Join Charles County Master Gardeners Molly Moore and Marlene Smith in this recorded presentation as they introduce 10 simple steps to winter sowing and share their personal experiences.
I love Trudi. I have been in contact with her over the years. As a Master Gardener myself, I have given a few classes on WinterSowing. I have always asked Trudi for her permission to copy her material.
I LOVE this method of propogating seeds!! Excellent step-by-step winter sowing instructions on why, how and when to start. Great idea to post it now in time for gardeners to prepare ahead. Having successfully sown wildflowers, perennials and hardy annuals for new flower borders, and veg seedlings this way, the most challenging thing is getting hold of fresh potting mix in January. When desperate and on a budget, I reuse soiless mix from last season's containers (using boiling water to sterilize it, allowing several hours or overnight to let it cool). When reusing potting soil I do add diluted Schultz plant food because many of the seedlings grow in their containers a month or more before I can get them in the ground due to weather constraints and available time. I too end up with more plants than I need so I use disposable plastic cups to pot them on and give them away. Wonderful way to garden in the winter. Just don't try to do it all in one go. Also, I get lots of big translucent containers from the restaurant near me. Evie in southwestern Ontario, zone 5b/6a.
Thanks for the additional tips! What I like best about the method is it is adaptable, and your tips support that. A lot of winter sowers buy their soil at the end of the fall season when it goes on sale to make sure they have enough on hand, but reusing the soil works too!
Thank you so much for this extensive instructions to winter sowing! I battle with several disabilities that make it very difficult for me to go outside most of the time, let alone being able to actually do anything in the garden. That's why I will be trying this method this year, mostly for native plants and native berry baring bushes (I live in The Netherlands), so hopefully I can at least use my garden for the benefit of all sorts of insects and birds etc., not forgetting plants needed for their offspring to eat :) I find it very exciting, but also a bit frightening to start, as I never know when or even if I will be able to do what's needed even with this very easy way of sowing seeds.
Happy to hear you are starting with native plants for the insects and birds; your garden should require minimal maintenance since native plants thrive with little care once established. Thanks for your comments!! I wish you much success in your first year of winter sowing!
Thank you for this wonderfully informative video! I am in zone 7 in the high desert of New Mexico outside Albuquerque. When it warms up, the sun shines with a vengeance! Last year, everything I planted burned except for my Mammoth Sunflowers which were on the side of the garage. I am hopeful this year's planting is more successful.
I just picked up 9 milk containers from my Indian takeout restaurant on campus. I got 12 last week. I will give them some flowers in planters this spring
Thank you! Super clear and organized. I loved the tomato timeline too - nice and specific. Will be doing this with students at an elementary school so they can enjoy observing the growing process for longer.
I germinate my veggies indoors. Last season I became intrigued by this winter-sowing approach. I decided to do an informal field trial with leeks, onions and shallots (I always do some kind of field trial when I want to try something new in my garden). I reserved one of my many 4' square raised beds for the trial. Half of the bed was reserved for winter-sown transplants and the other for the indoor plants. There was no doubt that my indoor plants did much better. Since it was my first attempt at winter-sowing, I haven't yet concluded that it doesn't work. I'm sure there are things I could improve upon. So I'm going to try the test again this year. I communicated with another gardener that has done winter-sowing only for many years. And she told me that she has much better success with tomatoes and peppers. So this year I'm going to do the same test on those plants also. From my research (including this video) I am starting to think that this approach works best with perennials. Even though I don't have a great need for perennials, I think I'll try a couple of those this year. Thanks for the informative video. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Side by side trials are always a good way to test a new process. I personally have not tried winter sowing any root vegetables. But I have had success with other cool season vegetables (peas, kale), many warm season vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, okra, beans, zucchini, squash, cucumbers), herbs (basil, sage, lavender, parsley, rosemary), annuals (marigolds, nasturtium, zinnias), and of course lots of perennials (mostly native varieties). I was never an indoor seed started, and once I saw the winter sowing method last year, I was hooked. Look forward to reading about your experience this year!
Thank you for such an informative and interesting video. Just heard of winter sowing and plan to try it this month. I live in middle TN and I'm very excited to get started
Thank you SO much for such a great and informative video! I have been winter sowing the last couple of winters. This winter my goal is to winter sow enough plants to fill the courtyard area of the assisted living facility where my Mom lives. Winter sowing is the only way I will be able to afford to do it, since as you mentioned, a $3 pack of seeds will generate a LOT of plants! :)
Lisa, Thanks for the feedback! I hope you got some useful tips! What a wonderful goal to fill the courtyard at the assisted living facility. Will you get the residents involved in winter sowing or in transplanting?
