Winter sowing is a fun and easy way to start seeds outside during the winter. Seeds are sown in miniature greenhouses made from recycled plastic containers, and then put outside in the snow and freezing cold. The rest of the work is left to Mother Nature. Once the weather starts to warm in the spring, the seeds will germinate at their own pace, just as in nature. Sounds cool, right? It gets better…
Since the winter sown containers go outside, they don’t take up space in the house. With winter sowing, there’s no need to sterilize seedling flats and trays, you don’t need any special equipment (like lights or heat mats), there’s no risk of the seedlings damping off, and no need to harden them off. Plus, winter sown seedlings are hardier and more robust than seeds sown indoors, which means they have a much higher survival rate. Wow! Are you ready to try winter sowing? Great, I will show you how.
Supplies For Winter Sowing
- Winter sowing containers
- Scissors
- Drill or old metal knife
- Potting soil
- Seeds
- Heavy duty tape
- Plant tags
- Pencil, permanent marker or paint pen
How To Winter Sow – Step By Step
- Step 1: Choose your winter sowing containers – Winter sowing containers can be made out of items you throw out every day; containers like milk jugs, 2 liter bottles, restaurant/deli/bakery food containers, ice cream buckets…etc. The shape and size of the container doesn’t matter, but it must be made of transparent plastic, be deep enough to allow for 2-3 inches of soil in the bottom, and tall enough to allow a few inches of headspace for the seedlings to grow. Read more about winter sowing containers here… Choosing Winter Sowing Containers
Options For Winter Sowing Containers
- Step 2: Prepare the winter sowing containers – To prepare your winter sowing containers, you will first want to clean the containers. If you’re using a tall narrow container like a 2 liter bottle or milk jug, you’ll need to cut the container in half using a pair of scissors. Next, poke holes in the top and bottom of the container. Heating a knife and melting the holes makes this task easier (use an old knife because it will turn black over time and have plastic residue on it), otherwise you can use a drill or something sharp to poke the holes. Poke enough holes in the bottom of the container to allow the water to drain so the seeds won’t drown. Add the same amount of holes in the top of the container (if you use milk jugs or 2 liter bottles, simply leave the caps off rather than poking holes). The holes in the top are there to vent the containers so they won’t overheat, and also to allow rain and moisture to enter the containers.
How To Prepare Winter Sowing Containers
- Step 3: Add soil to the winter sowing container – Regular potting soil can be used for winter sowing seeds. I’ve also used the seed starting soil mix that is specifically made for starting seeds, but it’s a little more expensive. Just make sure you get quality soil to use in your winter sowing containers – don’t go super cheap on the potting soil. Cheap dirt is too heavy and the seeds will have a hard time germinating, or may end up rotting. Plus cheap dirt could be full of weed seeds. Always use fresh, sterile soil when starting seeds; and never, never use soil from your garden in any of your winter sowing containers.
- Step 4: Sow the seeds – The best types of seeds to use for winter sowing are the seeds of cold hardy annuals, herbs and vegetables, or plants that are perennial in your zone. If you’re unsure, check the seed packet. Look for terms like “self sowing”, “direct sow outside in the fall”, “direct sow outside in early spring” or “cold stratification”. Keywords like these are good indicators of seeds that will work well for winter sowing. The number of seeds you add to each container is up to you, but I prefer to space them out a bit to make it easier to separate the seedlings for planting. If the seeds are sown too thick, they will be difficult to separate once they have grown into seedlings. Read my post about What Seeds To Winter Sow to learn more about how to choose seeds for winter sowing, a get list of seeds I’ve had success winter sowing.
Winter Sowing Seeds
- Step 5: Label your winter sowing containers – There are a few ways you could label your winter sowing containers. Some people use masking or duct tape to label their containers, and others write directly on the top of the container. However, if you use pencil or a permanent marker, the writing will eventually fade in the sun, and could be unreadable by spring. Some people swear that a paint pen won’t fade, but I haven’t tested this out yet. If you choose to use tape, put it on the bottom of the container so it won’t fade. My preferred method for labeling winter sowing containers is to use plastic plant markers (or make my own using cut up old vinyl mini blinds) and write on them with pencil. Then I push the marker into the soil, and have never had one of them fade.
