While surfing the web about a week ago, I stumbled onto the
concept of winter sowing. That’s
right. Sowing seeds in the winter, of all things. This concept blew my mind! How in the world would it be possible to get
seeds to germinate in the winter, while it’s snowing, without using a
greenhouse?
Sounds crazy to me.
Naturally, I’ve decided to try it.
The concept seems simple.
You use a relatively transparent container (A mini-greenhouse! Ah, ha!),
You fill it 3-4 inches high with soil, plant seeds inside according to
the directions on the packet, water it, place it outside somewhere, and
voila! A few weeks later you have plants
growing. Basically, you're allowing mother nature to do the job.
I gathered my supplies.
Here we have an empty milk jug, cut in half, a packet of Canterbury
Bell seeds, a sharpie for labeling, scissors, tape, and organic soil. This is all that’s necessary to complete my
task.
Here’s the process I used (step by step):
1.
Buy milk.
2.
Drink it all.
3.
Rinse the jug out and cut it in half.
4.
Cut slits in the bottom for drainage.
5.
Fill the bottom half with soil.
6.
Moisten the soil. No, don’t just moisten it… make it muddy.
7.
Plant the seeds.
8.
Tape the top half back on.
9.
Walk outside and place it in a sunny location.
10.
Wait. And
wait. And wait….
That’s about it. I
should mention, however, that it’s important to take the lid off of the milk jug, unlike I’ve shown in my picture… I forgot that part, and had to go back
outside later. Removing the lid ensures
air circulation, as well as a way for water (or snow) to get in.
I chose flowers for this first attempt, mainly because that’s
what my daughter wanted. I’ll add herbs
and vegetables later (As each jug of milk I own is finished), in order to test
this method on different types of plants.
I’m a little worried about my tape choice, however. Not wanting to buy anything new, aside from
seeds and soil, I used what tape I could find to seal the jug back together.
I hope I can remove the gorilla tape in a few weeks…
I'll talk a bit more about winter sowing tomorrow, but in the meantime, to find out more, as well as get info from real experts, take a look at WinterSown.
Awesome- how did it go by the way... I am going to try it with my son this year.
ReplyDeleteIt went *semi-well*... That winter was warmer than usual, and the jug didn't get as much snow cover as it should have. I had some sprouts poking out, but they weren't nearly as healthy as they should have been.
ReplyDeleteWith the huge amounts of snow this year, though... I think the one I'm doing now will be largely successful. We shall see, right? I look forward to hearing how your own winter sowing goes!