Seeds That Need To Be Started NOW! 

Happy about this video and to get a little fix for my gardening withdrawal. It kills me to have to wait until March/April to start seeds indoors. Last year I couldn’t wait anymore and started lemon cucumbers in the beginning of February and had 20 huge vines running through my kitchen by mid April so I couldn’t step anywhere anymore lol patience is so hard 😂

I love MI seeds, you can try a bunch of different stuff and not break the bank. $2 a pack is a great deal.

Winter sowing works great for all these seeds also.

Do you have a list of seeds that need to go through Cold Stratification?

I hope you do a demo like this for hot peppers. This video has got me excited for dirt and manure.

All of your strawberry seeds are sold out. When will you have more? Appreciate your videos! I've learned a lot from your channel.

Thanks Luke! Every time i see someone starting seeds I can feel the stress bubbling up, I have to remind myself that we are in different zones, different lengths of growing seasons but I also should just go ahead and mark a calendar for start dates 👌🏽

Next year I'm going to have to start ordering seeds from you early so I can buy from you. Thank you for your videos.

Yep, I started some in the garden, but I am behind on getting the milk jugs going for Houston area of the country. It is so nice to be back in the dirt again. I missed it when I missed the fall planting due to Covid issues in my body. I am feeling better now and happy, happy, happy to be back in the garden this month!!!

This will be my 3rd year purchasing from y'all! I am a 100% satisfied customer and I have enjoyed all the knowledge you and your team have shared. Thank you and have a blessed new year!

Thank you Luke, I always put the whole pack in the fridge. Now I know the correct way. I also buy your seeds priced right and they are always viable.

I have 14 jugs planted and in their winter jug spot. I will be doing a few more. I want to plant some dinosaur kale.

Hey Luke,thanks for the reminder!I checked my cherry,paw paw&peach seeds stratifying in the fridge while listening.3 peach sprouted out of 4,all 12 cherries sprouted but the paw paws did not.The paw paws have not been in there as long as the rest by 2 or 3 months so giving them more time.The others went in the fridge in August.My first sprouts of the new year!

I've had no problems getting Milk Thistle started without bothering with cold stratification. Also, I highly recommend using a spray bottle to get the seeds moist.

I funking love cold stratification

Thanks Luke, we love your videos and seeds.

I've never tried this before! Well, time for me to send off an order to MIgardener for strawberry seeds!! I was shopping there last night, glad I saw this video today, before I sent in that order! Thanks again Luke, for another AWESOME video!! (I've got to buy a MIgardener merch, since I'm already a walking advertisement for yall!! Lol)

Thank you for explaining that! I didn't realize so many seeds needed cold stratification! For example, I grew butterfly milkweed last year without the cold-strat step, and now I think I understand why they took so long to grow! They did bloom and produce seeds, but maybe they would have done so sooner.

Good little trick if you've had problems with mold during cold stratification is to sprinkle some cinnamon on your moist paper towel & seeds. The cinnamon will prevent mold for long enough that you can complete the stratification period, then plant your seeds.

Thank you very much.

Stinging Nettle! The birds brought it here. I'm on eradication mode with that stuff.

Great video with awesome information. However, I couldn’t take my eyes off of that wall! It’s extraordinary to say the least!!

Thanks again Luke, I'll be doing this tonight 🌱☺️

Check out any seed swap events in your local cities. It's a fantastic way to meet other gardeners, get seeds for free and even donate seeds to your community

Fantastic information!

You can tear pieces of the paper towel off with seeds on it and plant that torn piece. The paper towel wis biodegradeable. I dry my own tomato seeds on paper towel and tear off bits of the paper towel and start the seeds that way. Never fails.

That clarifies a lot. Thank you Luke 🙏🏻

To move a little seeds around, you can just tear off pieces of the paper towel and then scrape them off or just let them sprout and grow through it

I just put it into the ground every other week until I think I have enough for my needs here in zone 11b, just not getting it too much water in rainy weather days.

If the tiny seeds have rooted a lot, I like to just cut out the area of paper towel each seed is sitting on.

Starting a new garden in the spring. Walk me through it please. Currently just lawn.

I have seeds out in milk jugs for winter sowing. It is going to get below zero here in Kansas. I’m hoping they will be ok!

Spring will be here before we know it! Thanks for sharing this great information, Luke!

O thank you Luke! I had totally forgotten about stratisfying some of my seeds 😮

I didn’t know it suppose to be on a wet paper towel. I just put the packet in. I guess I’ll be doing it the right way.

Going to give this a try. I garden all year and am just starting to harvest some broccoli. Now I will be ready to go with spring plants when the time comes.

Thank you for sharing your expertise

I ordered package of seeds from you guys, I’m on zone 7 and I already started, strawberries, Brussels Sprouts, Brocoli, Onions and Radicchio, thanks for sharing all this info and tips 😎

This explains why I have never had luck with strawberry seeds. I have just planted them.

Thank you for this video it help alot to get start and know what to start and when plus I can share this video with friends and family who think can grow. Keep it up.

