Winter Sowing

When Covid-19 kept us home for most of the time this past year (and it appears it will for some time this year), many of us turned to our gardens to get outside of the house. A friend of mine recently suggested I try winter sowing.

While I am familiar with cold stratifying seeds, winter sowing is a new concept for me. So, what is winter sowing? It’s a method of starting seeds outdoors in winter that uses plastic jugs and other containers as little greenhouses. Usually, it is done for perennials, shrubs, and trees that need a period of cold stratification; however, this method can also be used for almost any plant that is hardy in your climate other than tropicals. It is also suited for vegetables, especially those cool season ones such as members of the onion and cabbage families. You are working with nature for the right temperatures and time for germination of the seeds. 

The advantages of winter sowing include the ease of doing it, no need for a greenhouse or cold frame, no need to take up indoor space, no need for grow lights to keep plants from getting spindly indoors, the seedlings will naturally be hardened off, the seeds and seedlings won’t be eaten by animals, it is easy to keep the seeds moist, and best of all it gives you something to do in the winter. While you can do this almost any time during the winter, it is best in most climates to wait to do so shortly after the winter solstice to give those seeds that need cold stratified enough of a cold period to break the seed dormancy. There is still enough time to do this now in most climates.

While almost any translucent or transparent container will work, plastic, one-gallon milk or water jugs are the most popularly used containers for winter sowing. You just cut the jug in half, allowing for at least 4 inches on the bottom half to hold enough soil for starting the seedlings. I cut mine with scissors after using a paring knife to make a slit to start the cut. Pierce the bottom of the jugs to make holes for drainage. Then I filled the jug with a pro-mix seed starting potting soil (most any seed starting mix will do), planted my seed, watered everything well, and taped the top of the jug to the bottom using transparent packing tape. The next thing I did was to label the jugs. Leave the lids off for air circulation and for watering. I used Artline Garden Markers to label the jugs with the name of the plant, the date sown, and the seed source on some. In addition to winter sowing, you can use this method to start annuals and other tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers later in the spring.

My first sowing was on January 16th. The bunching onions and Chinese chives have already germinated as of February 3rd. This is my first time doing this so we will see what happens.

If you want further information on winter sowing, do an Internet search for winter sowing. There is lots of information out there. Spring is just around the corner. It’s time to get going. What are your gardening plans for the upcoming year?