Winter Sowing FAQs (Part 2)

Q: Will this work in a mild climate, like Seattle, where we rarely get snow and the temperatures often get well above freezing in the winter?

A: You have a cool/cold period during Winter just like the rest of the country, that's when all of Mother Nature's self sown seeds lay dormant in the soil to germinate when the weather warms next Spring.....snow cover isn't necessary for a success, just a cool/cold dormant period. Where I am the snows blow in and usually evaporate or melt off within a week. We have as many days during the Winter that are above freezing as are below.

Winter Sowing will work just fine for you, the only difference is that you'll warm up a bit faster in the Spring than the rest of us, and so your flats will more than likely germinate before those in colder gardens.

We will all be VERY jealous!

Q: I'm going to try some coneflower seeds in a couple of quart strawberry containers I have. I'm hoping for the best. But one question ... what do you do about high winds? We get some whoppers here, and I'm afraid that even full of soil, the flats may get blown about. Any ideas?

A: The flats, when frozen, become as heavy as bricks. They're very weighty because of the moisture in them. I never had a problem with them blowing over or "taking flight" in strong winds.

I have my patio table abutting the side of the house. We do get some whipping wind here, I am just a few miles inland but I still can get some major Atlantic breezes/gust/gales. Having the flats on a table against the wall has probably helped to some degree.

You're flats are portable. If you have some very severe weather coming then you might want to move them to a safer location until your storm passes. Consider your flats just like your lawn furniture, you stow it just before the hurricane comes, and then you take it out right afterwards.

Q: I'm new to seed starting and have gotten tons of seeds from the generous people here. Could you suggest some "winter sow" seeds for zone 4 Wisconsin, also (I may have missed this in the above postings) how much light should the flats be exposed to?

A: It's very easy to select seeds for your zone. Simply look in a seed catalogue for seeds recommended for zone 4, that will be a good beginning for you. Ask your neighbors what types of plants reseed themselves in their gardens, these would be excellent choices.

"Off the top of my head" (but do double check as I haven't had much coffee yet, lol)

Hollyhocks
Asters
Poppies
Hostas
Rudbeckia (black eyed susan)
Helianthus
Siberian or Japanese Iris

Once you get the hang of it you'll start to recognize lots of different types that you can start. Look for botanical or common names that indicate a cold climate origin, like siberian, alpine, montana (not from the state, but meaning from the mountains), canadensis, chinensis, sinensis, or polar, etc. I just learned a new one: tartaricus, like steak "tatar" from Russia.

I have flats starting all over here, some are in full sun, and some get half day light. Last year I did not see a difference in the flat germinations. As with any flat, if you think it's getting too much sun then move it into a shadier location, or if you think it's not got enough sun put it into a brighter area. In your garden you do what makes you most comfortable.

The following is my own comment taken from the original post:

I've received a few e-mails this week from gardeners who wanted to try winter sowing but felt it was too late for them as winter is about half way through.

I want to let you all know that you can continue to sow seeds throughout all of winter, not just at the very beginning. I sow seeds almost every week, and I'll be doing several more flats today as well.

Winter temps do not need to be below freezing for winter sowing, and you don't need weeks and weeks of snow cover either. You just need to sow your seeds and place them outside while it's cool/cold.

Everyone has a time in the garden when their plants are dormant, there's little growth because of the cool/cold weather, the day length is shorter too. This is when mother nature lets her seeds sleep in the soil, when the weather eventually warms the seedsgerminate on their own, and in their own right time. Visually, I suppose, you could determine this dormant time by when the last of the deciduous trees in your neighborhood drop their leaves. As long as you're having evenings of "sweater and scarf" weather you should still be cool enough to sow your seeds and expect good successes too.

Here are some poster suggestions for flats and containers:

What a great excuse to eat more Chinese, Pakistani, Indian..whomever has the proper container will get my business. One of the best sources for freebie flats is at the supermarket. They put all the bakery cakes and cookies in clear plastic containers with domed lids that snap in place. They use some of the same containers over in the produce section too. Perfect!

I went to my local grocery store and asked for 15 plastic donut cases, and the mgr. gave them to me for free! Now, on to the next store to see if they will give some too!

I've been making large flats from 2.5 gallon water bottles (the ones with the tap that fit in the fridge). I just cut them around the seams and remove the tap with a pair of sturdy scissors....poke a few slits in the bottom for drainage and get them sown. For a cover I've been taping onto them some clear plastic, then making the top slits. Easy and they're large enough that you can sow a few varieties in different soil surface areas.

Yesterday I bought a quart of strawberries, they came in a clear plastic container with a hinged lid and have preformed drain holes in the base and the lid. An instant flat!

I wanted to share a little tip that I thought of while I was doing this. In some of the flats I had more than one color of the same type of seeds, so as a way to mark them I used colored paper clips. I just twisted them and put them in the dirt next to the rows and I have a easy way to mark them!

I just found a new mini greenhouse source for winter sowing outdoors....those black plastic containers with the clear domed lids that deli roasted chickens come in! A friend of mine buys many of these and has saved the containers and she gave them to me. I heated a knife in the gas flame on my stove and made slits in the clear cover and the black base. They snap together securely and I'm ready to plant!

I get mushrooms and other fresh produce in great containers!

Well, I think that should cover the basics. I hope to be able to continue to answer the questions that anyone might have. And I encourage everyone to feel free to ask questions even if they reiterate some of the things from above. Everyone has a different view and will have different ideas about the same concepts. Repetition will help us learn all the faster, and with much more depth of understanding.

I thank you all again for your support. For those of you who are new to the method and will try it for the very first time this coming winter I hope that you will be encouraged by the successes of those who have already taken that leap of faith and trusted Mother Nature to do the work for them. For those who took that leap of faith last year I am still awed by your successes and achievement. Without you the post would have gone off the boards eons ago, Winter Sowing would have just been another ho-hum soon forgotten idea.

Mail To: Trudi Davidoff

You can find the Winter Sowing Forum on GardenWeb here.