Start Your Seeds Outside in WINTER With This Method (winter sowing)

Winter sowing is a great seed starting method if you can’t start indoors. In this episode, I will show you how to do it, and why it is such a good alternative.

[samartinez]

As an amazon delivery driver I get to see a lot of gardens. I saw a family doing this just last week.

[carissa]

Whooooaaa! Pop bottles and milk jugs areGREAT. Who cares how they look! They work wonderful AND you are up cycling! There is no downside! Line them up tidy if you must but don’t let what your neighbors think stop you from trying this method! When they see you gardening without worrying about hardening off or even watering (provided it doesn’t get too dry) they’ll want to try it too! Lazy gardeners unite! Get those milk jugs and put them to work!

[michelewestover]

On Roots and Refuge, she used the lid as the base, placed a soil bag down laying it flat on the lid and cut the top out of the bag but leaving the edges intact to contain the soil. She planted her seeds and then placed the container over top the entire thing. I learn so much from you Luke! Thank you!! 😊

[sharonousmankobo]

2021 is my 2nd year of winter sowing and it was very successful! My first year I did less than 20 milk jugs of vegetables only. However, in 2021 I winter sowed about 87 gallon sized milk jugs of vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs. I winter sowed tomatoes, peppers just about everything! Every grew successfully. I never had to water or fertilize them. The snow and rain watered them and nature did the rest. You must use a good organic potting soil. They work like mini greenhouses. They all transplanted and produced perfectly. Virginia zone 7a.

[sandyp]

The best lettuce bed I ever had happened years ago purely by accident when I first started gardening. After the seeds didn't germinate well (due to my mishandling and inexperience), I tossed everything into a huge flower pot that had old soil in it buried under leaves. When I moved my plastic boxes off of some other plants, I put two of the broken ones upside down on top of the lettuce scraps in the old pot intending to toss everything out later. You know what happened. The old, ugly pot was full of several types of beautiful lettuce within weeks and we ate off of it for quite a while.

[Grammy]

I do this every year. I use the milk jugs. I also plant tomatoes and peppers in February. Last year my winter sown tomato plants out performed the greenhouse plants. My winter-sown plants were smaller but sturdier when I transplanted them. Then they took off and became my garden rock stars.

[GoodVibesNewlevel]

This is the first video that I have seen with someone planting in snow. Many people live in the Midwest and further North who are interested in growing at home, but channels feature people who live in the warmer parts of the country. This really encouraged me! Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I am a new follower 😀💯

[robm]

Long time ago, my Dad had bought a tractor from a vegetable farmer. When he went to pick it up, he noticed that in early February the farmer was out with a seeder planting something . the farmer explained that they planted spinach this way and got a couple of weeks head start on the market. They particularly liked when they could plant through the snow. As the snow melted, the seeds would sink into the soil.

[imlostinmyhead]

I've been winter sowing for years. I'm so glad to see you made a video for those who don't know about this great method.

[amberpuckette]

2nd year of winter sowing here in 7b. And I love it, gives me a jumpstart on starts and economical to! I do agree that it can be aesthetically unpleasant to the eye but, #1 my yard is semiprivate. #2 my neighbors have no buisness being back there.

[authentichomestead]

May I say, I've been watching your channel for a while now, because I wanted to learn how to be better in the garden. Out of all the gardening channels I do watch, yours is by far one of the best educational channels, where you make it easy to understand, provide alternative options, while having fun in the garden. Thanks for all you do for the gardening world, Luke! ~ Laurie

[suejarrard]

I love how you are giving more growing options and ideas to those that may not have extra space in their homes. Thank you for continuing to educate and inspire more growing. Blessings

[janetaylor]

Third year of WINTER SOWING! I use mostly milk jugs and put them in the back yard. Am still experimenting. I love to see people using pop bottles, milk jugs, etc. They are gardening. Hooray for them!

[colletteringie]

Thanks for another video. For us one of the great reasons to winter sow is to grow perennial flowers without worrying about cold treating the seeds. Our neighbors are more interested about what is in the milk jugs then they are interested in judging us, especially remembering the produce baskets they get in the summer. Love your channel and love your seeds.

[skittles]

I have been winter sowing for a couple of years now. This will be my third year. It is amazing!

[RiaWallace]

Thank you Luke for sharing this. I have done this method for years. My plants have always been heartier. Stronger. Totes are a great suggestion. Sheryl Mann calls that NTWS. No Transplant Winter Sowing. She has been highly successful for many years.

[Jazzylish]

Right now I have kale and eggplants under grow lights in my kitchen; pepper seeds germinating on a heat mat and a few milk jugs outside that I've prepared using the winter sowing method. The milk jugs are buried under about a foot of snow. This is my second year gardening and my first using the winter sowing method. I just learned that in addition to flower seeds, vegetables can be started using this method. So I plan on adding a few more milk jugs with tomato and perhaps lettuce seeds to see how it turns out. I don't find it to be unsightly as they are lined up against the back of my house, I may even corral them using milk crates that I have on hand. From watching videos of others it looks like a fun, easy method of growing; and opening the jugs in the spring is akin to opening a gift on Christmas day. I'm very excited about this year's garden.

[ohioladybug]

I love your philosophy on garden etiquette outside and that you shared your view so that others may take note of something they didn’t think about. I love passionate gardeners but not always their choice of containers.

[Flanuora]

This is exactly what I needed for planting my sunflowers 🌻 outside and keep the animals off! Thank you

[jessicalowry]

I always start my seeds outside using milk jugs and empty soda bottles. Best and easiest way to start seeds IMO.