One of the benefits of winter sowing is the wide variety of containers that you can use. As long as you have drainage holes in the bottom and holes in the top for rain/snow to get in and the warm air to escape, you are only limited by your imagination!
Hello and thank you. I will start pollinator gardens in my property and will winter sow this weekend. Only issue is I purchased a perennial pollinator wildflower MIX. Not sure if this method will work on my mix seeds.
This is a great video, and I really appreciate the time you both took to share your successes, pictures, ideas, and experience. I will return to this often. One question I have is after you transplant the plants into the garden, what meter do you like to use to measure moisture, Ph, and temp? I had trouble with the one I purchased last year, and would love to hear if you've found one you like that works. This is my second year gardening, so it could also be user error :>) Thank you for the video.
Brilliant detailed presentation thank you for putting this content together to share with the public. Thank you for allowing access to content and extra resources. I subscribed to you channel and will recommend to family and friends. Again thank you ☺️
Environmental friendly is avoiding plastic as much as possible. Eat fruit and vegetables of season and everything becomes easier. Amazing how you rediscover taste again and again.
Recycling or repurposing plastics is also environmental friendly and why so many gardeners enjoy winter sowing. Plus it allows us to get our hands in the soil in the middle of winter. :)
Great presentation! Thanks. One question though. What keeps the seeds from rotting? I’ve always heard if you plant the seeds of things like peas too early they will just rot if the soil is too cold. This technique makes me wonder why I couldn’t just plant cold tolerant seeds like peas or broccoli in the raised bed in say December ( when it’s cold but before we get 2 ft of snow ) and cover with 1/2 a jar .
Hi Jan, You can do as you mentioned, but it's not the winter sowing method as described by Trudi Davidoff, the individual credited with creating the method. What you describe is gardening with cloches. When winter sowing in the protective, vented containers, the soil drains, which helps eliminate the issue you described of seeds rotting in the ground. As with any type of gardening, it is adaptable to what works for you. But as an avid winter sower, I can attest to how successful it was for me last year, which was my first year. Also, just as an FYI, I winter sowed my peas a few days ago on 2/2.
@@susanmjensen3479 No, it’s not too late to winter sow. If you need to wear a sweater or coat at night in your location, you can still winter sow. It’s the cool nights that matter. When you start to have warm nights, you want to move on to Spring Sowing.
What happens if you don't have snow cover to help protect the jugs? Are they ok if they are out in the open/exposed to the winter elements? I am in South Dakota, zone 4b. We don't have much snow cover right now so a pretty open winter. Thanks ahead of time.
Hi Debi. Winter sowing is done all over the world in areas that experience winter climates. Snow is not required. The lower winter temps are what some seeds need to experience before they will come out of dormancy. Keep an eye on your containers for condensation. If they lack condensation and/or feel light, you can water through gently from the top or from the bottom by soaking the container in a tub of water. Check out some of the references in the video, as they may also help answer your question. Good luck!
For several years now I have sown sown plants in pots that I then put onto capillary matting on a bench in an open greenhouse, some of these can be there tor two winters. But I can get moss on them just as I can in my propagators. I have asked in several places how to combat the moss but I haven't had any real answers. I wonder if you have any answer for me? Thank you in anticipation. Art Russell
Hi Arthur, Thanks for your question. Have you contacted the experts at University of Maryland "Ask Extension"? I think they would be a good resource. If you type "Ask Extension: Get Answers to Your Gardening Questions" in a browser, it should bring up their page. (Unfortunately, when I try to add a link, the response gets deleted.)
@@RipleysSanatorium Winter sowing is a game changer for many! I had more than I could put in my garden, and more than I could give away. But I guess that's a good problem to have.
No one answered my question for what zone you are in. I would like to know when I should put my tomatoes in by winter sowing? Even zone 7 is a couple weeks difference I think. Thanks.
@@cherylwhitesell4103 My apologies! I had responded the same day you asked that I winter sowed my tomatoes on 3/3 in zone 7a. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Or you can follow me on the Winter Sowers Facebook page. :)
