Winter Sowing Method

What does the gardener do after the flurry of holiday activities is over and the long wait until spring planting begins?  What if you have no room for indoor grow lights or outdoor space for a greenhouse?  Have no fear, winter sowing will help you scratch that itch to get busy playing in the dirt. It is a simple way to get a headstart on the spring garden and one of the easiest methods of seed starting.

Materials needed:

Any clear (or light-colored) plastic container with a lid

-(Juice or milk jugs, kale or salad clamshell containers, etc.)

Compost or potting soil of your choice

Seeds

Drill, scissors, or nail & hammer (for drilling holes)

Garden marker

Water or spray bottle

Winter sowing begins with preparing the containers used for growing.  Drainage holes need to be made in the bottom of the container, but also in the top of the container to allow rain or snow to keep the soil moist.  Since the containers are kept outside all winter, they are able to drink up any precipitation. This also allows the gardener to water without removing the lid, should supplemental moisture be needed.  Keeping the interior as warm and humid as possible is vital.

After ample holes are created, it is time to add 2-3 inches of your choice of soil.  The vessels will hold the seedlings for just a short time, and so a small amount of soil should be adequate.  Moisten the soil before adding the seeds.

Add the seeds of your choice to moistened soil, adding enough soil on top just to cover, without worrying too much about planting space. These seedlings will be transplanted into the larger garden within weeks, and can tolerate a bit of crowding in the winter sowing containers.  The best types of seeds to use for this method of sowing are beets, broccoli, cabbage, greens (arugala, kale, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard), leeks, onions, and a whole host of flowers.

Again, moisten the soil, place the lid on the container, write the name of the crop on the outside of the container and place it somewhere out in the garden in a sunny spot.  That's it!  No need to baby the seedlings.  Things will germinate when it is their time to do so.  Watering is usually unnecessary, unless there is no precipitation for a long stretch.  The humidity and warmth created inside the containers will help the seeds do what they do best at the right time.

Once the seedlings germinate, they can be transplanted to garden beds, grow bags,  5-gallon buckets, or garden plots, whatever you grow your veggies in.  You needn't wait until all of the seedlings come up, they can be transferred a few at a time, as long as the soil and ambiant temperatures are appropriate for the particular crop.  Once they get transplanted, it won't be long until you start enjoying food from the garden.

The only crops that may not love this method are those that don't like to be moved, such as beans, carrots, peas or some fussier flowers like poppies or snapdragons.

Some of the advantages of winter sowing:

1.  inexpensive

2.  eco-friendly

3.  fairly hands-off (after initial planting)

4.  no need to harden plants off

5.  space requirement is small

6.  uses everyday items (that can be reused from year to year)

7.  earlier transplanting means earlier harvests 

I hope you'll give this method a try.  

It's a very rewarding way to garden, especially when you are ready to 

get out there and plant!