How to Winter Sow Seeds in Milk Jugs

Impatiently waiting for spring to start your garden? Get a jump start on the growing season with winter sowing.

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Some seeds need to go through the process of cold stratification in order to break their dormancy and sprout.

Nature will typically handle this on its own, however, we can easily replicate this natural process by winter sowing.

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Winter sowing is a method of starting seeds in mini greenhouses (in this case, milk jugs) outside.

This method helps break the dormancy of seeds by exposing them to the outside elements, just as nature would.

After the seeds sprout, the milk jug will provide the perfect environment for the seedlings to grow.

Depending on your location, you may begin sowing seeds sometime between December and March. (Whichever is your coldest month.)

Winter sowing works best with certain types of seeds.

On the back of the seed packet, look for terms such as hardy, self-sows, reseeds, cold stratify/stratification, withstands frost, sow in early autumn/winter/spring, direct sow before frost.

Seeds with these labels need to be cold stratified (or overwintered) in order to sprout. You will have great results winter sowing them.

Tropical and tender plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, will not do well as they need much warmer temps to sprout.

Seeds that can be winter sown:

Flowers:

• Black Eyed Susan
• Calendula
• Celosia
• Cone Flowers
• Cosmos
• Dandelion
• Marigold
• Morning Glory
• Poppies

Vegetables:

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collard Greens
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard

Herbs:

• Chamomile
• Chives
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Anise Hyssop
• Lavender
• Mint
• Mustard
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Sage
• Salsify

How to Winter Sow Seeds in Milk Jugs

Here’s what you need:

• Clean, clear milk jugs
• Scissors/razor (I used these handy-dandy garden scissors)
• Duct tape
• Potting soil or seed starting mix
• Seeds
• Sharpie/permanent marker

Here’s what you do:

1. Poke several drainage holes in the bottom of the milk jug.

2. Cut the milk jug in half around the middle, leaving a small piece still attached at the handle.

3. Fill the bottom half with damp, loose potting soil or seed starting mix.

4. Sow the seeds according to their preference. It will state on the seed’s package whether to surface sow or cover lightly with soil.

5. Flip the top half of the lid back over onto the milk jug and secure it closed with duct tape. Leave the cap off of the milk jug for air flow.

(Don’t forget to label it!)

6. Place your jug outside in a sunny location where it can receive rain or snow fall.

7. Check on the jugs every week or so and add a little water through the top opening if the soil appears dry.

8. Let nature do its thing. It will take several weeks before you’ll see seedlings start to emerge.

9. Once the seedlings begin to outgrow the milk jug, remove the duct tape and flip the top over.

10. Transplant the seedlings into the garden or pots after the last frost date in your area. Check for your last frost date here.

Are you going to try winter sowing this year? What do you plan to grow?

More in this series:

• Plan a Summer Vegetable Garden in 5 Easy Steps
• Beginner’s Guide to Starting Seeds Indoors
• Direct Sowing Seeds: What and When

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Until next time,