- Step 6: Water your winter sowing containers – Water the potting soil in the winter sown containers thoroughly, and allow the containers to drain before moving them outside. I give mine a light shower with the sprayer in my kitchen sink because it won’t disrupt the soil. If the soil is really dry, water the container a few times to make sure the soil is evenly moist.
Watering The Winter Sowing Containers
- Step 7: Put the lids on the containers – Putting the lids on your winter sowing containers depends on what type of container you use. If the lid snaps on and fits tight, then you’re done. If you used a tall container that you cut in half (i.e.: milk jug, 2 liter bottle), then you can use duct tape (or other heavy duty tape) to attach the lid back onto the container (but leave the caps off). You can tape the lids on any container if the lid doesn’t fit tightly, just make sure you don’t completely cover the transparent parts of the container.
- step 8: Put the winter sown containers outside – Move your winter sown container outside in a spot where they are protected from heavy wind, but will get moisture and full sun. If you have pets or children, put the winter sown containers on a table or other spot where they will be out of reach.
- Step 9: Forget about them until spring – Once your winter sown seed containers are moved outside, you can pretty much forget about them until early spring. Don’t worry, it’s OK if they’re completely covered by snow for a few months. Leave them be.
Winter Sown Seeds Outside
Winter Sowing Maintenance
Once the weather starts to warm up, check your winter sown containers regularly for any signs of growth. Cold weather plants will start to germinate first, things like broccoli, lettuce, spinach and spring blooming perennials.
Plants From Winter Sown Seeds
The only maintenance you have to do in the spring is to make sure the winter sown containers don’t overheat, and that the soil doesn’t dry out. Once the seedlings get tall enough where they are touching the top of the inside of the container, it’s time to remove the lids. Winter sown seedlings can dry out pretty quickly once you take the lids off, so check them at least once a day and water if necessary. Once the lids are off, keep an eye on the weather report. If there is a chance of frost, cover the containers with a sheet or blanket overnight.
More reading about winter sowing
- Seed Starting Course
- Winter Sowing eBook
- What Seeds To Winter Sow
- Winter Sowing FAQs – Winter Maintenance
- Winter Sowing During a Mild Winter
Other winter sowing resources
To learn more about winter sowing and how to winter sow seeds, click here… Winter Sowing
Have you ever tried winter sowing? Share your tips in the comments section below.
Pin It!
.
I was so excited to read this post! Wish I would've read the part about using old knives yesterday! I like your idea about using the cut up blinds here. If the containers get covered with snow should I just leave them alone? I am still a bit uncertain as to which seeds are okay to start with this method. I tried sorting my seeds out to figure which ones I can winter sow. How about Datura
Hi Julie,
Thanks, I'm glad you like my post!
Yes, it's fine if the containers get covered by snow.
As for which seeds to use, check the package. If they say anything about "self sowing", "direct sow outside in the fall", "direct sow outside in early spring", "cold stratification"… keywords like this are good indicators
That's a great post Amy; it was very informative and well-composed. Now I understand why we've saved a pile of stuff that normally would go in the recycling or garbage!
I thought of a couple questions.
1. The first question has to do with timing. I'm the vegetable-garden-guy part of our gardening team. I'd like to try starting some vegetables from seed that I would normally buy as seedlings. Specifically, I'd like to try tomatos, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and a variety of peppers. I'd be nervous using the winter sowing
Amy~
I have a question about Coleus seeds. I'm pretty sure they are too sensitive for winter sowing so how do you recommend I start them? Indoors in a sunny window? Outdoors after last frost? My plan is to have them in pots for the summer and them I'll take cuttings for next year. Thanks again for your excellent guidance!
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your nice comments. I'm glad you could think of some questions to ask…
1. You can start both tomatoes and peppers with this method. They will both do fine, but if you want to be safe, you can try some of them with this method and the rest with your usual method and see what you like best. As you said, the broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage will do great
Hi Julie,
Coleus are very easy to start in a sunny window in your house. They don't require any special seedling care and won't become leggy inside. You can also use the winter sowing method in early spring (April/May) or sow them directly into your pot outside in May. They are very easy to grow from seed.
