Winter Sowing 101: The Basics

Winter Sowing with Roxana from Soil and Margaritas

In this video, my friend Roxana shares her experience winter sowing for the first time using clear plastic water bottles.

Winter sowing is a method of growing seeds in late winter for spring planting. It is done using small containers (i.e. milk jugs, storage totes, food take away containers) that act as mini greenhouses outside. Winter sowing is easy to do and this technique is perfect for people who have limited space indoors.

When To Winter Sow Seeds in Your Garden?

  • January – February is typical for Midwest USA gardens
  • Don’t fear is you miss the February cut-off – check your seed packs for cold periods to see if you can sow later

What Plants Can You Winter Sow?

  • Seeds needing cold stratification are great candidates
  • Perennial Flowers – Shasta daisies, Salvia, Phlox, Dianthus, Poppy
  • Native Plants – Milkweed, Black-eyed Susan, Purple Cone Flower, Liatris, Lobelia
  • Cool Season Annuals – Snapdragon, Pansy, Nasturtium, and more
  • Cool Season Vegetables – Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale and more
  • Herbs – Thyme, Chives, Parsley, Basil

Advantages of Winter Sow Method

  • Easy process that is fairly hands-off once the seeds are planted
  • Less mess from seed starting indoors
  • Hardening-off the seedlings is not required
  • Great way to reuse plastic containers
  • No special equipment required

Lesson Resources

Soil and Margaritas YouTube Channel

Soil and Margaritas Instagram

Roxana shares the results of this winter sowing (starts at time stamp 6:32)

Starting Seeds in Winter

Winter Sowing Seeds

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