Winter Sowing for the Lazy Gardener
Master Gardener Jennifer Deeks shares tips for getting a head start on your seeds for the growing season ahead.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
The past several winters have not been the snowy winter wonderland of my childhood memories. Rather, they dragged on like an endless November – chilly and dark without any redeeming qualities.
This winter has already seen several large snow events with even the road plows staying home for safety. Tucked away cozy in the house in the aftermath of the latest blizzard, I am starting my seeds for the upcoming growing season.
I am running a couple of months behind other gardeners who do this in the fall, but this is the only slow time of year for me. You may be surprised to hear that I am also doing this outdoors. Not completely outdoors, as I plant the seeds from the comfort of my dining room, but then they go outdoors, and I don’t think about them again until April.
Traditional seed starting involves shelves, lights, trays, warming mats, and other accoutrements that require space, time and money. This technique is still important for plants like tomatoes that need a longer growing season than Central Ontario has to offer.
But for many, perennials, native plants, and cold, hardy vegetables grow very happily without any of those things. A few years ago, I discovered the joys of winter sowing. For frugal, busy, or just lazy (like me) gardeners, this technique is a game changer.
With my focus on starting native plant varieties, adding winter sowing to my repertoire has allowed me to produce many plants in a small space with very little input. For people who really want to grow something but can’t commit to the indoor set-up, this is a really great way to indulge that green thumb.
Winter sowing is just a minor tweak to how seeds would start if they naturally dropped outdoors. By organizing and protecting the seeds, we prevent them from blowing away or being eaten. Many seeds either require (or at least tolerate) a period of cold or freezing to germinate properly. This is called “stratification,” and winter sowing takes advantage of this feature.
There are numerous ways to winter sow. I use recycled 2-litre soda bottles by cutting them in half, drilling drainage holes in the bottom, and leaving the lids off. Once I plant the seeds, I hold the tops and bottoms together with painter’s tape.
One of my good friends uses regular seed trays and places wooden frames fitted with wire hardware cloth over them to deter squirrels. Once the seeds are planted, they are placed outdoors, where they stay protected in their little containers, watered by the winter snow and spring rain.
My bottles have the added advantage of warming up sooner than the ground around them, so my seeds get a head start on germination. In late spring, the baby plants can be moved into bigger pots, planted in the garden, or harvested straight from their container. A bit of fresh spinach from the patio or balcony in April is a real treat!
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
This is brilliant! I can start my greens now! Thank you!