Sprinkle the seeds in the soil and tap then down. And what about watering? Winter Sowing. This prevents your container from collapsing when you push the drill bit against it. I have been saving milk jugs to use as a cloche to put over the plants once in the garden but wow! I am wondering if we can do this here as well. Guess I don’t understand, where do you place the jugs? At that stage of growth they will redirect their roots down. I’m thinking it just means when they could possibly begin germinating, but not sure. Awesome! Generally speaking, perennial seeds, cold weather vegetables, as well as hardy annual flowers and herbs will work great with winter sowing. I first tried winter sowing last year with several types of flower seeds. Yeah, freezing was no inconvenience here since I can just put them out on the deck and they freeze within an hour. My seeds normally get killed off because of the cold whether and nothing germinates. Why did I never think of that. Only a few times did they outgrow the container before it was safe to plant (tall flowers and such) and I just moved them into a clear tote set up the same way. Last season, I had volunteer tomato plants in my garden, that sprouted the same time I was planting purchased plants from dealers. My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. Do you think that using little individual pots inside the milk carton would work? You can use a small garden scoop to remove them. So excited to see we can do this here. Thanks. It’s so much fun! My brand new book Vertical Vegetables is now available for purchase!! Make slits in the bottoms of the pans to allow proper drainage. Hollyhock, columbine, mexican butterfly weed, flowering almond, canterbury bells, rocky mountain penstemon, foxglove and primrose! I put them right smack in the middle of the front yard. I’m thrilled to hear that all of your winter sown seeds are sprouting, good for you! 100% success rate and glad you shared it so more people give it a try! I thought of it again last winter and started some annual flowers this way. What do I do now? This is not a problem for perennials and hardy … I live in Northern BC zone 2b . Several different seed lists for your Winter Sowing all in downloadable Word Doc format. Use either a soilless seed starting mix or an potting mix that has been sifted to remove any large chunks of bark, twigs or rocks and has been amended with perlite, vermiculite or, ideally, sphagnum moss. I bet you’ll be able to start planting some of those soon too. I am going to address all of that on Thursday, so be sure to check back. Hi Norma! I’m pretty casual about these things . This might help. 🙂 Plus most of them will still be good next year. Love this idea! Hmm this is very interesting. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I assume that the milk jugs need to be the clear (soda type), or semi transparent sort (water type), not the white ones (milk type), correct? I want to container plant tomatoes. The ones I mentioned are the ones I’ve had success with myself. Thank you! I am not a doctor, lawyer, veterinarian or Martha Stewart. I was so nervous… Now I am going to try this with some cubanelle peppers and a few tomato varieties because we had an oops when transplanting to a larger pot. Yup. We could probably start some of her later things now. Cant wait to try this! Some things that work well are large plastic jugs (like the ones pretzels come in), 2 liter soda bottles, or clear plastic take-out containers. There is only a small difference between 5a and 5b. I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). The following two tabs change content below. The containers act as tiny ‘greenhouses’ protecting the seed from the harsher weather, but allowing enough cold to help them toughen up over the winter months. BTW, I love Maine. I moved away for 5 years, but I missed it and came back. I was imagining cutting it the same way and couldn’t see how that would work. Results of a recent social media poll showed 96% of people who start their plants from seed do so by following the instructions on the back of the packet. how many seeds do you, put in the milk jug and what time of the year would I plant, we live in Thomas,Wv. What about super cold nights? Also how many plants in a milk container at a time? You are correct, though, that those light-block bottles won’t work. When the sun is out it is in the 50’s inside. I would put some rocks in the bottom of the milk cartons, and then the soil, to help keep them stable in the wind! Might be worth a try for me too because we never have any gallon milk jugs. I’m going to break it all down for you below. is it too late for me? Thank you! Thank you. Do I use the whole packet? I would love to use this article as a link. When you are done, just duct tape the lid closed, remove the cap and label the outside of the carton with the plant name. You could use juice containers, take out containers, or even try it with a clear plastic tote or container. I’ve saved 10 Jugs so far and will start this week, placing them on the Sunny Side of the House . The seeds are planted in damp soil, then the containers are set outside. a little heat saves alot of work. Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details. Winter sowing is the process by which we sow seeds outdoors in the winter, but contained within miniature DIY green houses! Winter sowing … The added benefit of winter sowing is that you’ll get a much better succession of harvests later on, compared to the fewer you’d get from spring sowings. Sowing Winter Seeds. I’m not familiar with a solar shed, so I’m not sure exactly. As a rule, if a plant is hardy in your zone, you can plant its seed any time in winter, regardless of the temperature outside. One question..we sometimes get really windy days here in Ohio in early spring. You can also use water bottles or soda bottles. So we cannot use the regular milk jugs then? If you see this, feel free to pepper me with questions. 