Full disclaimer, I have never done winter growing before. However, in my desire to successfully grow ranunculus and sugar snap peas, I am happy to learn about some new-to-me methods that have a more consistent result. Generally, I would scatter seeds about and water them, maybe, and wonder why only the most resilient (*cough* zinnias) would be the only thing growing. The gallon jug approach satisfies my somewhat forgetful approach to gardening and the indoor starts are worth the reward of seeing those little plants pop up out of the tray. I am also at war with the squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks in my yard. If I want a plant to have ANY hope of surviving, it needs to be more beefy than a tender, tasty seedling.
Follow along and you can geek out with me on the process and how it all turns out. I will keep updating this post throughout the year. It’ll be more frequent right now, since the seeds are going through so many developments.
A local gardening group shared this page with percentages of likely frost. I found it helpful to mitigate the risk of my seedlings depending on their sensitivity to cold. Meaning, I will likely go ahead and plant out my cold hardy seedlings, but will wait until May for tomatoes, peppers, etc.
Outdoor Gallon Jug Method
3 Feb 2022 – Planted up and set out in morning sun, afternoon shade
Feb 16 2022 – I noticed the first sprouts popping out of the dirt. This is a Sweet William, one of the first to show up. Calendula and Perennial Lupine have also germinated.
06 Mar 2022 – Most of the jugs outside look like these calendula sprouts. Almost all of them have really taken off! The Bells of Ireland, Wintergreen, and Heuchera are the only ones that have not shown up yet.
Indoor Seed Starts
3 Feb 2022 – Planted up and set up under grow lights with the humidity dome on.
7 Feb 2022 – Seedlings have started to germinate. Left the dome on until more widespread germination occurs.
18 Feb 2022 – Noticed the seedlings were stretched, so I lowered the lights and ordered a stronger grow light. One that was at least 5,000K
01 Mar 2022 – After the cold hardy veggies had a few sets of true leaves, they got planted out in my raised bed. The seedlings were slightly stretched, so they were buried up to the first set of leaves. I did not harden them off, but the cover has a green house and insect netting option. After a few days of keeping them covered with the greenhouse cover, I opened it up to only have the insect cover.
19 Mar 2022 – Spring Break happened and I tried to prevent these little seedlings from dying, but no dice. The marigold and cilantro couldn’t handle neglect. The comfrey on the other hand was completely unphased by the lack of water. Time to start more seeds!