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The first time I set out to plant anything I was just a kid in grade school. I bought a packet of sunflower seeds, shoved them in the ground, watered every day, and just knew they all had to jump up and bloom for me. Now that I am a little older and, I hope, wiser, I have been growing a lot of things from seed and many of them are growing because of the love and care I have learned to give them.
From the first time I helped my grandmother pick seeds from the watermelon to place on a plate and let them dry I knew seeds were full of magic. Growing seeds can be a rewarding experience and growing them can be one of the most carefree ways to garden – if you do them right. This will be a basic story of one gardener’s journey into winter sowing and the rewards of that action.
Spacing seeds out in little tray with soil and grow lights is time consuming and takes a lot of space in the house or green house. You also need to be watering each day or every other day and keeping the little guys close to the grow lights. I gave up after only one year--- it was just too much work! Then the skies opened up and a light boomed from the heavens….. no, not really, but I found a wonderful forum here on Dave’s Garden that opened my eyes to the world of winter sowing.
The basic idea behind winter sowing is Mother Nature gave us the seeds and she just might know what the seeds need to grow. She just might know when to water them, give them a little chill, and give them a little warmth. Letting Mother Nature in on the process frees you up to enjoy your time during winter doing things other than worrying about seedlings!
Let’s get started! Start with cutting any bottle, milk gallon, two liter, or any other paper, plastic, or wooden box you can find and add a few holes to the bottom. This is the best reason to winter sow---you get to recycle! All those containers we keep for some reason can be used. Get the hole in there and, if you have the top, keep it too.We will get there---just keep them on the side, easy to use.
Fill with any good soil medium, really anything half way good will work. I mix half soil from my garden (that I have baked in the oven at 300 degrees or so for an hour) with compost that I have made here in the garden. This way the seedlings, when they grow, will alreadt be in the same soil they will spend the rest of their lives in. In my mind this makes them bigger and better already and they prove it to me each and every year.
Take a pencil and add a few holes to the top of the soil. It’s that easy – just add some seeds to the holes and cover. I know those who have been used to other types of seed planting will want to space the seeds out by the perfect space now – don’t.Just plant away and let Mother Nature start to thin them herself. Place some type of marker in the pot or on the outside of the pot. This marker will be very useful in the spring when you want to know which seeds you planted!
Cover the little seed pots – the best way with 2 liter bottles is to tape the top back on. Get them covered somehow. The bags you get comforters in work fine too.. really anything that keeps the seeds a little protected is all you need. I keep the lids open to let the sun, rain, ice, and snow get in.
Walk away… that’s right, walk away! Forget they are there for the next few weeks at least. I start my seeds in December and I don’t check them until the end of February at least. In a more northern area I would think you would not have to take a look at the little pots until spring starts for you.
Even now, don’t baby them. If they come up early I don’t cover them. If they are dry I will water them but I like to let Mother Nature take care of the watering and most of the time she does fine. When the little plants have their first set of adult leaves they are ready to be set out in the garden. The plants you are going to set out it the garden are going to do great.They are ready for you and your garden. They will last long, bloom better, and be able to jump tall buildings in a single bound– well, maybe not that last one, but it will feel like it when you see the difference they make in the garden.
About M Fitzgerald
I am a pentecostal preacher, gardener,husband, and a father. I love natives, daylilies, iris, and roses. I love teaching others, be they children or adults, about the garden and plants.
Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 2:34 PM:
I have always grown from seed in the Bio Domes and sponges...............pampering them all the time until ready to be moved to the garden................I just start 6 weeks ahead of time or maybe 8 weeks ahead of time................never even thought about putting them outside when it is too cold..........maybe I will get brave enough to do this with perennials but not annuals...............thanks for the article.........
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Posted by frostweed (from Arlington, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 2:41 PM:
It is a very good thing to recycle as many materials as possible, and you have done a great job of it.
Well done my friend!!!
Josephine.
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Posted by MitchF (from Oklahoma City, OK) on September 5, 2007 at 5:06 PM:
Thank you so much - I love to winter sow... takes a lot of the work out of it for me.
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Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 5:25 PM:
I am lost................is this about recycling or learning to winter sow and not have to work as hard as I do on perennial seed???
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Posted by frostweed (from Arlington, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 5:27 PM:
It is about both, I just happened to focus on the recycling.
Josephine.
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Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 5:31 PM:
I didn't see the recycling part again.........but Mitch, thank you so much for a new idea for me to try................really time saving...............
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Posted by MitchF (from Oklahoma City, OK) on September 5, 2007 at 5:36 PM:
Look at what I have to use for pots...
This message was edited Sep 5, 2007 5:50 PM
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Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 6:38 PM:
giggling as I type............I think I like my bio domes better (LOL)........but I like the idea of trying to germinate seeds as the weather permits for each person............thanks, Mitch...
gail
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Posted by mittsy (from Cicero,, NY) on September 5, 2007 at 8:33 PM:
I love to try new things, so I'll be recycing my soymilk bottles into winter homes for special seedlings and let Mother Nature do all the work. Got to remember to put this in my Journal. Thanks so much for the information.
PS Thanks for the pic.
Mittsy
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Posted by Cordeledawg (from Cordele, GA) on September 5, 2007 at 9:39 PM:
This article really gets me excited all over again about winter sowing. Nows the time to start collecting recyclable containers. My DH drinks orange juice like I drink water. Each orange juice carton goes in the sink instead of the garbage. Rinse it out and poke holes in the bottom and it's ready for storage until I need it in late December.
