Winter Sowing 101

With the new plant hardiness zone map from the USDA, it’s not too early to start thinking about your cold weather plants. Cold weather vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips. Hardier flowers such as snapdragons and poppies are also popular to start this time of year.

If you’re new to cold weather planting or want to incorporate more sustainable practices in your garden, a recycled seed starter is an easy way to begin. This process is called sowing. Follow the instructions below to reuse old milk jugs as mini greenhouses. This easy and eco-friendly method lets you start seeds outdoors, even while it’s still chilly.

Here's the magic:

1. Repurpose those empty milk jugs! Cut them in half, poke drainage holes, and fill the bottom with damp seed starting mix.

2. Sow your seeds: Follow the directions on your seed packet for depth and spacing.

3. Seal it up! Close the jug and tape it shut (leave the cap on at first!). This mini greenhouse traps heat and moisture, helping seeds germinate.

4. Place outside in a sunny spot. Mother Nature does the rest! The freeze-thaw cycles help stratify some seeds, promoting germination.

From that point, just wait until the threat of frost ends to open your jugs and transplant your plants to the garden. Ready to give it a try? Share your milk jug winter sowing adventures on social media and tag us!