How to Sow Seeds in Winter

You can sow some seeds outside right now!

You’re flipping through those beautiful seed catalogs. You’re making your list of old favorites and new varieties you’re excited to grow. You’re planning out your garden plot(s). You’re ordering all your tools and other garden supplies for the coming gardening season. Yes, you’re chomping at the bit for that last frost to arrive so you can begin working that soil in your garden.

But did you know that there are certain seeds that you can sow when the temperatures are still cool and there’s still snow on the ground? Winter is a good time to sow hardy annual and perennial flowers such as:

These varieties need vernalization and germinate well in cold, wet weather. In fact, any plant that is “hardy” in your zone can be planted in winter.

two lavender-colored double-bloomed poppies — These beautiful ‘Lavender Double’ poppies were started in winter in a milk jug filled with soil.

How to winter sow seeds*

Winter sowing is easy! Just sow hardy perennials in recycled milk or water jugs, place jugs outside, and let nature work its magic.

Use a clear, one-gallon milk or water jug; cut across the width of the jug just below the handle so that the bottom becomes a tray. (Try to leave an inch at the back so that the jug top is still attached and works as a hinge.)
Punch drainage holes in the bottom of the jug to promote drainage and in the top to promote ventilation.
Add 2-3 inches of potting soil to the bottom, moisten (soil should hold its shape when squeezed but not drip), and sow seeds to the depth recommended on the seed packet. Add a label inside with the name of the variety.
Tape the lid of the jug to the bottom, all the way around, with duct tape. Put the jug outside, making sure it’s in the sun but sheltered from the wind.
Leave the plastic cap on the very top until the seeds germinate, then remove it to allow rain to enter.
As seedlings grow, open the jug’s top and gently check the soil. If it’s dry, moisten gently and close the top. As the days get warmer, open the top during the day and close it at night.
Transplant seedlings before their leaves start to touch the sides and/or top of the container.