Winter Sowing is basically using outside temperatures, outside light and outside moisture to germinate your seeds in a natural rhythm. This is great for people who don’t have a greenhouse or the space indoors to set up grow lights and heat mats. Winter sowing takes care of cold stratification and scarification of seeds so you can skip that step altogether. Your seedlings will be stronger and a little bit ahead of seeds grown indoors.
There are lists online to help guide you to seeds that do well using this type of method. Some key words to look for are: Perennial, cool season, cold tolerant, frost tolerant, self-sows. Some annuals that do really well using this type of method are: larkspur, snapdragons, phlox, nigella, fever few, scabiosa, verbascum, lupine, and purple coneflower. If you’re planting vegetables using this method, plant seeds for cool season vegetable crops that you would normally be putting out in spring. If you’re planting perennials, look for seeds that require cold stratification or scarification, such as hardy hibiscus.
You can use any kind of container that will create a greenhouse type of dome over your seedlings. It also has to be something that allows light and moisture to come in through the top. Water jugs are great for this type of sowing.
Photo by Donna Fernandez
Supplies needed:
Water jug
Marker pen
Razor
Duct tape
Plastic plant tags
Potting soil (not seed starting mix)
Mister
Steps:
To take advantage of the coldest weather in Texas (January and February) start winter sowing by mid January.
Remove and discard lid. Poke 4 drain holes in bottom of jug. Cut jug in half leaving the handle attached. Make labels for inside the jug.
Pre-moisten your potting soil. Add pre-moistened potting soil to bottom of each jug up to where you made your cut. Press soil down just a little to remove air pockets. Put your plastic tag in the jug
Plant seeds according to package directions, you can sow thickly and separate later. Mist soil to moisten.
Duct tape the jug closed. Write the name of the seed on the duct tape.
Set outside in a sunny location where it will receive light and rain but be protected from too much wind. During a dry spell you can easily add some water through the top of the water jug.
Photo by Donna Fernandez
Once seedlings are ready to be planted out, no hardening off is needed using this method.