Thank you for sharing.

I have thought of this on when to plant certain things outdoors, like peas, but not in the fridge. Thank you, because I think I did buy some lavendar from you.

This didn’t work for me. My napkin molded after a month so glad I checked it- had to transfer to a new paper towel not wet. Hopefully they weren’t damaged.

Hi Luke, for things like strawberries (or for any of the cold stratification seeds you put in the ziploc bag), would it be okay to just plant the paper towel in soil, then once they germinate and are a little bit bigger you can either pot them up or place them in rows in the growing bed, etc? I'm trying to grow a stinging nettle patch and I really don't care how close the plants are at this point, and I'm thinking I can just plant the moist paper towel. It would insure less disturbance to the seeds. Your thoughts are appreciated!

There are seed tweezers with silicone tips and also other ones with cups to not damage seeds. one brand is called "Huggers" (never used them, but their objective is obvious)

Interesting information on starting seeds from the fridge to grow lights but I don't have all that so what else can I do to start seeds to make them germinate just right before Spring??

I start my seeds in baggies. But once they start sprouting, I'll put them in a container of soil with a little bit of soil over top. Then when the seedlings start popping out of the soil, that's why I separate them and replant them.

I am excited about this milk jug video! I have 14 saved! And was scared to start!

Now I know why I could never get lavender to sprout.

That just seems like a lot of work I've never had a problem direct planting them at the beginning of spring My strawberries from last year are still growing all over the place I've already got okra black beans and tomatoes growing😊

Good to know. With the smaller seeds, You could just put the paper towel with the seeds in a pot and cover them. That way there's no messing around with tweezers.

Thank you❤

Do you have a list of seeds that like cold stratification?

When ready for soil, what about just cutting/tearing off a piece of the paper towel to transport the sprouted seeds?

Using clean toilet paper works better than paper towels, because it'll easily break apart when it comes time to sowing.

That's pretty cool. I can't wait to see the milk jug video.

Winter sowing is so fun, saves space, easy to grow. We have grown ours in our breezeway where it gets strong afternoon sun. Tomatoes and peppers are ready to go earlier. We start ours usually around April 1.

I have a question about storing seeds and when they expire. I have seeds we purchased in 2016 that are in a mylar bag and have been in the fridge for storage- they have never been opened. Are these seeds still good or should I consider replenishing my seeds? We purchased some seeds for emergency storage but I am thinking these won't keep well as years go by. What seeds can we store for longer periods so we have back up seeds when you can't get ahold of garden seeds? Thanks for your help. Love your videos and all your valuable information - THANK. YOU!

I'd love to see a close up video on how remove them and plant into the dirt..like how much dirt to put on them and how much water. When I tried this, they didnt come up. Maybe they dried out or went into shock, IDK. I do love the jug method and have done it for several years now. Some people will put the jug in the fridge if they are in a place that doesnt stay consistently cold. Others will just sow into seedling trays and put the tray outside.

Wow thank you for this video . Imagine a Thai person who lives in canada and trying to grow strawberry and apple from seed without going to school about it. For first few years strawberry and apple didn’t sprout but when I grow lemon or fruits from Thailand it worked! First I blamed myself I have a hot green thumb not cold green thumb!😂😂😂

I just harvest the Mammoth basil that I grew in my hydroponic container. The leaves were 10" by at least 3" wide. I took pictures. My family and friends were shocked by the size.

LUKE-When you do the winter sow video Please address the higher temps many of us are having. Last year it was raining in WI and Way too hot and the winter sow was not very good. The seeds either rotted or germinated and froze. And I covered them with sheet of cardboard to prevent too much heat and rain getting to them. I have been directing comments on a recent winter sow video to you at MIG because Many are from MI and are concerned of when to start WS’g. Many also don’t like the cost of potting soil used in WS and told them of your direct sow of seeds done right in the raised beds with a clear tote over them. Our temps are in reverse and lagging- Halloween 36*F, Thanksgiving 41*, Christmas 52*!!😮. We just now are in 30s and still above normal, but at least it’s holding so far. I’m keeping the mess outside this year. Starting seeds only the weeks needed on the package plus the approximate germination time added. Exception are those that need 12 weeks I will get going inside. It will be warmer out later and easier to heat the lean to greenhouse. And if I do winter sow it will be probably March because if they sprout I can at least cover them from freezing temps and get them to transplant time. No sense in having too much advanced growth because the soil needs to be warm enough or it just sets the plant back. The plants have a set time to produce. We had 90s all month of May last year and NO weather warning of frost Memorial Day weekend. It wiped out grapes, berries and almost all transplants! Ugh!! I almost threw in the towel. Winery lost 95% of grapes. This year Mitza Creek Farms in Hayward, WI is far north and she’s reporting growth on mums, tulips and wild honeysuckle shrubs 😮😮-they have No snow and are just as warm if not warmer than zone 5a. At least we have a few patches of snow. So keep in mind the weather has changed and how to manage these temp swings when gardening. I may have to throw some burlap on the grapes and berries to shade them and prevent early bud break again this year. We are in a strong El Niño pattern.

