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Photo:
Photo by Evie S. via Unsplash
Author: Shazia Y. Hussain, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission
I am an avid gardener and a lifelong learner. My garden is an ongoing experiment, as well as a source of awe and pure inspiration.
Even before I put it to bed in the fall, I find myself planning and dreaming about the upcoming year. I reflect on which plants have flourished and which ones have flopped. I am always on the lookout for practical ways to improve my gardening practices. For instance, although I have had success growing different types of seedlings indoors, I have found the process cumbersome. Then I discovered winter sowing.
Winter sowing is a seed-starting process that emulates the natural cycle of cold, moist stratification. The freeze-thaw cycle helps seeds break dormancy in order for them to germinate.
Seeds may be sown in a variety of repurposed containers. However, two-liter plastic pop bottles are the most commonly used. These are clear, vented, and have drainage holes added. They are placed outdoors for the winter, so the seeds will undergo a period of dormancy. The containers protect the seeds from being ravaged by critters and from being displaced by precipitation.
Germination is ‘kick-started’ once the weather becomes warmer and there is more daylight. The seedlings should develop healthy, strong roots before being transplanted directly into the ground.
Trudi Davidoff, a gardener from New York, introduced winter sowing. She developed the method in response to a lack of indoor space for germinating seeds.
Look for key words and clues found on seed packets: self-sows, reseeds, refrigerate, freeze, require pre-chilling, stratify, cold (moist) stratification, sow outside in late autumn, can withstand light frost, are cold-hardy, and can be directly sown early.
Examples: Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop), Aquilegia (columbine), Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan).
Plants with common names that have the word wildflower or weed in them, such as Eupatorium maculatum (spotted Joe Pye Weed) and Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed), are great candidates for winter sowing.
Between December and February, sow seeds requiring cold stratification. For example, Delphinium elatum (delphinium) and Lupinus perennis (wild lupine). Around mid-March, sow hardy annuals such as Centaurea cyanus (bachelor’s buttons) and Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy).
Between late March and early April, sow tender annuals like Zinnia elegans (zinnia), vegetables such as tomatoes, and herbs such as Lavandula angustifolia (lavender).
Gather materials:
To simplify instructions, a pop bottle will be used as an example.
It allows you to re-use what you already have at home.
Depending on how many plants you intend to grow, preparation can take a few hours.
When I have not thinned out or separated seedlings over time, I have observed that they have become crowded and root-bound. The effect is that it has taken them another full growing cycle to recover.
Winter Sowing…Yea or Nay? Definitely yes, but with the caveat of showing self-restraint.
The first year I learned about winter sowing, I sowed 50 to 60 containers, totaling hundreds of different plants! I was thrilled with the notion of accumulating many new flowers without spending a ton of money! However, when it came time for me to transplant these, I was overwhelmed.
I am a work in progress, just like my garden. Last year, I winter-sowed 20 containers and could have blissfully added more. However, I realized that it would mean less time for essential tasks in the garden. These experiences have given me a better appreciation of the expression, “Just because you can does not mean you should!”
I will soon put my garden to bed while dreaming and planning for next year.
I already have a list of native plants that I would love to add to my yard.
There are no mistakes, only growth gained from learning opportunities.
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