It’s the end of March, and that means that it is time for a winter sowing update. If you recall, at the beginning of February, I really started to winter sow a lot of different flowers and vegetables for the garden this year. Now that the weather has started to warm some, we can take a quick look around at some of the progress. A lot of trays (lettuce, phlox, broccoli, cabbages, etc) have already been planted into their final locations into the garden. Below are just a few trays that haven’t been planted yet.
As always, the artemesia seedlings are doing great. The germination rate was a little lower this year, but I think that’s likely due to the fact that the seeds were a couple years old. I’m eager to see this grow into large, bushy plants once the weather begins to warm up. 
I also had good luck with the bupleurum seedlings. I would say I have about 85% germination. Unfortunately, the packet of seed that I planted only had a few seeds in it. I can’t remember where I ordered these from, but I’ll definitely make sure to order elsewhere next time. 
The gaillardia seedlings also look good. Gaillardia germination always seems to be quite sporadic. In the next few weeks, I’m certain that more seeds will continue to germinate in this tray. Good flower seedlings take time!
The catmint is doing surprisingly well in the trays. This is my first time winter sowing catmint. While I was cautiously optimistic when I sowed the seeds, I’m not feeling much more hopeful about growing these flowers from seed. Over the next few weeks, I’ll need to make sure to find a good place in the garden to put these perennials. I love growing perennials from seed!
Most all of the sage seeds are up and have started to grow strong. I can always rely on the winter sowing method to help me grow plenty of really great herb plants. 
I also grew echinacea from seed for the first time this year. Nearly every single seed germinated! I know I’m always talking about how much I love this seed starting method, but it is seriously so helpful to someone without access to grow lights. You can truly have the beautiful garden that you’ve always wanted, without the money. 
These are either celery or celeriac seedlings. I’m not quite sure. I planted both of those seeds in the same cell tray. The germination within that tray has been extremely inconsistent. I mainly blame myself for this failure, as the tray was placed in an area of the low tunnel with terrible drainage. Half of the tray was completely waterlogged all season long. Gross.
The shasta daisy tray had pretty consistent germination, as well. There are a few empty cells here and there, but overall, everything looks good. Most of the seedlings have started to produce their first true leaves. I’ll need to find a place for these in the garden when the last frost has passed. I really have no idea where I’m going to plant all this different stuff. 
Sorry for the blurry picture, but this is the artichoke tray. I had really great germination with this tray- almost 100%. Like some of the other trays, the artichokes were situated in a soggy spot in the low tunnel. The collecting water made the tray waaaay too wet and caused some of the seedlings to begin to rot. I’ve since moved the tray, and things seem to look much better.
Last, but not least, we have bee balm seedlings! Hooray! I’ve attempted to grow bee balm in the past but had mixed results. This tray is absolutely filled with the cutest little seedlings! I’m so excited for this coming growing season!
I just love looking at all of these little seedlings!