Our temperatures have warmed, rain fell and our snow has melted. Although I wouldn’t think of these chilly gray days as a time to start seeds, apparently other wildflower gardeners are not hesitating!
This week in the Facebook Group Pollinator Friendly Yards, someone posted their achievement of sowing native wildflower seed in 100 milk jugs. Another gardener chimed in with their sowing of forty. (To find the posts, search in the group for ‘milk jug’ or ‘milk jugs’.) I was not alone in wondering how to do this and if it really gives your plants a jump in growth for their first season.
As I searched the posts, mentions of ‘Winter Sowers’ groups appeared, several zoom classes which had sadly passed, and a helpful article: Winter Sowing: Starting Seeds Outdoors in Milk Jugs. Then on a walk, I noticed my neighbor had pots and jugs out.
Apparently, this is a thing and I missed it. The milk jugs create little hot houses. I have not had tremendous luck with wildflower seed, and those that did grow are clearly deer favorites. Many native seeds, like coneflower, require ‘stratification’, a period of cold weather, or they won’t germinate. I’ve put many seed packets in the freezer for a few weeks, but this method looks more promising.
I won’t repeat the how-tos in the Winter Sowing article — you can read the post by Melissa J. Will, aka, the Empress of Dirt! From my read, the timing, soil and on-going care are key to success.
A gardening friend gifted me Cardinal Flower, lobelia cardinalis, a wildflower pollinators seek out, particularly hummingbirds. I’d love to have it in the damp shade beside my pond, but it’s hard to germinate. Along with some milkweed seed I saved, I will attempt winter sowing this week!
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