...Winter Seed Sower

Last winter I read an article in Northern Gardener magazine about sowing seeds outdoors in the winter using recyclables as little mini-greenhouses. It seemed to be all the buzz in the local Twin Cities gardening world. The MN Hort Society offered classes on it – several times in fact because the class kept selling out. Kare 11 even ran a story on it. I was intrigued by the idea, it sounded way too good to be true. No grow lights or extra space needed to grow seeds? Could it really be that easy and inexpensive?

I liked the idea and wanted to give it a try. So, last February I planted dwarf sunflowers, morning glory, viola, Johnny jump-ups, phlox, verbena, cosmos, baby’s breath, mallow, and zinnia in my plastic recyclables (spinach and mixed greens containers, take out containers, 2-liter pop bottles, milk jugs, etc.). And then I waited…And waited…And waited some more.

And then finally, as the days became sunnier and warmer, I saw little sprigs of green popping up through the soil. Mother Nature gently guided their growth. She knows what she's doing. All of the seeds I planted came up, with the exception of the zinnia (and I think that was only because the wind jostled around the plastic container several times, knocking it off of the table I had it sitting on).

Fast forward to today. Today I am yearning for spring’s arrival. It is a beautiful, warm, sunny Sunday, and that inspired me to get my hands in some dirt and sow my seeds. This year I planted cosmos, nasturtium, marigold, moss rose, bells of Ireland, Johnny jump up, black eyed Susan vine, zinnia (I’m going to give it another shot), English daisy, painted daisy, coleus, dwarf sunflower, poppies, and fleabane. I can’t wait to see the little sprouts peak through the dirt later this spring!

If you want to learn more about growing seeds outdoors in the winter, the Winter Sown website is an awesome resource. They have tons of helpful information, including a great listing of seeds in your zone which easily can be started outdoors. Happy planting!