The Trusty Gardener-Have You Ever Tried Winter Sowing?

Winter Sowing: Planting Seeds In Containers and Placing Them Out in the Cold Until Spring

Welcome back to my Trusty Gardener series. The weather lately feels more like Spring with temperatures way above normal most of the time. We have again lost most of our snow that had returned towards the end of January. This is the second time this Winter that we lost a nice snow base of about a foot of snow. Time will tell if “real” Winter returns.

In January I wrote an article about ordering my garden seeds:

As you can see, this year I ordered my seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds in Maine. This was a new catalog for me this year and I was impressed with their seed selection and prices.

Is it Too Early to Start Seeds?

So what seeds do you start? I normally start tomatoes, onions, and sometimes peppers from seed. Here in Central New York, the best time to start these is in mid-March. Sometimes I start the onions earlier in March. Since the last frost is usually near the end of May in my location, the timing works out well for the plants to be transplanted into the garden.

What is Winter Sowing?

As I hinted at above, this technique involves planting seeds in containers and then placing them out in the snow and cold until Spring. Yes, you are reading this correctly! This is a plant-it-and-forget-it method that sounds crazy. But it works.

The best results will be with cold hardy, short-season vegetables such as kale, lettuce, spinach, onions, leeks, radishes, and Brussels sprouts. Tomatoes and peppers will also germinate, but will be delayed compared to those started indoors and will mature much later (too late for this area). The nice thing is that seeds sown this way require absolutely no care once planted, until they germinate. The containers are planted and frozen in time.

This can be used also for some flowers, although I only have tried vegetables. Following is a good video regarding Winter Sowing:

Winter Sowing is actually pretty simple. I start with a one-gallon milk or water jug that is clean. Remove the cap, and cut the jug in half except to leave one area to act as a hinge. Drain holes should be drilled or poked in the bottom to allow for proper drainage. The containers will not need to be watered once placed outside.

Fill the containers to about one inch from the top with a good growing medium. I tend to use potting soil as opposed to seed-starting soil since potting soil normally is better at retaining moisture. Seed-starting mixes tend to be very light and will dry out quickly.

Thoroughly wet the soil while allowing excess water to drain through the drain holes. Obviously, this is best done in a sink. Once wet, lightly tamp down the soil to create a uniform planting surface.

At this point, the containers can be planted and seeds covered to the recommended planting depth. Use a spray bottle to wet the soil again so as not to disturb the seeds. Again gently tamp the soil.

Once planted, the containers can be sealed. I normally use duct tape, but clear packing tape will work also. Make sure you get a good seal so the containers can be carried outside without separating. The cap is left off the container when placed outside. This will allow rain to enter once the snow eventually becomes rain as Spring approaches. Once outside, watering will not be needed until the seeds germinate.

Place the containers outside in a spot where they will not tip over. If necessary, even dig into the snow to create a level spot. Snow will not hurt them, they can be completely encased in snow.

Overall, I planted 8 containers as you can see. As I mentioned above, I purchased seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds. Following are the varieties I planted from Pinetree Seeds: Jericho and Rouge D’Hiver lettuces, Starbor and Dazzling Blue Kale, Early Giant Leeks, and Brisk Green Pak Choi. I also planted Evergreen Bunching Onions (scallions) from the Livingston Seed Company and also Sui Choy from Seeds ‘N Such. I will provide more info on these varieties in future articles.

The containers will be like time capsules. Plant it and forget it. To be re-discovered in the Spring, when you will find yourself peeking in through the tiny cap opening to see if any seeds have sprouted. In the meantime, no maintenance is necessary. Just relax and wait for Spring.

Stay tuned for updates.