomato seeds in the jugs?
I started them over a period of mid-Feb to early April. Put a few jugs out a week
Esther, I've prepared jugs that are 12" tall and 5" wide for my tomatoes. I'm afraid I will not be able to get the plants out of the jugs when they are ready to plant in the garden. Would you tell me how I'm going to do this. The regular jugs don't have this problem.
See my answer to your question in the other post. Best of luck!
So Esther, since tomatoes and eggplants are tender (eggplants really so) does it matter when you winter sew them? I started all of my varieties of tomatoes and eggplant under grow lights. I have Patio Choice yellow getting ready to turn 👏🏻👏🏻. I’d like to try and winter sew some tomatoes next go around. Input please? 😊
It technically doesn't matter because they won't sprout until the nighttime temps are warm enough. So the plants take longer to take off in the jugs than when you grow indoors but they more than catch up once transplanted. The temps inside the jugs are warmer than outside too. But you do need to cover the containers with blankets on freezing nights once plants sprout. I didn't loose any tomato or eggplant seedlings to freeze or cold this year. Because tomatoes grow so fast, I tend to wait until April to sow the seeds but you can technically sow them anytime in the winter once you are in the "dead" of winter. The seeds stay in stasis until temps warm up. Check out my winter sowing 101 series to learn more.
Thank you!
I learned about winter sowing from you. Since this was my first time trying it, I only planted cool weather vegetables. Did you WS your peppers and tomatoes too? If so, did you plant them the same time as your cool weather vegetables? Or did you plant the peppers and tomatoes in early spring?
I winter sowed most of the peppers in late February and March and tomatoes in late March through mid-April. I transplanted the cool weather veggies in mid to late March. I'm transplanting the summer veggies this weekend.
I winter planted too but my plants are tiny when compared to yours maybe too little potting soil?
What zone and state are you in?
hi, hard to find gardeners truly winter sowing like u! Q- im in zone 7a; last frost date April 15th. Can I winter sow the following, bok choy, spinach carrots, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and kale? thx soooooo much in advance for ur help!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. In fact I'm winter sowing all but carrots on your list this weekend. Video coming on that soon. People have had success winter sowing carrots but I haven't tried winter sowing them.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures thank u soooo much! Last question, I've heard there's a special marker don't fade. What's it called? Thanks so much for all of your help!
Oil based paint pens. I found black ink of those fades the slowest. Fyi.....all pens/ink will fade some due to the sun's bleaching power.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures thank you Esther, ur the best! Happy gardening!
Thanks Esther. When can I WS cucumber, zucchini, okra and long beans. My frost date is around May 20. Should I WS or wait till April
You can winter sow them at any point from now (and earlier in your winter sowing season) into mid April
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures I read that the beans will rot before germinate. Thanks
I've winter sown large lima beans and green beans successfully in the past. Here's a video I did last year in which I harvest Christmas lima beans from plants I grew via winter sowing. czcams.com/video/wC4QlS_8Ofo/video.html
Mmmm fresh limas!!!!
? What do I do with jugs when Feb. temps are going in 50s? Will they sprout, then temps go down in 29s. Will it ruin them? I'm in zone 5. Thnx
Keep an eye on them and watch for whether any seeds sprout. Any sprouted jugs will need to be covered with a heavy blanket on nights where temperatures reach freezing (I tend to cover sprouted jugs if temps are going to get within a few degrees of freezing). Make sure to uncover them during they day so they can get sun and be warmed by it as well. Best of luck.
I ...and I know I did not plant till April 5 but they don’t grow before that anyway....mine are all spindly...and small or did not sprout at all ...where are you from again ...I thought you were in canda but now I think I am mistaken you for someone else ...
I'm in Maryland zona 7a
How did they go from jugs to cups
I potted them up near transplanting time.
When do you first see germination?
I'm in Maryland Zone 7A. I tend to see cool weather stuff germinate in early March and warm weather varieties sprout in late March and early April. Usually peppers and eggplants are the last to emerge.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures thank you.
So slugs can be a problem in jugs?
For some people yes. I had them crawl in and eat the leaves they could reach from the sides of the jug
Maybe try putting stones around the jugs...they don't like anything jaggy....I always put rocks ect around my hosta and it helps alot.
Did u have any below freezing temps?
Oh yes many nights. Look over my video list for ones where I talk about how I protected them....I'll see if I can track down a couple links.
Here's one. czcams.com/video/uQbZZwjLxjI/video.html
And another czcams.com/video/LexCJX-knPE/video.html
Hi Esther do you WS corn 🌽
You could. I haven't personally though
My hot peppers from last year, I have no luck trying to get the seeds to germinate, I have a couple seeds left over I will be trying again outdoor, you are not so keen about the cabbage, why ? I also think that you did a good job with everything especially the tomatoes
That stinks about the pepper seeds not sprouting. I had trouble with year old seeds too. Maybe they don't last as long....over the years. The cabbage plants you saw are the ones I couldn't fit into my garden. I had planted up 4 and didn't have room for more and now the remaining seedlings haven't had enough soil or nutrients for me to feel comfortable giving them away without worrying about how they'd do.
@@EsthersGardeningAdventures That makes sense with the Cabbage, after a while of Gardening you just have to trust your instincts ,this is my first year planting Garlic and Cabbage, my Garlic is doing fine ,but the Cabbage just have to wait and see how it grows
Yeah. This is my 2nd year trying cabbage. I had decent success last year.
You think the potting soil makes that much difference
I'm not sure. I'm still testing out how much of a difference it makes.