Post date: Jan 11, 2020 2:55:30 PM
Winter Sowing Notes - 1/n
Why winter sowing? Primarily because many of us fail miserably in the seed starting process.
Seed starting is too much science. The timing and temps have to be right. The soil must be kept moist. The light must be adequate. The plants have to be hardened.
After all the fuss and effort many of us end up with a few lanky and weak plants and quickly rush to the stores for transplants.
Wintersowing makes it all super easy by its intelligent design. Perfected by Trudy Davidoff this is a fool proof method to get plenty of hardy seedlings.
What do we do in Wintersowing? We use a milk jug to make a miniature greenhouse. A milk jug sliced in half with holes below for drainage is a great design. Enough medium at the lower half to sow an entire packet of seeds. Also high volume of soil keeps it moist.
The top portion allows sunlight to diffuse in. Perfect to avoid lanky seedlings. We seal off the top portion with duct tape so the cold air doesn’t go in. The cover is open and let’s just enough air circulation.
The beauty is that you sow the seeds, cover, seal and leave it out. In the sun and cold and the elements. No lighting, no heating, no watering, nothing.
The seeds lie there, and at the right time they germinate and grow beautifully inside. No care needed.
Early spring when weather heat warm we open them up. If there is feel frost after they have germinated, we throw a blanket to cover them. These are the only two fusses to take care off.
By the time the soil is ready after last frost, you have hundreds of plants firm and ready to go into the ground. Wintersown transplants are hardy and survive and yield very well.
I have been doing this since I came here. 2016 was my first spring here. And I love wintersowing.
Will post detailed notes as I sow. I plan to sow in three batches - winter flowers in Jan, spring veggies in Feb, and Indian veggies in March.
The primary difference between store bought transplants and home grown transplants is this: roots are great while plants are tiny at home; plants are pretty, but roots are weak at the store.
When one whole packet of over 50-100 seeds can be bought for $4, I don’t buy transplants at the store. Happy to teach winter sowing.
Gather those jugs, plan and order those seeds, bring together your leaf mulch, compost (or store bought peat moss and compost) and let’s get started!