I did 3 weeks of stratification in the fridge for yellow wonder. I threw the pack in a ziplock in the drawer and I have good germination. Can't tell you the exact % but it's higher than 50% and the seeds are tiny so you overseed regardless.

In my opinion since learning the winter sowing method (have had such great success with everything )and trying my hand at strawberry and asparagus seeds 2-yrs ago and having all them germinate I will never do it any other way..

my pepper seeds in the fridge already

Happy newyear!

I just figured out that you should refrigerate cold flowers and when germinating, don't put on a heat mat. If there are any exceptions to that rule, please share. This old gardener loves to learn new tricks.

Just dropped $200 in the seed shop, but I should’ve gotten these seeds 😅

Great timing I was just on your site browsing what I should buy. I’m in 8b so I still have some time

beautiful mural!

I did this last year with native wildflower seed but in milk jugs and kept the milk jugs out in the cold outside. It worked super well maybe too well cause I learned to not sow so many seeds in one milk jug cause I ended up having to thin them out.

I have had no luck with winter sowing - did broccoli and never formed heads after moving to the garden. I will give this a try with steawberries hecause they are cheap and see what happens. Thanks!

You got me back into gardening back in 2020 and I have loved watching the channel grow! Do you guys sell those long sleeves on your site?? I want one!!

Thanks for this tip! With so many different things, how do we know what needs to be cold stratified? Is there a place with a list?

When it comes to getting the tiny sprouts off the paper towel, my lack of dexterity would make me consider just planting the paper towel and hoping for the best. Is this a valid workaround?

Sooo...youre saying cold stratification doest work unless seeds are dampened? Then , of course, looking for germination. What about does CS count on seeds if left dry in a cold garage? Tnx!

I think it's easier to just store seeds in an unheated space like a garage or shed

Maybe some follow up videos to see the progress 🙂 🌱

So is that why my lavender won’t sprout… because I go straight from packet to dirt rather than packet to fridge?

How do you keep alpine strawberries alive? Last year I cold stratified a mix of yellow and red ones in fridge, planted early spring, they grew massive, and I got berries daily. In July, it got so hot all the leaves dropped and the plants seemingly died. Are they dead or do they go dormant in the heat?

How long would you keep mint seeds in the fridge?

I found that if you place the packets seeds down, you will have a better chance of getting them off the paper towel. Otherwise, when the seeds send out their roots, they will follow gravity and will grow into the paper towels. This may lead to damage when pulling the roots out. Speaking from experience.

Stinging nettle seeds 👀 I am tempted. I havent had the best luck foraging.

Hey Luke , love the sweat shirt. Do you sell them ?

Could you explain how long and your process for fruit tree seeds? I can't seem to get peach pit seeds to germinate and I left them in my fridge for almost 4 months. Thanks.

I like the painted wall in the background. 🌟

An added benefit of starting plants indoors is pest management. By having plants at a stage of growth that is not hospitable to certain pests eliminates/ reduces their effect on the garden. Examples: An older growth stage may be too tough for the pest to chew on. A younger stage neans the attracting flowers or fruits may not be present. Its called IPM...Integrated Pest Management. For some pests, it is important to know their life cycles and habitat conditions.

Hi Luke. First happy new year to you and youurs.. where can you get the info of how long or short to refrigerate?

Can I stratify all my seeds? Will this process ever HARM a seed type?

What will happen if I'm storing my seeds in the fridge but dry now just for storage. Then I take them our to put in seed container holders I got for christmas but don't put it back in the frodge

So please help me understand. You are getting strawberries off plants started from seed in the same year? How???

My apologies if I missed it but is there a list of seeds that we can do with this process? Thanks!

"Now" is pretty subjective. After all, how many climate zones do we have?

Hi Luke. What if you don't have grow lights?

Every time I try this the paper towel gets mold on it and hardly anything sprouts if any at all. What am I doing wrong?

would like to get some of them yellow wonder strawberry seeds if you have them . But do not see them for sale on your site.

In my 2+ years of gardening, i've never seen strawberry seeds for sale that weren't sold out.

Which zones are you referring to?

Hi there. If I plant strawberry seeds and get a plant and I grow in my vertical greenstock will they survive a winter and return the next year if greenstalk is left out in the winter? Would I need to do something to cover the greenstalk from the winter weather and what would that be? Thanks Bev

AITA for being of the opinion that ALL seeds which require cold stratification be sold having already been stratified? I think it's way too necessary a step to just hope the gardener gets right. I understand that selling the seeds in that condition would be more difficult for the retailer, but I think it's ridiculous how many seeds are simply not viable out of the packet without it. Im also bitter because I sewed 6000 lavender seeds last year and ZERO seedlings came up. I also wish seeds that required cold stratification would have GIANT unmissable instructions for how and when to do the cold strat. Idk im a picky consumer maybe but its too crucial a scientific step