Hi I have always taken cuttings in my life till now and frowned upon seed sowing unless for bedding plants. Needless to say I need to learn that its fun and interesting. I like to find out peoples experiences and have thought about many things that I have never really got clear in my own mind. I bought a book or two also and have read this that and the other.
Spring would be best for most seeds to sow them.
I am trying to figure whether I can sow in winter. Bear with me on this one !-
I have been reading a link on germination on the internet which is very good with sowing tables treatments and advice and all sorts of things Its here if you are intrigued https://theseedsite.co.uk
It shows that it can also often be good to sow in winter perhaps under a shelf being best with sides and back closed off. This is not just for alpines but hardy perennials interestingly.
So the front of the shelf open and exposed to the elements with covers behind and at the sides. Can they still really come up in the winter or is this just a cold treatment so there sure to come up in spring earlier than normal ?
What I am trying to achieve is an earlier germination perhaps 2-3 weeks before they'd normally come up in spring by using the winter sowing and then wipping them into the cold greenhouse. Hopefully they would then be germinated and starting to grow in february/march.
Would some seeds which do not want a winter cold treatment outside(under shelves) rot away , is this a problem ?
One final question. I here a lot about propagators, warmth and germination.
Can this be an 'alternative' to cold treatment working on the seed coat for emergence or is it to bring warmth to the spring soil conditions for germination?
Does this mean most seeds do not want a cold treatment as only warmer soil works for them in the spring with day length. The latter may be the answer most people give ?
Thanks all , hope this is not all to daunting.