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Winter Sowing

by Jacqueline
(Fredericton, NB, Canada)

What is your opinion on wintersowing/spring seeds in containers then transplanting them when the ground is ready? Some garden websites make it sound so easy - recycled containers, sow them and stick 'em all outdoors for the snow to water them. Is it really THAT easy?

I don't have the space or equipment to start indoors in the spring. I am in zone 5 (maritimes) and thought perhaps this would be the way to go rather than sowing seeds directly into the ground.

Thanks!

Doug says while it isn't "that" easy (I'm not sure what "that" is) :-) it's pretty simple. Many perennials will indeed germinate from a winter sowing into pots outdoors. It's an old trick and I've done it / used it on a lot of varieties of hardy perennials.

Frankly, it's not as reliable or productive in my experience to using some of the techniques on these pages (like the baggy method) but it does work nicely for most. You simply have to protect the seeds from mice/ants and recognize the difference between a weed and a perennial seedling. Before you think that's easy - I once grew out a weed for 3-months in a pot until I twigged to the fact that it wasn't the very rare and hard to germinate plant I was looking for. LOL!

But yes, for the most part it works.

Comments for
Winter Sowing

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winter sowing
by: Janet

Anonymous, you've done Tomatoes? when do you sow them? IF you can do tomatoes, I could probably do these Bishops Children dahlia seeds...?
Winter sowing
by: Anonymous

I am a certified master gardener leaving in zone 5 mass. and can't say enought good things about winter sowing. I save roasted chicken containters, salad containers,milk containers all fall and winter and them come late feb/early mar. start planting.I have planted tomatoes ,lettuce, annual geraniums and a variety of hardy and not so hardy annuals and perennials and my succes rate has been about 95%. It saves the mess in my house,the plants do not need to be hardened off and by May the plants are so big that the insects and squirrells dont bother with them. GO AHEAD AND DO IT.
winter sowing
by: Janet

I've done it myself a few times. Last year had 100%germination (only sowed four varieties), this year only about 40%. This year I used the wrong sowing medium-- straight peat moss-- so many of the seeds just got mould. Others were quite big and should have been covered with soil-- didn't do that. The chief advantage from my perspective ( I'm in Zone 8 with almost no winter sun!) is that you don't need inside space for a grow light system. All the actual work involved is the same.

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