A Winter tutorial that ANYONE can enjoy!

I thought I'd share something with all of you ladies that enjoy gardening as much as I do. I still consider myself a new gardener. I have been gardening since 2002, and I really didn't know what would come of it all, but I always loved flowers, and thought I'd give it a shot. When I want to learn about something I enjoy, I will read anything I can get a hold of, and take classes if it's an option.
There are many nurseries that offer free classes, or charge a nominal fee. Let's say, I have quite a number of gardening books, and I love to read them, and I find things at thrift shops or Half Price Books from time to time.
I took a class about four years ago now at the Horticultural Society on Winter Sowing. Some of you may already know how to do this, but for me, it was a whole new world! You can grow seeds in the winter, yes, and once I understood more, I was ecstatic! Especially being on a budget, it's a very economical way to get new perennials, annuals, and yes, even veggies and herbs can be done as well.
You start in February, and by Spring, you will have LOTS of babies to plant in your gardens!
All you need are these supplies.
~ Milk jugs, ice cream buckets with lids.
~ Potting Soil
~ Duct tape
~ A sharp knife
~ A Laundry marker
~ Popsicle sticks (optional)
~ Seeds of your choice
~ Water
Alright, are you still with me? If you use milk jugs, discard the lids, and if you use ice cream pails, keep the lids. Milk jugs need to be clean, take your knife or scissor and cut half way around the jug so that you'll be able to flip open the top. Cut slits in the bottom for drainage. If using ice cream pails, cut slits in the bottom.
Next, place your potting soil inside, filling it enough to where it's not quite where you made your cuts, if you use pails, no need to worry.
Then starting with your perennials first, you place your seeds in the soil. Once that's done, then add a bit more soil just to cover the seeds. I try to do this according to what perennial I am doing. Then you water it VERY well.
Now, take your stick and label it inside the bucket or jug with your laundry marker, or you can label it on the outside if you want to. If you are using the milk jugs, you are now ready for the duct tape. You just duct tape around the spot you made your cut to keep it closed. If you are using ice cream pails, you place the lid on it, and cut several slits in the top of the lid.
Now you are ready to stick them outside!
Yes, you stick them outside right in the snow, and you can do this on any side of your house, with the exception of the North side.
Love them and leave them, until it starts to warm up. Once it starts getting warmer, in the morning, you can take the lids off, and remove the duct tape somewhat to open up the lids so they get acclimated. This is very exciting because you can see all the babies waiting to be planted! At early evening, you can close them back up. Do this until it's consistently warmer and then you are ready to plant them!
Many of them will even bloom the first year, and you will have lots of fun watching them grow!
Now, I mentioned you start with perennials first. You can plant perennials from Feb-end of March, if you want to. Annuals, plant those from March-mid April. Veggies, from mid March- April, and herbs just the same.
If you love to garden, then you also know how expensive some of these perennials can be! I have so enjoyed this, because it allows me to have many flowers without breaking the bank!
Many places are already putting out seeds, so now is the time to pick them up. Also if you get seed catalogs, place your orders. I also will buy seeds at the end of the growing season, and then I'll have them for Winter Sowing.
For example, this year I'll be planting White and Purple Coneflower, English Daisy, Black Eyed Susans, Delphies, Hollyhocks, Columbines, and Peonies. Now what is great, is that many of these are in my garden already, and all I did was harvest them and save them in paper bags. Then I get all these FREE seeds!
Now for me the peonies are going to be a labor of crazy love, for lack of a better term! LOL! I LOVE peonies, they are one of my favorites in the Spring. I think I have somewheres' around twenty five or so. It's a sickness! LOL! Most of mine I either bought bare root, or got them for half price. Peonies are very expensive. I was looking at them one day, when I was working on the garden path we did this past year, and I noticed all these little black seeds. Most of the time, I already cut them back because it's fall, but I had this path to work on, so my cleanup didn't quite happen.
Anyhow, I started thinking, if I collect these, and I winter sow them, maybe I'll get some new peonies! See, I was already excited because I have two new baby peonies that shot off my others, and they don't typically do this often from what I have learned. I started doing a bit of research and found out that I was onto something! SO~ even if it's going to take me about 6 years, I'll get some new peonies! I LOVE that part of it, watching them change and such, I'm as patient as a clam when it comes to gardening.
So, grab your gloves, and imagine what you can plant  for your gardens! This is my one garden joy in Winter.
Hope I didn't lose you, but it's loads of fun, so I hope you'll give it a try. I have had 90% success with this! It's definatley worth the effort. Let me know if you decide to try this, and keep a journal, you may become addicted!
Thanks for visiting me here, and remember~ Bloom where your planted!