Enjoyed the article Mitch! It's inspired me to start my seed inventory list.
Deborah
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Subject: Thank you
Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 8:52 AM:
I, too, have fiddled with the peat pots and all the agravation that went with it and most everything died of damp-off. This sounds like the way to go. Might just make the paper pots that Dave demonstrates on the video. Thank you, Mitch, for another practical way to become a gardener.
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Posted by McGlory (from Southeast, NE) on September 5, 2007 at 9:02 AM:
Thanks, Mitch. I, too, thought seeds in little peat pots in the house were too much work. All that misting and messing with the lights...
Good article with brief, easy instructions, which is what I needed!
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Posted by cocoa_lulu (from Grand Saline, TX) on September 5, 2007 at 10:00 AM:
Thanks Mitch, I usually dread the onset on Winter, but this year I'm really looking forward to Wsing. I'm going to seed in regular pots and box them in with straw or hay bales and top with window screens to keep birds and critters out. Nice article, great job.
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Posted by Tir_Na_Nog on September 5, 2007 at 11:25 AM:
Huh, I've never heard the suggestion to bake your dirt ("300°")....for how long should we do this? Is it to kill any bacteria?
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Posted by Shirley1md (from Ellicott City, MD) on September 5, 2007 at 12:55 PM:
Thanks so much for your article and making other gardeners aware of "winter sowing". I love sowing seeds via this method!!
Also, there is a Winter Sowing Forum here at DG. Lots of help and good advice is given here too. Please be sure to stop by! [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
Tir_Na_Nog: I use "Miracle Grow" potting soil when I wintersow . It is very important to purchase a good quality potting soil so that it doesn't get hard as a brick.
As I mentioned above, please hop over to the Winter Sowing Forum and we'll be happy to answer your questions.
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on September 5, 2007 at 1:17 PM:
Good stuff Mitch !!
Yea Shirley - another forum for me to grow my knowledge :)
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on September 5, 2007 at 3:28 PM:
Another great article full of great information! Thanks Mitch!
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on September 5, 2007 at 4:49 PM:
Baking the soil? How does the kitchen smell? Lol - I put old garden container soil etc. in the Compostumbler to get up to a gazillion degrees. I haven't tried that for wintersowing yet, though.
Walmart is The Biggest Company In The World.
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Posted by MitchF (from Oklahoma City, OK) on September 5, 2007 at 5:07 PM:
to bake the soil I let it stay in the oven for a good 15-20 mins. The smell... well it kinda matters what is in the soil...
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on September 5, 2007 at 5:15 PM:
LOL.
x, C
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Posted by aristata (from Kendrick, ID) on September 10, 2007 at 11:28 AM:
For about 10 years I've been using Whitney Farms Seed Starter for all my fall sowings. I use 6" or 3" square pots and usually fill up several standard nursery flats with them. I leave the flats outside, in shade, on benches and rely on rainfall to keep them moist. Most seedlings seem to grow happily in that mix, but I usually prick them out when small because they transplant better at that stage.
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Posted by ROSES_R_RED (from Mount Bethel, PA) on September 13, 2007 at 10:52 AM:
Great news!! I am going to seed my grass this way also.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on September 15, 2007 at 3:05 PM:
Wait, transplant zillions of tiny grass seedlings??
x, C
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Posted by ROSES_R_RED (from Mount Bethel, PA) on September 16, 2007 at 7:26 AM:
No transplanting. Just winter sow. Read another article claiming that sowing grass seed over very cold or frozen lawn will save lots of work. The freezing and thawing action will take the place of scratching the surface of a 2 acre lawn. I think that it is worth a try on our newly develping lawn.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on September 16, 2007 at 3:18 PM:
OOOhhhhhhhh. No plastic milk jugs, just putting the seed on the frozen ground. won't birds eat it? Yum yum yum? The freezing-thawing part makes sense to me.
x, C
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Posted by Pyewacketcat54 (from Fort Worth, TX) on March 15, 2008 at 10:53 PM:
You just made my day,I've tried the pots,lights in the plantroom thing,but it gets too labor intensive,and the cats try to get to them.... I will do this next winter! Thanks,Becki
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 16, 2008 at 1:23 PM:
I was going to say "IT'S NOT TOO LATE!" because up here, it isn't, but then I saw where you're from and you're right, next year. :>) It's a lot of fun, though! x, Carrie
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Posted by ROSES_R_RED (from Mount Bethel, PA) on March 16, 2008 at 6:35 PM:
I am seeing my candy tuft sprouting in its outside container and, from what I have been reading, I needn't worry about the very cold nights that we might still be in for!!
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Posted by MitchF (from Oklahoma City, OK) on March 16, 2008 at 6:47 PM:
Should be fine,,, this is the way nature runs the show for eons. Stop by the Winter Sowing Forum - there is so much to learn.
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Posted by Pyewacketcat54 (from Fort Worth, TX) on March 16, 2008 at 9:44 PM:
Yep Carrie, I have been out in the yard this weekend,moving dirt,trying to terrace a slope,putting in a yard area for the dogs.... but I will be readin up on it for next year.
I guess your weather is still in the winter mode,huh? We have 70's one day ,snow the next here,but nothing stays long enough this time of year... Becki
