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Rocky Mountain Gardening

Winter Sowing

12 years ago

I'm thinking about doing some winter sowing, but I'm worried that all of these warm days we've been having will mess it up. Has anyone tried and succeeded? I have enough seed that I'm going to start some lettuce and broccoli this weekend. I'm just worried that the warm weather will trick the seeds into sprouting too soon and then we'll get too many freezing nights.

Comments (7)

highalttransplant
12 years ago
Hi Julie!

This will be my 6th year to wintersow. This is also the mildest winter we've had since I started doing it. I am planning on getting started in a couple of weeks. My cold season veggies, such as lettuce, spinach, etc. are usually sown in late January, and are sprouting by late February. Perennials can be done now too, but I would hold off on anything tender, like basil or marigolds, until closer to March, or even early April.

If you want to read more about when, and what, people in this area wintersow, check out last year's wintersowing thread below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersowing '11
highalttransplant
12 years ago
... and here's the thread from 2010. It's got some step-by-step pictures, if you're interested.

Hope this helps some!

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersowing 2010
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Pansies & Violas ... Winter sow now, or sow in spring?
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OK, thanks, I think I'll give it a whirl then and WS them. Never have grown them from seed before so I wasn't sure what to do. Kmpsmom, our weather here in Zone 6B tends to be sort of similar to Zone 7, so that's great to know you had success with WS'ing them. We had a cool spring and summer here in PA too because of all that rain. Aliska12000, I think I'll hold a few pansy seeds back too, that's a good idea. Maybe I'll sow them in containers in the spring just to see how those work. Thanks again for your follow up posts! Now I just need to get more seed starting mix...
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Comments (9)
This is turning into a very weird weather year for many of us. Because of that, it's hard to give you an absolute answer. Be aware that no matter what any of us tell you, it's nature that has the final answer in when those seeds will sprout. My best guess is that it's probably fine for perennials hardy to your area, and hardy annuals too. I'd definitely wait for anything tender. And if perennials and hardy annuals would sprout early, they have a much better chance of survival in their containers. And keeping them in a shady spot is definitely a good idea until spring is in the air. This is probably our coldest part of winter most years, and it's when I sow my hardy annuals and perennials. I sowed my first jugs a few days ago. I'd go for it if I were you. The chance that they'll sprout in shade is minimal I think, and winter might just stay mild this year. Karen
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direct sowing vs. winter sowing Morning Glories
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My seedlings (started in jug) were frosted to stiffness in 28 degree weather the other night and they LIVED!!! Amazing! Now the temp is above freezing but we have frozen stuff falling out of the sky. I'm assuming everything will be fine. It's been very warm lately for a while and yesterday it was above 60 so I'll bet the soil is very warm and protecting the plants as it radiates heat. At least, I'm hoping. I know some things are not supposed to transplant well, but I'm wondering if transplanting small seedlings negates that. I don't know, this is my first time to wintersow. The roots of these small seedlings are all healthy but small. I wonder if that makes them amiable to trasplanting. It would be nice to hear somebody with knowledge of this chime in. My morning glories all had their true leaves and were 1-2 inches tall. They seem to be happy and growing well. They do germinate fast if nicked, so I would think direct sowing would be nice, as well. My first year to grow them, but the ones I nicked literally showed germination in 2 days in a jug.
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Winter Sowing ~ What to Sow
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Comments (11)
That sounds great Lisa! It's always nice to teach a class, and WS is so easy that people figure it out right away. You're welcome to print out whatever you want from WinterSown.Org. I suggest you tell the class to bring empty clean milkjugs, salad containers, soil, and you bring seeds, tape, knife scissors and printouts. Bring some bags and coarboard boxes so everyone can take their containers home easily. Do NOT do watering of the containers at the site, but instead tell people for this occasion to bottom soak the containers at home. At the class talk about WSing principles, seed saving, sowing seeds, soltice sowing, and natural germination, etc--it's your class so make it your own and do it as you feel is important. For seed sowing help them make their containers, rub in their seeds and seal the containers. Don't forget to vent. It sounds harder than it is, the bulk of the work is in the preparation, but otherwise it's a fun class to teach and goes quickly. T
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julie_denver
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for the links Bonnie - I'm will take a look at both of those threads. I'm really excited to try it out this year!
polygonum_tinctorium
12 years ago
Thank you for the links! I too will be trying it out this year. Well, assuming I get myself organized in time.
mstywoods
12 years ago
I haven't tried winter sowing, but find it intriguing so may try to do some. Not knowing what types of veges are considered cool season varieties, I did an internet search and found this list at http://www.examiner.com/backyard-living-in-national/a-list-of-some-cool-weather-vegetables:

Asparagus (perennial)
Asparagus pea
Beets (warm and cool seasons)
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots (warm and cool seasons)
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chinese greens
Fava beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Onion
Parsnip
Peas
Radishes (warm and cool seasons)
Rhubarb
Rutabagas
Spinach
Swiss chard
Turnips

Does this look like an accurate list for types of veges that will do well for winter sowing? Haven't found as nice and tidy of a list of herbs for winter sowing, yet ...

Marj
highalttransplant
12 years ago
Hi Marj!

That list looks pretty accurate to me.

Here are the ones that I've wintersown:

Arugula
Beets
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Rhubarb
Spinach
Swiss chard

I choose to direct sow the root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, and radishes. They are kind of a pain to transplant, and if not done carefully, you end up with crooked roots.

Herbs wintersow very well. Here is a list of the ones I have successfully wintersown:

Basil
Bronze Fennel
Chamomile
Chives
Garlic Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Marjoram
Oregano
Parsley
Sage
Summer Savory
Thyme
Winter Savory

Most of those are perennial or biennial, and quite cold tolerant. The big exception is basil. I hold off on that one until April.

I tried wintersowing Rosemary, Stevia, and various mints without much success. The Lemon Balm germinates fine with wintersowing, but I can never seem to keep it alive. I'm going to try a couple new-to-me ones this year - Cumin, and Lemon Grass. I'll let you know how it goes.

Bonnie
kvenkat
12 years ago
This will be my second year at WS. Last year I started some things at the end of January then did a few more each month through late April.

The ones that were successful were:

Spinach
Kale
Arugula
Mizuna
Petunia
Zinnia
Switchgrass
Four O'clocks
Dichondra

A bunch of other things came up but were killed from overwatering when I went on vacation.

If the weather worries you, you could reserve some seeds to try again in case of winterkill. WS is fun and seeds are cheap. Give it a try!

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