Winter sowing wizards
by Stephie McCarthy • January 6, 2013 • Gardening tips, Winter projects • 11 Comments
Winter sowing is one of those revolutionary ideas that can change a gardener’s world forever, especially if you live in a Northern climate or high altitude where the growing season is short and the winters long.
When I focus on winter sowing, I hardly mind the wicked weather outside …
Winter path by Debra Treffry Clark; tricycle in the snow by Jenny Alexander.
Years ago, I learned from fellow-gardeners on the web that with just a little outdoor space (somewhat sheltered from the wind is ideal), it’s possible to extend the growing season by leaving planted containers outside protected from the elements with recycled plastics. The idea was called “winter sowing” and the wizards I learned from typically used plastic milk jugs as mini greenhouses. Milk jugs never fit my gardening needs, here’s what I use to sow seeds in winter:
Since the heart of the idea is to create a micro-climate for seedlings out of something recycled or re-purposed, lots of different household objects will work, but for my own purposes (living in a very small house) my first priority was to come up with a system that was easy to clean and store off-season.
After many years of learning hands-on, my contribution to winter sowing wizardry is to use plastic shoe-storage boxes with drainage holes made with my soldering iron. Inside these boxes, I use stackable, sturdy nursery pots I have saved year-after-year (like the typical kind shown below). When I run out of those, I use foam mushroom boxes I have saved. I’ve even used plastic drinking cups from the grocery store.
With winter sowing you can use your imagination and whatever is handy to create the containers and grow lots of money-saving plants from seeds. Here are some recycled produce boxes ready for sowing, photographed by Sue Langley.
I plant my recycled containers with a rainbow of perennials and vegetables. Not everything will germinate, not everything will survive the onslaught of slugs once they are transferred to the garden, but now I have so much more stock with which to fill the beds in the Spring.
And slowly my mountain garden is being transformed by a few of the survivors from the many varieties of plants I have tried, like most of these above. My heart bursts with joy when the seedlings are a sea of green in early spring.
And, if it snows before I’m ready to plant my seedlings in Spring … they are so easy to cover, safe and sound!
There are lots of variations on techniques, bright ideas, and good information from gardeners who winter sow—all on the Internet. Flea Market Gardening’s editor in chief, Sue Langley, has an article on her first year winter sowing here.
Do you winter sow?
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This is very exciting, Stephie McCarthy! No, I have never ‘winter sown’ … looks so intriquing! The photos you’ve posted in this article are beautiful….icy cold & the warmth of protection & Spring plants. Thank you…I learned alot!
Great article! I researched this several years ago but haven’t tried it yet. I may finally try it this year. Here is the best site I have found on this topic: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/index.html
Lynn
I am liking this a lot. Heard of it but never studied it. So how much cold can these containers take ? I have a summer house that has screens for windows but the protection from the wind is there. We live in S.D. so our growing season is so-so and this would give me a jump on things.
It would definitely work in SD, Sue. With protection from the wind, some sunshine, and some hardy seeds, they will come up perfectly in those mini hothouses. I only water mine once in the beginning, then the rain gets in through the holes in the top. You might have to water your boxes once in awhile, or just put them where they will catch some rain like around the eaves of a building. They usually come up around April for me here in on the cold side of a mountain where I don’t get sun until about noon. But the seedlings catch up real quick, no damping off disease and no special dirt needed! My thing is it saves a lot of space here in the house—no more crowded rooms with straggling plants. I get nice healthy seedlings and can cover them up quick on the cold nights, and uncover them when the sun comes out.
I have never tried this, but you have inspired me to try it. Now I need to find some milk jugs or 2 liter bottles….
Plants are so expensive, and this will definitely be more economical. Thanks for the great article.
I meant to try this last winter, but didn’t get around to it. This year, I’m going to do it!
Can you Winter Sow in zone 7 B ?
@Tracey – I’m in zone 7b also (NC) and hesitant to do this but will do it this year and accept the end result. Actually, tomorrow I’m planing to go get some good soil for the seeds. Could you please let me know what you find about zone 7b winter sowing? Thanks!
Yes, it’s great in Zone 7 too! You may get a few warm spells, BUT seeds are very smart and are not usually fooled by brief cold spells, even in this kind of micro-climate. If you do think your sprouts are coming up early, just keep an eye on them and move them to a cooler shadier area to slow them down. By April, you can leave the tops off during the day when it is hot! That’s one thing that makes these boxes easier than milk jugs. Just pot the lid back on for night time dips.
^ POP, I mean
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