Green Living Thursday

Well the storms seem to be over for now, but we are left with a lot of snow piled up on the ground. With seed catalogs piling up in the mailbox, and spring planting time still far off, what is a gardener to do? Two words. Winter Sowing.

What is that you might ask? Well, according to the website www.wintersown.org, winter sowing is an easy germination method that allows you to start seeds during the winter. Seeds are sown into mini-greenhouses that you make yourself from recyclables. After sowing, the mini-greenhouse is placed outside to wait for the end of winter. The seeds will begin to germinate at their own right time when weather warms.

This may sound far fetched to some, but think about it. Have you ever had a tomato plant spring up out of no where or flowers come up across the yard from where you planted them? I know myself, I get rogue cherry tomato plants coming up all over my garden because the seeds winter sowed themselves from the year prior. Many vegetables and flowers can be winter sown with very little effort.

But I don't have a greenhouse you may be saying. Or I don't have the room to set up an indoor lighting system. Well, the good news is that you don't need any of that stuff. Winter sowing is great because it uses recycled containers of all kinds. Milk jugs, plastic produce containers, take out food containers, those disposable tin pans with the clear plastic lids from the supermarket, juice cartons, cool whip containers, 2 liter soda bottles and so on. Anything with a clear plastic lid or that can be put into a plastic bag will work. Re-using containers not only saves you money, but it is good for the environment as well. Here is how to get started.

To make a flat you take the container (after washing it in hot, soapy water) and a paring knife. Stab a few slits in the bottom of the pan, this is for drainage. Now fill the pan with soil to about a half inch from the top. Give it a real good drink and let it drain. I do this in my kitchen. You can use the sprayer on your kitchen sink or a watering can for this step. After the pan has drained, sow your seeds and pat them down. Cover the seeds with more soil to the correct depth, if necessary.

Next you need to put the lid on, but first...and this is the very most important step...take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini-greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun, you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. Okay, now put the lid on or put the container into a plastic bag. The bag will need slits cut into it as well. If you used a gallon jug, simply let the top off.

Now it is time to label your containers, unless you like surprises. You will never remember what is in each container, so make sure you label them. Use something that will stand up to winter weather like duct tape or freezer tape.

All right, the flat is now sown and covered (with little slits in the top, yes? don't forget!!). Now take it outside to somewhere it will be safe for the winter. A protected area with a southern exposure is best.

Now you can just sit back, relax and wait it out. When the weather warms, the flats will freeze and thaw repeatedly as winter gives way to spring. This action of freezing and thawing out helps loosen the seed coat. You'll often see the term "nick or file seeds prior to sowing" in germination databases: this is to duplicate Mother Nature's work. (Now you won't have to do that anymore!)

Amazingly, just when winter is about to break, and you're still getting nightly freezes, the first of your flats will begin to germinate. At this point, you might think that the seedlings are goners, but they will thrive. The seeds know when it's safe to come up; it's part of their genetics. Now is the time to check the moisture in the flats. On an above-freezing day, open them up and if they look like they need a drink give them one. The excess water will drain away. Don't forget to replace the lids tightly.

As your seedlings grow, start widening the slits in the covers, once a week or so make the slits a little bit bigger, eventually you'll have more open areas than covered. Eventually, you will be opening the lids all the way each day and you'll be able to transplant the seedlings into the garden because they are completely hardened off.

After transplanting, care is typically the same as for indoor sown seedlings. They need a drink and just a little bit of food: 10% strength after their first week in the ground, then increase slowly as the season progresses. After about eight weeks and a few feedings your seedlings will be able to take a full strength feeding.

Proper seed selection is the most important part of winter sowing. When selecting the seeds you wish to winter sow look for the seed's germination requirements. This will help you pick up a few phrases that will clue you in as to the needs of the seed and if it is appropriate for winter sowing or not.

1. Look for these terms:

Needs Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of days or weeks), Needs Strarification, Will Colonize, Self Sows, Sow outdoors in early autumn, Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool, sow outdoors in early spring while frosts may still occur, hardy Seeds, seedlings can withstand frost, can be direct sown early, wildflower, or weed (such as butterfly weed, joe pye weed, jewel weed.)

2. Look for Common Names indicating a natural environment:

Plains, Prairie, Desert, Mountain, Swamp, Field, River, etc.

3. Look for names that might indicate an origin in a temperate climate:

Siberian, Chinensis, Polar, Alpine, Orientale, Canadensis, Caucasian, Russian (indicating Soviet origin), etc.

Think about your own garden, and your neighbors' gardens too. Do you find plants that have volunteered each spring and showed up as seedlings that you didn't sow? These are very good choices. Let's say that your orange marigolds have returned in Spring as volunteer seedlings.......you can then be pretty well assured that gold, or lemon, African or French varieties will re-seed for you too. When it comes down to it, a marigold is a marigold is a marigold.

Some seed catalogues have a germination table or some sort of guide or other information about germination. Look at them, study them, and learn. This will help you decide which seeds to select for the best outcome.

Winter sowing is fun, easy and cheap. Forget expensive greenhouses or indoor lighting set ups. You won't need to line your windowsills with pots or make room for an indoor set up. With winter sowing, you are working with nature and letting things take their course naturally. By doing a little homework first, you can have a wonderful new crop of seedlings come spring, for very little money or effort. Give it a try and see what you think!