Winter Sown Seeds

THESE ARE SEEDS THAT I SOW IN TRAYS WITH CLEAR PLASTIC LIDS, THAT WILL GERMINATE AS SOON AS THE WEATHER WARMS UP.

This is a great method to use if you don't have anywhere to start seeds indoors or don't have the room to start all the seeds you want.  All you need is a container with a clear tight fitting lid - I bought aluminium sheet cake pans with the clear lids-they work great.  You can also recycle salad fast food containers. Make sure you punch holes in the bottom for drainage and in the top for air circulation, so the seedlings won't 'cook' in the sun.  Fill the containers with potting soil and plant the seeds, covering them with a small amount of soil.  Place in an area outside protected from the wind and wait until the weather warms.  After they have sprouted, check on them daily to make sure they are not getting overheated and water when necessary.  When they look like they need transplanting - after they sprout their 'true leaves' (the second set of leaves that grow), they can be transplanted to cell packs (like the plastic containers you get the plants in when you buy them). they sprout their 'true leaves' (the second set of leaves that grow), they can be transplanted to cell packs (like the plastic containers you get the plants in when you buy them).

Around the first of January is a good time to start.  All you need to do is poke holes for drainage in the bottom of the container and in the lid for air circulation, then fill the container with soil and sow the seeds.  Make sure you put them outside in a protected area where they won't be blown away.  The seeds will take it from there, in the spring you should see the seeds sprouting.  When they get their first true leaves you can transplant them to bigger containers. 

Here are seeds that can be winter sown:

Allium, Bee Balm (Monarda), Black-eyed-susan, Bleeding heart (Dicentra), Calendula, Cleome, Cockscomb, Columbine, Cosmos, Dames Rocket (Hesperias), Daylily, Foxglove, Gaillardia, Hollyhock, Hollyhock Mallow, Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, Milkweed (Asclepias), Money Plant (Lunaria), Morning Glory (Impomea), Moss Rose (Portaluca), Obediant Plant, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Sweet William (Dianthus), Trumpet vine & Zinnia.