FARMGIRL AT HEART: Winter sowing in Maine

by Virginia Jones

Maine is one of those states that seems to keep winter close at hand. We have a very long cold season with short warmer seasons following. It seems like winter could last forever. Even though we have longer seasons of frigid weather that doesn’t mean that we have to discontinue our gardening until the warmer temperatures come our way.

Last Winter I discovered a type of gardening called Winter Sowing. I happened to be scrolling through some YouTube videos and something came up about this type of gardening. I found it to be an interesting way to jump start my desire to get some seeds into the soil in the middle of the cold and frigid weather. You can do winter sowing from December thru January, and even possibly into February and March.

I have always enjoyed getting out in the garden, although this past year, my garden got away from me. That doesn’t mean that I won’t try again to conquer the weeds and have some healthy and amazing produce throughout the year.
I don’t really have the funds or the space to set up a greenhouse indoors so this was the perfect solution for getting some plants started to germination. It takes items that we all pretty use every day.

To get started, you need to collect a few items: one gallon water jug or clean one gallon milk jug, duct tape, box cutter, oointed tool for poking holes, waterproof magic marker, compost or seed starter, seeds (heirloom, self-sowing, hardy and frost tolerant varieties), spray bottle filled with water.

The first step, after having washed each jug, is to poke several holes in the bottom of each jug in order to have drainage. After having done that, you then need to take your box cutter and cut around the jug leaving a two-inch hinge for opening and closing. Fill each jug with an ample amount of soil mix, bringing it almost to the rim of the bottom of your jug. You then need to plant your seeds; there should be the number of seeds as stated on the package for the alloted space. It is important to choose seeds that need to be stagnated over the winter or ones that require a cooler temperature to bring them to germination. Taking your water bottle, spritz the soil several times until moist but not soaking wet.

You now can close your water jug and tape around the jug sealing it closed. This will allow the moisture to collect and keep your seeds moist for growth. Label each jug with the seed names that you have planted inside. It is a good idea to just have one variety of seed per jug. * Be sure to keep the cap on the jug until seeds have germinated and grown several inches, then remove cap in order to have some air flow.

You can now place your jugs in a place where they will receive ample sunlight, yet be free from wind and heavy snowfall. They should be on a level surface as well. All that is left is to observe the magic of germination.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at acupfullofcountry@gmail.com or find me on Instagram @farmgirl2heart.