WHEN is a water jug not a water jug? When it’s a miniature greenhouse! Yes, the very greenhouse you need for seed-sowing in winter. Although I described this Cinderella-act in an earlier post, you might find it helpful to see the procedure in pictures:
1. Making Drainage Holes
Because your seeds will be watered with snow, sleet and rain, your greenhouse will need drainage holes, and lots of them . Thus, turn your container upside down and punch through its base about 15 holes, as illustrated above. Also make holes about a half-inch above the container’s base, say, 3 holes per side.
I have found that the easiest, and also the fastest way to make openings in a plastic container is not with a knife, which can slip and slide, but with a red-hot “Phillips” screwdriver. I heat mine over a gas flame at the stove. If you don’t have a gas cook-top, heat the screwdriver with a culinary torch. Failing either device, use an electric drill for your hole-making.
2. Making a Hinged-Cover
Just below the base of the handle, cut almost all the way around the jug, leaving a half-inch hinge, as illustrated above. Use a pen-knife or scissors for this easy job.
3. Adding Potting Soil
Add, to your container, a quantity of potting soil to the depth of 2-3 inches, as above. Soak well, and permit to drain thoroughly at the kitchen sink. The soil, of course, must be well-draining. If your soil-mix is slow to drain, amend it with a small amount of perlite.
4. Planting Seeds
Sow your seeds on the surface of the soil. Very small seeds need no additional soil to cover them. Just leave them on the surface, regardless of what your seed-packet says. Large seeds, such as Morning Glories and Sweet Peas, require only a one-eighth-inch planting depth.
5. Labeling & Taping
Using a permanent marker, indicate on the jug the following data: name of seed, quantity sown (if possible) and date sown. Then close the container’s hinged cover, and secure it in place with 2 or 3 pieces of duct tape. It is not necessary to get a “tight” fit.
6. Lose the Cap
If your container has a cap, definitely remove it. The top opening of a jug permits not only ventilation, but the necessary entry of rain, snow and sleet. Especially on sunny days, your greenhouse will heat up and become quite humid. The vented top will permit excess heat and humidity to escape.
7. Out They Go!
Finally, bring your greenhouse to the wintry elements outdoors. My containers go on the wire-mesh patio table, which I moved to the sunny south side of my garden shed. In this position the jugs are protected from strong north winds. The greenhouses are arranged in a shallow sterlite box, which I peppered with drainage holes. The box mitigates the chance of tipping (should a strong wind get through), and also permits the easy moving of jugs, should this become necessary. If you place your containers in any kind of plastic box, make sure the box has drainage holes, or your seeds will be washed away when the snow melts.
And that’s it! Making a greenhouse and sowing seeds the winter-way is easy, easy, easy!
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Related Posts:
Winter-Sowing 101: The Basics
Perennials Which Require Cold-Stratification
Winter-Sowing: Who, What, & Where?
Winter-Sowing: What’s Sprouting in YOUR Milk-Jugs?
Winter-Sow Tender Annuals and Vegetables Now
Great info. And, as always, a picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks!
Wow – from the looks of it, your winter sowing project is growing by the minute. I admire your tenacity! How many containers have you planted?
Justin – …and your words are so kind!
Gardenlady – It is too wet and windy for me to go out and check, but I think I've planted 15 miniature greenhouses. I have many large gaps in the Woodland Garden, and my winter-sowing projects should take of these.
I've planted many varities of Delphinum, Morning Glories, and Hollyhocks in about 10 mini greenhouses. These make great weekend projects. I love planning the garden on days like today!
Erin – congratulations! And just think…these are probably Delphs, MGs, and Hollyhocks that you would not be able to obtain, as seedlings, from any garden center.
Are you using water jugs, milk-jugs, soda bottles, or something else for your greenhouses?
Not to mention the money you save when you sow this way. Last spring, Pacific Blue Delphiniums were $4.99 EACH at my local nursery. I just bought a packet of seeds for $1.69 from Agway!
Hi, Kevin – After your winter-sowing blog post, I saved a bunch of milk and seltzer containers and got to work this weekend. As I created my little winter greenhouses, a question came to me that I'd sure love the answer to:
If the seeds sown in mini-greenhouses in January will sprout come spring, why wouldn't they sprout after being placed in the ground before the ground freezes and then thaws in the spring? In other words, why containers instead of the ground (other than time of year)?
Thanks in advance!
Tammy – Great question. As someone explained to me, it's all about protection: From mother nature — winds and rains wash seeds away — and from critters, who dig the seeds up, or eat the seedlings upon emergence. Insects, too, frequently ravage seedlings the moment they sprout in the open garden.
I use all 3- it's a great way to recycle!
I can't tell you how many times I've planted seeds directly in the garden, only to have crows pick them out.
Erin – yes, it's a great way to recycle. When I shop, I now look for food that's packaged in a potential greenhouse! Rotisserie chicken, for instance…
Carol – Crows are very intelligent, indeed. I swear they WATCH us when we plant seeds in the garden, and make their move the moment we walk away!
I'd imagine another benefit to sowing in containers is control. One October I planted Sweet William seeds in my perennial border. When they sprouted in April or May, I mistook them for weeds, and pulled them all up!
Thanks for the reply, Kevin. I use soda bottle cloches over seeds I direct sow in the garden to keep the birds away and it works really well. I may try some winter sowing on exposed garden soil, using the same approach you describe (cover with soil, etc) and soda bottles just as a comparison experiment with the winter sown approach you described here — I'll let you know what happens!
