My Winter Sowing Modifications

I tried the "traditional" version of wintersowing.
It went OK, but keeping the milk bottles watered was an issue, checking on them and decanting then was also an issue.
They crowded the bottle before it was warm enough to plant them out, and the plants tangled with one another.
My solution was inspired by this Chris Notap video:


It shows an inverted 5 gallon bucket as a water reservoir for a shallow tray, creating an animal waterer.
I've scaled things down , using 1 gallon jars as the reservoir and  restaurant bus tubs as the tray.
A second,translucent tray becomesthe lid or the tray can go under any of a variety of glazing.

I can fill the tub with potting soil or I can put the soil in smaller containers like grow bags, which sit in the tub and wick water up as needed.

Here are some photos:

The third and forth photos didn't post correctly, let me try again here:

I've planted out 12 seedling clumps from the tub of lettuce seedlings.
I did find the soil to be very wet, probably because of rain.

I also started a bunch of pickling cumbers.

Tomatoes will probably take the place of the lettuce, but I think I'll use containers instead of filling the entire tub with soil.

The squash in bottles seems to have failed, with only one half dead seedlings peeking out.

Nice!  I'm also just glad you mentioned winter sowing;  I used to do that but had completely forgotten about it.  
(a bit late to be reminded, but there are always more winters to come.)
I've been saving plastic containers from various things which could work as water holders ... thanks!

So you just left the tub outside as per winter-sowing, right?   When did you start it?
How wonderful to have lettuce so well started so early in the season!   what kind of lettuce is that?  

I'll have to go check my first photos to know when I started it.
I think it's more like super early spring sowing than true winter sowing,  but it did work great.
I cane back to this thread to share the problems and successes I've has so far.

I have had to drilled some drain holes, because any rain means the plants are swimming.
The tub lids simply don't stop that.
I think I've lost some scarlet runner beans to the wetness.

The cucumbers have loved it!
They are ready to go in the ground.
But my idea that the seedlings were safe from predators was way off.
Check out the damage in the photos.
I'm thinking slugs but I haven't found them yet.
Please be free with your advice 🙏

Oh, here's a few of the lettuces:

I'm just glad you talked about "winter sowing," which I remember from years ago when I did it, too, in gallon milk jugs iirc.  
As I recall, very early in Spring is about the best time to "winter sow," anyway;   rather than in the really cold winter months.  Your idea about using big bins is great, I think;  rather than individual milk jugs.  I remember there was a lady who had a really nice winter sowing webpage ... now, years later, it looks like there are several webpages about it.  It works!  
Really, when you think about it, it's very similar to using a "cold frame."  Except you start from seeds with "winter sowing," and with cold frames, seems to me people usually start seeds indoors and then put the little potted started seedlings in a cold frame.  Anyway, very similar.
We are having an enormous upswing in temps here in N. Arkansas;  not sure how warm y'all are there, but if possible, you could just remove your beautiful cucumber seedlings and leave 'em out (at least, you could do that soon, if you're not warming up yet).  Some "thing" might be hiding in the dirt in the pots;  might be just in one of the pots???  Can't know.
Could be slugs.  Sneaky little bugs, ya just can't tell what's getting into stuff!   We have huge slugs here;  I've occasionally seen them, sometimes they leave slime trails across the deck.  

Slugs love plastic containers because it is easy to travel on. So they can hide quickly when the sun comes out and back to eating when it is dark. Be careful not to leave a hose highway from one bed to another.

I'm still working my system.
This year my system is made from dollar store dishpans.

I planted some squash seeds in one of my wintersowing bus boxes, but I did not have a top for it.
When I came back the containers had been ransacked along with the previously ignored zip lock bag  of seed.
After buying a translucent bus box as a top I  replanted.
This time I added mulberry cuttings to each cup.
It's the wrong season for taking cuttings, being that winter senescence is over but who knows, it might work.

Reusing containers that have lids I drill holes on the sides just above the bottom for water exchange. I cut a one to 2 inch hole in the center of the lid for the seedling to grow through.  Keeping an inch or 2 of water in the tray and less surface exposed the seeds do not dry out.  The lid holds the soil when turned upside down to remove them from container.