Amy
Hi FranksGreenGirl!
I know what you mean about running out of room quickly when you start your seeds indoors. I am so happy that I discovered winter sowing! For the last few years, I have been starting seeds indoors as well as winter sowing. This year, I jumped in with both feet and am winter sowing all of my seeds…none inside for me this year!
No, it's definitely not too
By the way, here is a link to my current winter sowing status report… Winter Sowing status report #4. There are links at the bottom to my previous status reports.
Hi Amy:
I've been starting seeds in-doors for a couple years now using an aquarium. This method is something I would love to try with vegetables. I started my Tomatoes and Peppers last week in-doors and since I'm running out of room and lighting I think this would be a great experiment for me to try with the remainder of my vegetable seeds since the garden keeps getting bigger and
Amy – ready to try the winter sowing! My question is, how many seed do I put into one of the containers? My containers are 6 x 6. Think I will give the ice cream buckets a try as well. Thoughts? Thanks! Theresa
Hi Theresa! Glad to hear you're going to try winter sowing, how exciting! I usually try to space my seeds about an inch apart in the containers. Sometimes I squeeze them in closer if I have a few seeds left over. Take a look at the second picture on this blog post of mine, you'll see the spacing of the peas I sowed in one of my containers…
Great post Amy.Thanks for your useful tips on winter sowing.The idea looks great. I am planning to try it out. Hope i would succeed in it.
Great! Good luck.
You have no idea how excited I am that I found your blog posts on winter sowing. I bought seeds today and will start my "sowing" project this week.
Yeah!! Good luck and feel free to ask my any questions.
Amy
So, I have a couple of silly questions! I apologize for their ridiculousness–I'm originally a city girl, and my gardening attempts have not gone well, but I really would like to get growing!
1) Would "afternoon" as opposed to morning sun be ok, as long as it isn't full sun? Our house doesn't really get much direct morning sun (hill, forest, etc.), but there is
Hi, great questions (and totally not ridiculous)!
1) Yes, as long as you keep them out of the intense afternoon sun. You won't have to worry about this too much until it starts to get warmer.
2) You don't have to worry about this until after the seeds have sprouted, and you've taken the tops off of the containers. If you can't get the tops back on because
This will be my first time winter sowing as I had never heard of it before. My tomatoes actually do it on their own in my garden, as I've had quite a few volunteers the last couple years, so I guess I have been doing it without knowing it. I am looking forward to trying it here in southwest Ohio.
Great, glad to hear you're going to give it a try. Good luck!
I am an avid gardener and just love to grow veggies. We supplement our food bill by growing as much as possible. Having moved from our house to a flat with a garden has it`s problems but we always had too much before. In the summer we had so much that we used to give to all the neighbours. The trouble was that even they could not use the quick enough. Now is still OK as we have just enough
Great, hope it works well for you! Good luck with your new garden.
Amy
Why not just directly sow them in late fall where you want them to grow?
The containers protect them so the seeds won't wash away or be eaten by birds and other animals. Also, the containers act like mini greenhouses, which means the seeds will sprout much earlier than they would in the ground, and the containers protect the seedlings from rain/wind/pests. Plus, it's fun! 🙂
Amy
Hey! Great post by the way loved it 🙂 My only question is when would be a good general start date for putting the containers outside?
Hi Eddie,
Thanks, glad you like the post. Some people make a ritual of it and start winter sowing on the winter solstice. But I usually start sometime in January or February, whenever I have time to get started. I'm in Minnesota, so if you live in a warmer climate, you can start earlier. But don't start until the evening temperatures are consistently below freezing, or you may get
Amy, Great post! I have been winter sowing the past few years in zone 8b. We have to be very careful here not to start the seeds too early. Our weather goes from 80 to 30 sometimes in a couple of days and can freeze plants that are too far along. May I use your post and photos for a presentation to after school students and the local Home and Garden show?
Alice – Master Gardener
Hi Alice! Thanks for the nice comment about my post. Sure, you can use my post and photos in the presentation, but please make sure that you cite me and this website as your source for both the photos and the text.
Thanks,
Amy
Great post 🙂 My question is how many seeds to put in each container? Also how do you separate them when you are ready to plant without doing to much damage to the roots?