🙂, Hi Amy, If you live in a northern climate and have snow, this method works even better because the melt adds all the moisture your seeds need. That’s what I do anyway. Yes, sorry. My name is Jessica Lane. Absolutely! try using toilet roll inner tubes inside milk cartoons folded flat then flat again so there square then cut in half so u have 2 square pots easy to sow and replant into the garden in spring no disturbing roots cardboard composts away. What kind of soil do you use? Want to try this but live in southwest New Mexico. I live in Vt now so cold season last longer. This is the usual way of sowing seeds of perennials, trees, and shrubs, in Europe and elsewhere, and simply involves sowing seeds outside in the autumn, usually in pots, to allow them to experience the ups and downs of winter temperatures to encourage them to germinate in the spring. By Jessica Lane | Last updated on April 26, 2018, Subscribe to The Homestead Helper, a monthly(ish) homesteading newsletter, to get your Printable Seed Packets. LOVE the idea!! Lots of people winter sow warm weather crops, and have great success. Yes, saving some of your seeds “just in case” is always a good idea. Until germination, you don’t need to worry to much. Read More... Hi Amy, Will they die? Subscribe to The Homestead Helper and receive a copy of my new book, Welcome to the World of Homesteading, your guide to setting attainable homesteading goals. Hope I made sense. This will help so much as I have cats that eat all my seedlings that I start inside. Some types of seeds work great, but others will only rot. Thanks for sharing. Was stationed at Brunswick in the early 90’s and my oldest was born there . Choosing seeds for winter sowing is easy once you know what to look for. How to Sow Seeds in a Milk Jug. Your email address will not be published. I was thinking about hinging it first too; only I thought that a scrap of wood (or drilling ‘table’) under it and drilling from the inside out into the drilling scrap wood. Wowzers, you have been busy! Still waiting on everything else! Do you want to learn even more? That is a very common question, and an important one at that. But don’t worry, choosing the best soil for winter sowing isn’t difficult once you know what to look for. Seeds That Work Well for Winter Sowing: A large part of gardening and learning is experimentation, so if you’re curious if a particular seed will work for Winter Sowing, go ahead and try it, cause you really don’t have much to lose. I leave the cap off so that snow and rain can water the soil. You remove the caps to allow for the rain and snow to water the soil inside. I have a helpful hint for you when you are making your greenhouses that my husband shared with me (I’m not sure where he gets his wisdom, but 4 containers later, I was singing his praises). I’m not sure if yours work the same way or if they are a US thing, but it should give you some direction. I don’t know enough about growing in your area to say confidently what your planting timeline would be. On that note, if you have small children, you may want to mark the area somehow so no one crushes your greenhouses while building a snowman. Do I plant all the types of seeds in one month, or different types for each month? I need to look up my zone. Great idea! Even more surprising, winter-sown plants tend to be stronger and more resilient than indoor-sown seeds. I do have a couple of questions; will the seed. Could you use 1/2 gallon paper milk cartons the same way? This would be great since I often run out of room under my plant lights inside! Also I am in WI and am a 5 as well so this guide should be a great help, not sure 5a or b, does it make a huge difference? I’m new to winter sowing I’m in zone 6-7… I wintersowed 42 gallon jugs since Late dec. Cornflowers, delphinium, monkshood, morning glory, larkspur , hollyhock etc… It’s now early feb I looked in them from above today and it appears that the cornflowers are starting to sprout ?? Add your seeds according to the packet as far as depth and spacing (though I fudge the spacing and have typically done okay). I am not sure that planting in plastic is safe because of the leaching out of the chemicals. We are homeschoolers, and are trying this method for our gardening unit. Hi Amy, You might want to contain them in a plastic milk carton (you know those black heavy crates) if blowing away is an issue for you. You can find more winter sowing seed lists here. We raise Nigerian Dwarf goats, ducks, and chickens, and we grow as much food as we can. I’m concerned that the containers will get blown away or just blown over. What would you suggest for planting seeds in this? You can winter-sow your way to a beautiful garden, too… for pennies . Winter Sowing Containers: What Works & What Doesn’t, Tips For Winter Sowing During A Mild Winter, How To Grow Peppers From Seed: Complete Guide, How To Prepare Containers For Winter Sowing, Terms Of Use, Disclaimer and Privacy Policy. As the snow thaws, it waters the soil in the carton. Sure would take alot of stress off of me! Have you ever tried peat cups to plant in? Create seed starter mini-greenhouses using foil pans with plastic lids (the kind that come with take-out