i'm not clucking aroundOK OK, enough with the puns! Hey ladies, are you ready to get your hands dirty and raise some meat birds? As a homesteading mama, I've learned a lot raising poultry for the first time. And let me tell you, raising Cornish Cross meat birds is no...
Winter sowing: a beginners guide to winter sowing seeds in milk jugs
easy steps to start your garden earlier
Are you a gardener or aspiring gardener looking for the easiest way to get your seeds planted during the cold months? Maybe it’s to free up time in the spring for all the other spring projects that you know are coming? Winter sowing is a great option! It’s a simple, easy-to-follow way to sow seeds in milk jugs and other containers, allowing your plants to germinate naturally and saving you time and effort. Here’s how it works.
WHAT IS WINTER SOWING?
Winter sowing is a method of planting seeds outdoors in winter or early spring. The idea is that you sow your seeds in recycled containers like milk jugs and then let nature take its course. As long as the temperature stays above freezing, your plants will start to germinate within their containers.
When warmer temperatures arrive, you can open the containers and transplant your seedlings into the garden. For my gardening zone 8b, I start my seeds in jugs or these clear plastic totes towards the end of January, but I don’t even know if that’s very important. I know people who have planted as soon as temps drop and don’t touch them until they start growing in spring. To me, that screams EASY.
How to get started with winter sowing
To get started with winter sowing, all you need are some small plastic containers (like milk jugs or these totes) with lids (that you’ll throw away, potting soil, water, and some seeds of your choice. I love heirloom seeds as you can save seeds off of your plants each year to use the next year.
First, cut a few small holes in the bottom of each container for drainage. Then fill the container almost full with potting soil and add water until it’s moist but not soggy. You’ll want about 4-6 inches of soil in your container.
Add your seeds according to package instructions, including the initial watering, put on the top part of your container (if you’re using milk jugs, leave the cap off), and place them outside in an area that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. You should check on them every week or so to make sure they have enough water – if they look dry on top just give them a little water through one of the holes. That’s all there is to it! Once they start to warm up in spring, the condensation will drip down the sides and self water your little greenhouses for the most part!
Once warmer weather arrives in late spring/early summer, open up the lids of your winter sown containers and transplant any seedlings that have sprouted into their final positions in your garden beds or pots outside. Of course, you can also plant more traditional indoor seedlings as well – but for those extra stubborn varieties that don’t seem to want to germinate indoors why not give winter sowing a try? We think you’ll be happy with results!
Seeds that do well with winter sowing are your longer-germinating seeds, such as brassicas, or any seeds from packets that state they are “self-sowing, direct-sowing, cold-hardy, pre-chill, or sown-when-cool.” Also, if the name of the seed has any words in it that provide clues about their winter sowing viability, such as “Alpine, polar, oriental, arctic, etc…” they’re probably good for winter sowing.
Some of my favorite winter sowing annuals are snapdragons, bee balm, delphiniums, and most of the kitchen herbs I would use on a daily basis.
Winter sowing is also a time-saver. You’re growing seedlings under natural light and temperature conditions, so you won’t need to invest time in hardening them off before they go into your garden beds. They will already be acclimated, and they’ll be hardier and stocker than if they are grown indoors without sufficient light.
Winter sowing is an easy way to get your garden growing even during cold weather months when traditional indoor planting isn’t an option – plus it’s incredibly cost effective since most people already have access to old plastic containers like milk jugs at home! Give this trick a try this season and see what happens – we’re sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly your plants start growing once warmer weather arrives! Good luck!
Written by Jessica
Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.
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