Thanks 😉
The amount of seeds you sow in each container depends on the type or seed and your preference. Some people like to sow seeds really thick, others like to sow only a few seeds per container. The thicker you sow the seeds, the harder they can be to separate for planting. I personally prefer to sow the seeds farther apart so they are easier to separate.
To separate the seedlings, I find
Amy,
First of all, thank you so much for this new technique. the only question I have is : when you moisten the soil and then put it outside in winter condition, it turns into icy clump with the seeds in it. Won't it hurt them?
Would be very grateful for your answer
Larisa
Larisa, this method works just like in nature. The seeds in the ground in our gardens are frozen and buried under all that snow during the winter, and then they germinate in the spring when they're ready. Winter sowing seeds works the same way. The benefits of winter sowing rather than directly sowing the seeds into the garden is that the containers will protect the seeds from being washed
Great post! Very thorough. I love growing all kinds of things in the cooler temperatures.
Thank you!
Isn’t it amazing that something as simple as a plastic milk jug can serve as a mini greenhouse? Love it! I hope everyone who reads this will give it a try. Great tips.
Yes, it is amazing and lots of fun! I hope everyone will give it a try too.
Amy
Hello,
Thank you so much for this post! I’m so excited to give this a try! Just wanted to ask a question though… is there a temperature that is too cold for winter sowing? I live in Canada and it can get down to -40 with the wind chill around these parts (never colder though). I see you live in MN; I imagine it gets that cold down there too, but wanted to check 🙂
Thanks again; I’m going to start it this week!
Yes, it can get down to about -20F or -30F during harsh winters. It’s all about the seeds you use. Perennials or anything that seeds itself in your climate will work great. I usually wait until late January or Feb to start winter sowing my cold weather vegetables, that way they won’t be in the deep freeze for quite as long.
We live in PA. Can we start winter sewing now or is it too late?
You can start now, it should still work.
Thank you so much Amy! I’ve collected a bunch of transparent containers; tomorrow I’m off to buy some seed starting soil and going to give it a try. Can’t wait! It seems too good to be true 🙂
Awesome, hope it works great for you!!
Thanks 🙂
Would an adoption of this method work for early spring sowing? I’m in Wisconsin, and would like to get a jump-start on my seedlings. What do you think the outcome would be if I planted seeds now (mid-March) in my raised garden, then put the salad container over the seeds to act like a greenhouse?
I think that would work great. If it gets really cold again after the seeds start sprouting, you could always toss a blanket over the top of the containers to keep them warm overnight. Good luck!
Great ideas and I’m desperate to begin as its Dec tomorrow and I’m already getting withdrawal symptoms from gardening. Here in North Uk, we have a lot of rain, strong winds throughout from now until April and sometimes frost on and off for between now and May. I’m going to be using gallon water bottles, square ones and they have a cap. Do I leave the cap off all the time? Or would I put it back on when it’s heavy rain for several days forecast just to protect them?
I know what you mean, I’m already going through withdrawals too! 🙂 Haha! It’s best to leave the caps off of the water jugs for ventilation. As long as the opening is small, they won’t get washed away from the rain.
This is really interesting. I did not know you could do this and they stay out int he snow and they are ok. Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Sharing on G+! Have a great week!
Kim
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey, Amy! Just wanted to let you know that we loved your Winter Sowing Guide so much when you shared it at the #HomeMattersParty last week, we’ve FEATURED it THIS WEEK! Hope you can check it out when you get a sec. Happy Friday!
Wow, thanks so much!!
These are great tips! I need to share this with my friends up north stuck in all this snow! Thanks for sharing! #HomeMattersParty
Yes you totally should, they will love it!! (it’s snowing here today, and it makes me want to get out my containers and start sowing! LOL!)
Great tips. I’ve never been able to grow much, every year I say I’ll try again! Thanks for sharing on #HomeMattersParty
Can I also sow echeveria and sepervivum seeds in the same way?
If they are cold hardy plants, then the winter sowing method could work for them. I’ve never tried it using those seeds before. I would definitely test it out with a few seeds to see if it works, rather than using all of your seeds for this method.