I've thought for a long time this should/could work. Why not try it with some seeds you have plenty of or can easily replace? In spring and summer, sometimes I cover those with a soda bottle but see no point for that in the dead of winter.

I'd try some myself, but my beds aren't ready and need to be cleaned up or dug a little.

The warmer weather is a welcome relief. I'm just worried if it warms up too high that some germinate then temps plunge again as they surely will. I suppose it's not likely unless it gets up to 65 or so. Later on, it probably won't matter as much, but if it happened now, it could spell disaster.

I remember the ground had thawed so much in January a few years ago that I was digging out some old roses prepping that bed for spring. The daffodils even came up, but they had gotten weak (maybe overcrowding or soil depleted) so I potted some up and brought them in. A couple bloomed, but they were so weak they toppled over. I dug the rest of them out and am trying to recondition the soil.

For all I know, it could even work better with some seeds than sowing in containers. Let us know if you try and get results. I'm thinking maybe columbines, violas and possibly rudbeckias among others.

The ones that say direct sow in the spring, I will wait. But for any that can be direct sowed in your zone in the fall, it might work.

If I did that I know the billion or so mousies that live in the neighborhood would gobble them up in a second.

IN March when the white crowned sparrows come back, that scritch scratch every inch of the yard looking for seeds.

Thats reason enough to do it, IMO. :)

Then sow small circles and cover w/2 liter bottles with cap off, bottle ends cut off (can do it by starting a slit with an xacto or sharp knife and scissors), and landscape pins pushed down as far as you can on 4 sides. It's hard to push the bottle very far down if the soil isn't very loose or frozen on top, but it will sink a little deeper from the weather it if it doesn't topple over first.

You could also use a WS container method with bottom cut out so long as you anchor it sufficiently. You can use pieces of bamboo stakes but the longer landscape pins work better.

I too want to try sowing in the ground and covering. I thought I might cover the seeds with a bottle cut apart. I have not tried it yet.

I plan to do this with poppies but I might get lazy and just dump the seeds in some dirt when the snow melts.
Karen