Adele – LOL! I once pulled out a gaggle of nasty weeds, only to realize later they were my previously-sown hollyhocks!
Tammy – Your direct-sow versus winter-sow idea is a terrific one! And such data is extremely valuable to those of us who plant much of our our gardens during the winter months.
YOUR BLOG HAS SAVED ME!!! Not to be dramatic,( too late) but I am a sufferer of SAD and coming from a warmer climate (socal 20 yrs) I have had to learn all over what to plant and keep outside and what to bring inside. I've become familar with the term “overwintering” I had no idea that you could sow seeds outdorrs in this climate. Keep up the good work. I've had success with forcing bulbs indoors… now onto seeds. Your blog is a blessing
Last comments were mine, just figured out how to post with name, don't want to be anonymous, thanks again.
Welcome, socal plant lady! I look forward to hearing from you often.
A friend of mine suffers from SAD, too, and found considerable alleviation by growing, in winter, African violets and other flowering plants beneath “daylight” fluorescents.
Anyway, do stick around…no matter what the calendar (or the weather) says, it's always spring and summer here at A Garden for the House!
You have inspired me, Kevin. I'm getting my containers ready now! Psyched!
Brigid – Good for you!
I had no idea you had a blog on this topic, or even any interest or experience in gardening. How funny! We are interested in doing more with gardening and will certainly be reading more on your blog and talking to you in the future!
Fabulous ideas thank you especially for newbies like me.
I am forever sowing seeds only to pull them up as weeds as soon as they sprout LOL
This year the bug has bitten me thanks to my mother-in-law and I am growing everything in pots and containers so I hope to have a few flowers this year.
I am now saving all bottles and can't wait for winter ROFL
Hi, Kevin – Last year (conversation is earlier in this thread), I said I would try winter-sowing some seeds directly in the earth in addition to the container method I learned from you.
At the end of the fall, just before snow, I put some spinach seeds inside the cold frame I built from the remains of a picnic table destroyed in the ice storm of 2008. I left the cold frame lid open all winter, letting snow pile up inside. On March 2 I closed the lid, the snow melted, and the sun began to warm the soil.
I peeked inside today and what did I find? Dozens of little spinach shoots!!! I'm so excited at the prospect of my own fresh spinach in April.
Tammy – That's exciting! You'll be eating fresh homegrown greens in no time!
And..I just looked at the wintersown spinach on my patio — it has sprouted, too.
I'd love to see a picture of the cold frame you made. How well I remember that ice storm – no power here for 5 days.
Hi, I want to try this idea with my granddaughter to prepare for our vegetable garden. We live in the Atlanta GA area and still are having warm weather. For this area when we get little to no snow and the weather is warmer, when would be the best point for me to try setting up our planting for things such as tomatoes and peppers?
Thanks
Jim
Jim – what a great project to do with your granddaughter. While you can winter-sow all of your flowering perennials and frost-tolerant edible crops (like spinach) right now, it’s best to hold off on the heat-loving veggies like tomatoes and peppers. Plant these about 8 weeks before you would normally transplant them to the open garden.
Otherwise, in your climate, tomatoes and peppers can germinate way too early. And then you’ll have to coddle them by placing a blanket over their mini-greenhouses should frost threaten.
Thanks for the information, I thought I would need to wait on the vegetables. Guess we will have to find some flowers to start for now. She loves picking flowers so I maybe having her grow her own will supply her needs.
Jim
I want to try this! Most of our Milk Jugs are a Yellow Plastic instead of the Opaque White. This should be okay to use, right?
Ray in Georgia – Nice to meet you! If light can penetrate the walls of your yellow jugs, go ahead and use them. Otherwise, opt for clear plastic bottles (i.e., soda-pop bottles) or even clear plastic deli take-out containers. Light is essential for all seedlings, including those which are winter-sown.
Lots of folks are singing the praises of clear plastic salad containers (these are available in supermarkets) over on this post.
Hope you’ll report back on your progress!
Thanks Kevin! It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I like your website very much!
Hi Kevin,
I found your blog thorugh pinterest and I am so glad I did! I am going to ask everyone for their milk jugs so I can get this winter sowing going soon. Thanks so much for the step by step tutorials and pictures. I learn best with pictures, very similiar to my five year old…..anyway, thank you and I will be stopping by regularly!
Rebecca – Nice to meet you! You can also winter-sow in clear plastic bottles and deli-containers. I happen to prefer the gallon-size milk and water jugs for the roomy quarters they provide. Have fun with your project — hope you’ll report back on your progress!
Can this be done with Veggies. Such as tomatoes?
Marcia – Yes, you can winter-sow veggies! Be sure to read this article: What to Winter-Sow…& When.
I’ve had great success winter sowing squash, tomatoes, peas, cukes and basically everything but root vegetables (where I always end up with a frustrating root ball).
Sam Hunting – Nice to meet you. I check your site — great pix of your winter-sowing vehicles!
I like to use 2 milk jugs to make mine. I cut the bottom one as high as I can (under the handle) so I can have over 3 inches soil. I cut the top one as low as I can (above any ridges)–then I can slide the top over the bottom, and I don’t need tape.
Fantastic ideas, how about the herb garden in an over the door shoe tidy.I have just bought one and am having a go.
I love all these ideas, like yours, a bit quirky.
Thank you so much for great ideas I will definitely put in to action.
Maxime