food). Your email address will not be published. It makes sense that you would follow the directions, but what if there were an easier and much better way to get those seedling started? Thanx much! If you tell me your zone I’ll hunt down some info specific to your area. If you live in a northern climate and have snow, this method works even better because the melt adds all the moisture your seeds need. You can transplant them in the ground when you normally would without worrying about hardening off. Homemade Applesauce & Recipes Using Applesauce », The pupper is exhausted by all this holiday spirit, Our Christmas tree is up and decorated. I am so happy to tell you that we (my daughter and I) have started this winter sowing process and we have successfully germinated Mother Of Thyme, soy bean, cosmos, and a host of other flowers; and they are all coming up. Thank you. Will work excellent here in cold Norway. Today we are going to talk about Winter Sowing. Hi there! You are going to love this technique. Maine is pretty awesome. Swiss chard that I grew from winter sown seeds. Winter Gardening for Beginners by Lindsey Pylarinos The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour, Filed Under: Backyard Garden Tagged With: Seed Saving & Starting. Both plants produced tomatoes at the same time, making me wonder why I spent $$$ on the larger plants. Moisten the soil before using, by placing some soil in a... Plant the seeds into the soil as directed on the … Saves time and trouble with freezing the water. I have mine against the side of my raised bed. 🙂 This week, I winter sowed Nasturtiums, oregano, thyme, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, Jalapeño pepper and yellow bell peppers. I’ve gotten a lot of questions regarding zone-specific guidelines. This method is great for those that don’t have any extra space indoors to dedicate to … Milk jugs are always my go to and it still surprises me how easy and effective it is. Thank you! Glad we actually read that before we started and have some left over to salvage this years oopses. What seeds to sow in winter includes herbs, vegetables and flowers. In the panhandle here, and this time table doesn’t work for us at all. Here is a list of seeds that I’ve had success with for Winter Sowing: Perennial Seeds for … on Winter Sow planting for my area, especially what can be planted and when. In Virginia I would already have tomatos seedlings by April. I used my hot glue gun without any glue to melt the holes in the milk jugs. It appears she’s somewhere between Zones 3-5. This site, constructed by one of the method's gurus, documents which seeds are amenable and how to go about it. They need to be mostly clear? Download your copy today! The idea behind winter sowing is that you sow the seeds outdoors in miniature greenhouses during the winter, allowing them to germinate naturally during the spring. I would like to try that this year. What about if I live in a place without a lot of snow? Winter sowing is the process of setting out our seeds in old plastic containers, and leaving them until they emerge in the spring. This will be my Second year trying Winter Sowing , and I can’t Wait ! Make the hinged lid first and then drill through the bottom from the inside while container is sitting on a block of wood. Hi Lori! Yes that’s right, not all types of seeds will work with the winter sowing method. I have no idea if they will all work… but fun trying. That helps with drainage as well. The idea behind winter sowing is that you sow the seeds outdoors in miniature greenhouses during the winter, allowing them to germinate naturally during the spring. I don’t know much about gardening in Norway, but cold and snow are no problem with this method. I have a ton of these jugs,so I’ll be busy making these this week! This method is perfect for me. You can tape that on just the same, but you’ll need vent holes. Snow isn’t a requirement. When spring first arrives with sunny days but still freezing nights, you’ll start spotting seedlings. I saw you’re a Maine girl, I am too! Here’s a great mix of flowers that would be excellent seeds for winter sowing. They are sitting still in this morning’s 20mph plus winds! Learn how, Shut the front door! I usually start my plants in peat pots. If using a potting mix, make sure it has no fertilizer which can burn the seedlings. You need a plastic container to put your seeds in. Blasting h, A beautiful morning on the mountain, enjoying Fren, #wipcrochet Making a tree skirt. I’m definitely going to give this a try. The soil will compact over the long winter months. Discover five vegetable seeds to sow in December, below. Thanks again for sharing with Green Thumb Thursday! You could probably start the frost hardy ones now, but definitely wait until it stays above freezing for the warm weather ones. Can you use these for sweet peppers that need to be in Soil that is 75-80 degrees? i take a metal BBQ skewer ( like for kabobs) and heat that on the stove it punches the holes much easier..I also heat a knife to cut them. Sprouting will occur when warmth arrives, normally in spring. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I use the transition of textured plastic to smooth plastic as a guide. If we can homestead where we live, what’s stopping you? I hope the granddaughters enjoy it. Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers says, Seriously brilliant! could you please elaborate? The neat thing about this system is that the container maintains a lot of moisture, like a greenhouse. 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