Blog post and photos by KokHeong McNaughton
Winter Sowing is an easy way to start seeds that most resembles the natural conditions. Seeds are started in jugs and left outside during the winter months so that they will go through the natural cycle of freezing and thawing (stratification) until it’s time to wake up and sprout on their own timeline. Seedlings started this way have a head start and do not need to be hardened off. They are also protected in their own greenhouses from being eaten by creepy crawlies or being trampled on until they are big enough, and the weather is warm enough in Spring to transplant them.
I start by saving jugs and asking friends to save jugs for me all year round in preparation. The best jugs are the translucent gallon-sized milk jugs, but you can also use the smaller milk jugs or even the 1–2-liter sized clear plastic soda bottles. Avoid green ones because when the seedlings started, they would need sunlight to grow.
First, with a soldering iron or the heated tip of a Phillips screw driver, punch 8-10 holes in the bottom of a gallon-sized milk jug (less for smaller jugs) and 1 hole on each side of the base of the handle. Then cut the milk jug all the way around between the two holes so that the handle can hinge back when you open the jug. Now fill the bottom of the jug with 3-4” of good potting soil, leaving about ½” of space below the cut edge. Thoroughly water the soil until it’s soaking wet and water drains out of the holes. Sow the seeds about ¼” below the surface and smooth over them. Careful not to over sow, or sow too deeply. Label a popsicle stick with the name of the seeds and stick it inside before closing up the jug with duct tapes all around, making sure it’s properly sealed by blowing air into the jug from the opening at the top. Label the outside of the jug as well, and leave the cap off. Put the jug in a tray and leave it outside in a shady area. Then simply wait. Check every now and then to make sure they don’t dry out. You can tell by the condensation on the inside wall, and better still, by the weight of the jug when you lift it. Should it start to dry out, simply add water to the tray for bottom-up watering. This way, you won’t be disturbing the seeds, which you would if you were to try watering from the top. Water will be taken up through capillary action. Bottom-up watering also prevents damping off, a disease caused by fungus when seedlings are over watered and air circulation is poor.
The fun part begins when you see sprouts inside the jugs. This can happen anytime, depending on the plant, from late February all the way through May/June. Once you see the sprouts, separate the jugs from the non-sprouted ones and keep them together in a cluster in a sunny location. Seeds are cold-tolerant, but sprouts are not. Should the weather fall below freezing at night, simply throw a blanket over the sprouts to protect them from freezing.
Come learn how to do this and sow a few jugs of your own to take home.
You can bring cleaned milk jugs (additional ones will be provided), seeds you wish to sow (we’ll also have other seeds for you to try), and a tray to take the jugs home. Potting soil and tools needed will be provided.
What: Winter Seed Sowing Workshop
When: December 14th, 2024 from 1-2:30 p.m.
Where: Fellowship Hall, Unitarian Church of Los Alamo, 1738 N. Sage St.
Contact: KokHeongMcNaughton, Email kokheong@comcast.net, Text 505-920-6808