Quick Tip 9-start winter sowing

A cloche cover for warmth

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Winter can be a downer time of year for those of us that love to garden, but it doesn't have to be!  There are many "gardener" things you can do during the cold months of the year.  I'm going to share an idea each week for the rest of the winter on gardening activities that help satisfy the itch and prepare us better for the upcoming spring season.  Here we go with Winter Quick Tip 9-start winter sowing. 

 

You don't have to wait for winter to be over before you can start sowing seeds outdoors.  Winter hardy greens and vegetables can be sown outdoors and will sprout when the conditions are right for them.  You can also start early spring greens and veggies under cover, and you don't have to go buy something to do it.

Cold hardy crops like spinach, peas, snow peas, mache, and fava beans can be sown outdoors without protection and will sprout as soon as the soil is warm enough.  They germinate in soil temperatures in the 40's.

You can start things like lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower under cover right now outside.  If you don't have row covers, cloches or a portable greenhouse, you can use plastic milk jugs to cover your seeds.  Just cut out the bottom and place over your seeds or seedling.  You can vent when it gets up into the 50's by removing the lid.  Put the lid back on when out of the sun to keep the warmth in overnight.

This week end I planted my snow peas (Avalanche, Oregon Sugar Pod, and Little Purple), parsley (Giant Italian and Curled), spinach (Spiros F1, Giant Winter, Galilee, Giant Oriental, and Perpetual), Blood Veined sorrel, Red Sails lettuce, cultivated dandelions (Pink and French), and Dragon's Tail radish.  I planted them all in pots that have portable and removable greenhouse covers.  The covers have to be off when it is sunny and in the 50's or it gets too hot for these cool temperature lovers.  I'll cover when it's getting down in to the 20's.

When the seeds have sprouted, have their first set of real leaves and the temperatures begin to warm with lows only getting into the upper 20's, they will be ready to brave the elements on their own.  It's best to remove the cover when there is going to be a stretch of days that are warm and cloudy..

These techniques will get your fresh spring produce even quicker than starting seeds indoors.