What Is Wintersowing and Why It Is Awesome 

Wintersowing is outdoor seed starting.  In the Winter.

The Down and Dirty: Recycle any kind of container with a translucent lid and turn it into a mini greenhouse. Fill the bottom half with soil and seeds and tape the two halves together. Put the whole thing outside and let the seeds decide when they wanted to germinate.  The seeds will germinate at the right time, and your plants will be better adapted to your climate than any plants that you started indoors or bought at the store. 

Back in 1998, Trudi Davidoff began participating in online seed swaps. Within a short time, she found herself with a very large collection of seeds. Never having started flower seeds before, she began to look for some way to start her seeds without taking up every inch of space in her house.  She noticed how plants in the wild seemed to have no trouble at all propagating themselves. She knew that many of the flower seeds she had needed stratification in order to germinate, and suddenly it hit her –she plant her seeds in flats and put them outside and let Mother Nature do the work for her. 

Starting seeds indoors can be a major undertaking. You have to have grow lights and space to set them up; you have to stay on top of watering and repotting as everything grows; and then, when it’s finally time to take your plants outdoors, you have to harden them off and hope that they survive transplant.

However, winter sown seeds often germinate earlier, have higher rates of germination and have less problems with seedling diseases such as damping off. They also tend to grow faster and stronger than their indoor-sown counterparts, which allows gardeners to get a jump on the growing season. And you don’t have to harden them off. So, you save time, money and space.  What a no brainer!  

What Time of Year:

Many people start in December on the Winter Solstice. However,  there is zero urgency with wintersowing.  I just do it when I have the time.  

• January and February – winter sow perennials that need cold stratification.  
• Mid – Late March – winter sow hardier annuals 
• Late March – Early April – winter sow tender annuals, vegetables and herbs.

Types of Seeds

On your seed packets, look for terms like “self-sowing”, “direct sow outside in early spring (or) fall”, “perennial”, or “cold hardy”. Keywords like these are good indicators of seeds that will work well for winter sowing.

• Flowers:  Bachelor Button, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan, Columbine, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Daisy (all varieties), Dianthus, Echinacea, Flower Mixes, Forget-me-not, Gaillardia, Lupine, Marigold (all varieties), Milkweed (all varieties), Money Plant, Morning Glory, Nemophilia, Nigella, Poppy (all varieties), Snapdragon, Sochan, Viola, Zinnia.
• Herbs:  Anise, Anise Hyssop, Borage, Burdock, Catnip, Chamomile, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Clary Sage, Dill, Feverfew, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram, Mullein, Nettle, Oregano, Parsley, Pennyroyal, Sage, Scullcap, Sorrel, St. John’s Wort, Tansy, Thyme, Spilanthes, Valerian, Yarrow.
• Vegetables:  Arugula, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Collards, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mache, Mustard, Pak Choi, Radicchio, Radish, Rutabaga, Salsify, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Turnip.

Supplies/Materials

• Milk jugs, with lids removed
• A knife or scissors or an awl
• Seed starting mix or potting soil – something light
• Seeds
• Paint or good marker
• Clear packing tape or duct tape 

Planting One Gallon Milk Jugs

• I get my milk jugs from Starbucks – just give them a call and ask them to save you a day’s worth.  
• Wash your jugs out well.  Throw cap away.
• Use a knife or awl to poke drainage holes in the bottom of your milk jug. A drill works, too!  I do about 12 small holes
• Cut the milk jug open four inches from the bottom. Leave an inch uncut at the back of the jug to create a hinge.
• Fill the milk jugs with two to three inches of seed starting mix.  
• Moisten the soil. Let is drain.
• Then, plant your seeds following the instructions on your seed packets I sow pretty heavy for older seed and smaller seeds. Big seeds like zucchini, I plant six or nine seeds in each milk jug.
• Be sure to label all of your milk jugs, so you don’t forget what’s planted inside. I recommend using a black permanent marker for the job. The sun tends to fade anything else out.  
• Water your seeds deeply. Then, use duct tape or packing tape to tape them closed.  This will keep the wind from blowing them open, and keep curious animals out.
• Check on them occasionally to see if they need water. They should be the color of wet brownie mix.  If they look like dry brownie mix, they need water. For me in Zone 5b, I start keeping an eye on them in March.
• Don’t sweat it if your jugs get covered by snow. It won’t hurt them a bit.
• Once they start to germinate, keep an eye on late night temps.  If it goes below freezing, bring inside or throw a blanket on them.

Transplanting

• Seedlings can go directly into the garden from their winter sowing containers, or they can be potted up to grow a little bigger first. 
• Wait for the second set of “true leaves” 
• Those who plant their seedlings directly out into the garden usually use the HOS or “Hunk ‘O Seedlings” method. With this method, do not prick out tiny individual seedlings to transplant into the garden. Instead, transplant large clumps of seedlings as a group. The tangle of stems gives the plants structural stability, and the larger mass of roots makes them better able to take up water from the surrounding soil.

Variations on Containers

Winter sowing containers should be made out of plastic or foil. They should have transparent lids so that sunlight can shine through, but ideally the whole thing will be clear.  Each one needs to be deep enough to hold 2-3 inches of soil.  They should also should be tall enough to allow for a few inches of headspace so the seedlings have plenty of room to grow.  Some will hold up to the elements better than others.  A good rule of thumb is if it can survive a dishwasher without melting, it will hold up a couple of seasons.  

• 2 liter bottles
• Disposable food containers, 
• Restaurant take out containers
• Ice cream buckets, 
• Grocery store containers from baked goods or deli. 
• Salad containers from the grocery store
• Some people even use zip lock bags!

Ta Da!

So there you have it!  Scratch that itch to do some gardening in the winter, stretch yourself to try something new and explore all the new seeds you can grow!  And please send us some pix atupsidedowntulips@gmail.com