Seasonal Sunday: Time to plant those seeds outside!

Internet problems all weekend so again I am playing catch up. :(

Crazy blogger lady say what? Yup, time to plant seeds. OUTSIDE. I am not crazy. I don't think. And yes, it is time to plant your seeds outside in NE WI. Or Zone 5. Or whatever you want to call that there area outside you get your hands dirty in. That's my fave part of planting. Getting my hands all full of dirt. I've purchased many a pair of gardening gloves, but prefer the feel of the Earth on my hands and under my fingernails. Okay, maybe I am crazy....

Last year was my first attempt at Winter Sowing. Winter What?  Winter Sowing. Basically you plant your seeds in mini greenhouses made from (my other favorite part) reused containers. I like gallon milk jugs, but have used 2 L bottles and large yogurt containers. Set them out in the snow and wait for them to germinate. For real. Don't believe me? Read about my results and see actual pics here and here.

Last year I planted Organic Brandywine, Organic Bush Beans (Which turned out to be pole beans grr.), Organic Cucumbers, Organic Beefsteak and Organic Multi Colored Bell Peppers. I planted half indoors in seed trays and the other half outside. I was afraid all would fail outdoors so I had a back up plan ready. Little did I know that the only ones to fail outdoors would be the peppers and I'm not sure why. Indoors EVERYTHING failed. Everything died. I blame damping off and once it hits it's too late to fix it. When you plant everything outdoors in the first place there are way less complications because the seeds start out in their natural surroundings. There's no need to harden or even hardly water them. It's a breeze.

This year I planted pretty much the same. Used my free $25 worth of Garden's Alive products (if you haven't done so already you still have time to place an order) to get Sweet N Neat Tomatoes (a cherry variety, new to me), Organic Jalapeno, Organic Paris Island Cos Romaine Lettuce (new to me), Crimson Sweet Watermelon (new to me), Organic Chinese Sweet Pepper (similar to green bell pepper, new to me) and Delicious Tomatoes (high yield, new to me). I also planted some of my seeds that were left over from last year. Can't wait for my garden!! I will keep you updated on my Winter Sowing adventure. I'd love to swap Winter Sowing stories if you plant your seeds this way too. What are you planting this year?