How to Winter Sow in an Unheated Greenhouse | Full Guide (no milk jugs) | Perennial Garden
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Here in Denmark, we know cold weather. And we know that starting seeds during the winter might seem a bit tricky, but guess what? Seeds are smarter than you think. They know exactly what to do outdoors when the time is right. So, why not give them a little nudge with some winter sowing magic? (We promise, it's easier than you think.)
In this video, we'll share how we winter sow in our unheated glasshouse and help take away all the guesswork when you're getting your perennial or annual flower seeds (or vegetables) started.
We'll go over how to winter sow without milk jugs or large plastic containers and help you pick seeds that love the winter chill, so you can have a super successful garden come spring.
And we'll do it with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions... so grab your seeds, soil, and trays and join along!
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
0:00 Intro
0:45 Why is winter sowing important?
3:02 What do you need to winter sow in a greenhouse?
6:09 What kind of soil do you use for winter sowing?
8:42 What does ‘hungry’ soil look like?
9:34 Why we water our soil before winter sowing?
11:15 What are the best seeds for winter sowing?
12:54 How to winter sow Cosmos seeds
13:59 Winter sowing Astrantia seeds
15:17 How to sow Lupine seeds in winter
16:38 Starting Verbena bonariensis seeds in winter
17:52 In the greenhouse
18:49 How to winter sow WITHOUT a greenhouse
21:26 Tak for i dag (Thanks for today in Danish)
Here’s what seeds were sowing this winter: • What Seeds We're Winte...
Got questions about winter sowing, need a hand with choosing which perennial seeds to start in the cold, or looking for tips for beginner gardeners? Maybe you're just curious about winter gardening tricks and how we use our unheated greenhouse for every season.
Whatever it is, drop your questions or thoughts in the comments below!
Don't forget to subscribe and follow to see what's growing in our garden.
Website: www.perennial-garden.com/
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#seedstarting #wintergarden #seeds #greenhouse #wintersowing - Навчання та стиль
I've recently come across your channel. I love your content and enthusiasm. Looking forward to watching your back catalogue and future videos. Keep them coming and thank you. 👍
Hiya guys ,just found your channel ,and i always love it when Gardeners show you that you do not have to have all the kit to grow plants . I am in the U.K and also have an unheated greenhouse ,have grown successfully all these years ,but have been thinking about heating the greenhouse ,now i am reassured again that i do not need to do that x
Gosh we do, too! I do like watching gardeners with all of the fancy stuff, but... it's just not how we do it 😉. Glad to know that an unheated greenhouse has worked for you, too! Greetings from Denmark´🥰
New subscriber Danielle from Northlawn Flower Farm UA-cam channel brought me here she loved your garden ❤
Thanks so much for subscribing ❤️. We adore Danielle and her garden. (We’re huge fans!)
Mám to stejně, sleduji paní Danielu a jsem tu na její doporučení a jsem za to moc ráda. Děkuji
@@betucibetuci5168 Super big thanks to you for joining, too! We love what she's doing in her garden... and we can't wait to see how her upcoming projects turn out!
I’m here because of Danielle, too 😊
@@TheEllarina Super glad you are, too! Welcome welcome welcome :)
So many seeds! Would be great to have a video exploring all the seeds you have saved and your plans for them.
We go over our list here: What Seeds We're Winter Sowing (+ our full list) | Perennial Garden
ua-cam.com/video/FCTgzkU8jCg/v-deo.html
Maybe that’ll help? And we outline exactly what seeds we used.
In our recent update, we show how they’re growing now 🥰
Thanks guys, great minds think alike! We did some sowing the other day too. Hope you're keeping warm too 😊
And without milk jugs! Do you guys have those in the UK (the 4L (1 gallon) size like everyone is using?
@perennial-garden Yeah, we have something similar for 4 pints of milk but we've never used them. We have our little plastic greenhouse for overwintering some of our plants instead. I think the milk jugs are big in the USA.
love your enthusiasm for the coming season. stay warm!
Thank you for watching :)
Very good information. Thanks for sharing and caring about flowers!
Thanks so much for watching ❤️ and commenting!
Soooo good to see you guys. missed you
🥰 We're still here... and super ready for the spring! Bet you are, too.
Grest ideas guys! I am doing the same this year..thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching, Cherrie! Hope your flowers grow big and strong this season!
Great video, enjoyed it a lot! I'm glad you showed how to winter saw without the milk jugs! Those are so difficult to take the seedlings out, where as your technique is so much easier and much better ! I hope you show them later in the season when they have grown a bit too! Thanks for sharing and happy growing!
Ahhh thank you for saying so! We’ve always done it this way because we can transplant directly in the garden after OR pot them on into individual pots to share, sell, etc.
We’ll for sure show them later on. We actually sowed 60+ different perennials and hardy annuals this week. Super excited for spring! 🤩
I thought I started a lot of seeds. I feel better not to be alone!
Likewise! There are so many seed starters out here :) Big hello to you from Denmark!
I'm only a small distance south of you and want to try wintersowing this year too. As an organic flower farmer I always try to avoid using additional heating for the plants, and the growing station in my basement is already overgrown 😄😅 So lets try this! Thank you for the great insights!! 🤗💖🌻
Thank you for watching! Greetings from your neighbors here in Denmark 🥰
You guys are adorable! great video
Thanks for watching, Corinne :)
Great Ideas guys, Love the content.
Thanks so much for watching!
This is such a great option. I was intimidated by the cost and space needed for grow lights and heat pads etc. This is such a great option! I am learning so much with your channel.
It is a way better option. We'd love grow lights and all of that stuff, too... but we just don't have the space. Hope it works for you, too :)
Zdravím z České republiky. Děkuji za přínosné a velmi inspirativní video, které je vhodné i do našich podmínek.
