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Forget cluttering your kitchen counters with seed trays. A simple, nature-inspired technique called winter sowing allows you to start seeds outdoors, even amidst frosty conditions.
As the growing season approaches, many gardeners are preparing to start seeds indoors. But what if you could bypass the indoor seedling stage altogether? Winter sowing offers a low-maintenance alternative, mimicking nature’s process by planting seeds in miniature, DIY greenhouses.
Seeds are sown in protected containers outdoors, where they experience natural temperature fluctuations and winter conditions, much like they would if left to their own devices.
This method allows seeds to germinate at their own pace, resulting in robust seedlings ready for transplanting come spring.
The process is surprisingly simple. Using recycled materials like plastic jugs or containers, you create mini-greenhouses that protect seeds from harsh weather while allowing sunlight and moisture to reach them.
What you’ll need
The only materials and equipment you’ll need for winter sowing are suitable containers, potting mix and seeds.
Any food-safe container with a lid that can hold roughly 3 inches of potting mix will do. Plastic milk and water bottles are popular choices, as are takeout containers and clamshell salad packages.
If using plastic jugs, poke holes in the bottom for drainage, then cut them roughly in half horizontally, but not all the way through (allow a section to remain connected to serve as a hinge).
If using shallow, lidded containers, also poke a few holes in their lids for ventilation. For bottles, holes in the top aren’t necessary; instead, you will be leaving their caps off.
Add 3 inches of moistened seed-starting mix to shallow containers or the bottom halves of jugs. Avoid using garden soil, which is too dense for seedlings and may harbor pathogens that could threaten their health.
Choosing your plants
Not all plants are suitable for winter sowing. Heat lovers, like my tomatoes and zinnias, are best started indoors (or outdoors after the danger of frost has passed) because their sprouts are too tender to withstand low temperatures.
But cold-tolerant herbs, such as parsley, sage and coriander; cool-season vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, beets, lettuce and cauliflower; hardy perennials, such as milkweed, black-eyed Susans and coneflowers; and tough annuals, like pansies and snapdragons are all good candidates.
Now for the sowing
Plant your seeds in the mix, following the depth recommended on their package labels, and snap on container lids or, if using jugs, use duct tape to affix the top and bottom sections back together.
Use a permanent marker to label each container with the type of seed sown within it. You might think you’ll remember which is which come spring, but trust me – you won’t.
Group containers together in a sunny spot that’s somewhat protected from wind, such as against a wall, and leave them be. Snow and rain will water them naturally, and the freeze-thaw cycles of the great outdoors will aid their germination.
Seeds germinate when they’re good and ready.
They don’t follow calendars but instead respond to day-lengths and temperatures. When seedlings are about 2 inches high and freezing temperatures no longer threaten, remove container lids (or cut off the top half of bottles) during the day to acclimate them to the weather. Cover and reseal the containers at night, when frost could damage or kill them.
When the danger of frost has passed, your seedlings will be ready for transplanting into the garden or pots.
Since they’ll already be hardened against weather conditions, they will be more resilient and vigorous than their indoor-sown counterparts.