Big hello from Denmark! We're glad you found it useful... are you having a lot of snow this winter, too? We're having way more than usual (even for Denmark!)
Sněhu u nás bylo opravdu hodně, pak přišla obleva , ale ted už znovu mrzne a sněhu už je málo, takové klasické lednové počasí. Už se moc moc těším na jaro. Přeji hodně zahradnických úspěchů ať se nám všem daří. Máte krásnou zahradu.
@@perennial-garden
@@betucibetuci5168wishing you a great spring (and lots of flowers) too! ❤
This answered so many questions for me. I don't care for the unsightly milk jugs. I have a protected area I can use for this that's unheated.
That’s great to hear, Mary! Hope everything you sow comes up strong and healthy 💚💚. Thanks so much for commenting.
Thank you Lars and Allen. This was so interesting as I didn't know that you could start sowing seeds this early. You explained it well as seeds that naturally fall into the garden from the plant still germinate. I've done sowings in Autumn before and had mixed success. I'm going to sow some seeds solely in damp vermiculite after I saw Diane on "The Down To Earth Gardening" channel using this method and I may even try sowing some seeds now as I am itching to get started!
We know exactly what you mean about itching to get started! That’s us from the first frost all the way until violas show up at the supermarket 😂
We’ll have to check out that video you mentioned… thanks for sharing.
And yes to starting seeds early - we started about 60 different perennials and hardy annuals this week. Excited to let nature do its thing and seedlings to show up (eventually) 🥰
Thanks guys for explaining how yo seed sowing in Winter. I've often heard that but was never sure how it worked! I also collect bonds of seeds but in the Spring there's so many other chores that I never can concentrate on them. One question * unfortunately I don't have a green house or raised bed. Can the seeds also stay outside if they remain in the mini glass house, without rotting from so much snow or rain? At any rate Thanks for the tip and I'm sure going to try it 🙂 ❤
The best of winter sowing is that you do it now when there’s really nothing else to do 😜 (a friend of ours in Norway always uses his Christmas break to do it)
Yes a mini glass house is fine. If it starts to get too humid in there, just air it out - this will keep the topsoil from getting moldy. And keep an eye if it gets too dry, too - if it’s sealed tightly, you’ll need to water. (We spray ours every 2 weeks-ish).
You can basically use any container outside and cover it - even Tupperware-like plastic containers (but you’ll need drainage holes and air holes on the sides if it’s a big container)
Really interesting video. Here in the UK we wouldn’t sow Cosmos until March or April as they are considered to be half hardy annuals. We sow sweet peas, calendula Cerimthe etc in the winter
Hope your winter-sown flowers turn out great this year!
It just appeared in my video recommendations and thought like "why not to watch"? It was the best decision 😊 Greetings from Poland! And btw, my close cousin lives in Denmark and she loves the country 🤗😄
Well THANK YOU to UA-cam for bringing us together ❤. We live in Fredericia - so if you visit your cousin, be sure to stop by! (It’s a small country.)
Thank you SO much for this super useful video, you bring such joy to a dark time of year! Thanks for explaining in detail but making it fun too. I adore doing some winter sowing but not had a lot of success with the milk bottles so I will try your way. I particularly focus on hardy annuals, to fill in the gaps between my established perennials. I love climbing hardy annuals and wonder if you sow any of those and, if you do which ones? Thanks again and Happy New Year from Southern England :)
Thank YOU so much for watching! And for finding joy in our little contribution to the world :)
As for climbing hardy annuals, we don't sow any. Hmm.... now I'm interested tho! What are you sowing?
And happy new year to you and yours, too! Greetings from Denmark.
Wonderful! I really enjoyed this one so much, probably because I am also winter sowing and I am so excited to see if they'll come up! Verbena, Valerian, Poppies, Hyssop, and Nepeta . . . I can't wait! I've also got about 28 Japanese maple seeds winter sown on my balcony 🤣No idea where I'll put 28 Japanese maples, but I'll figure it out later 😂
LOVE the idea of you growing 28 maple trees on your balcony 😂. Who needs to sit out there when you can grow a forest! We are exactly like that too 😂 Hope they all sprout 💚
Haha! Yes, it is quite mad! I planted so many in case only one or two came up, but if they ALL come up . . lol. I'll give you an update later on what I ended up doing with them! : ) @@perennial-garden
Please do! 💜💜
Hi from Sweden
Hi from your neighbors here in Denmark!
That is good info. Here in Sweden we don't have those gallon milk jars like the Americans.
I like in USA, however, use hormone free milk that comes in a thick white jugs, which won’t work for winter sowing. I improvise by using vinegar jugs and clear recycle fast food cups…I simply cut a hole in the lid of the cups and remove cap of vinegar jug…then cut slits in bottoms.
Thanks for watching and hopefully you can use a similar method in Sweden.
The vinegar jug is a good idea. I don't know the recycle fast food cups tho (what they look like)... but sounds great! (We just subscribed to your channel, too... so if you have a video of this, let us know!) 💚@@Thankful_.
Thanks for the great video with beneficial information. I'm new to your channel and looking forward to watching more. I would be interested in the full list of seeds that you are winter planting in your glass house. Thanks again.
We sowed around 50+ flowers... but we should make a list and share here! I'll be sure to put a post up when we do :)
I love the foot tray. It's big enough and I love the lip that keeps the water inside if you water on top and allow the water to sit there for a while (if necessary). I didn't know Cosmo was considered a hardy annual. I will have to winter sow some of mine. Biennials as well huh??? I have a beautiful one that I took out when I started designing my vegetable garden. It's Silver Sage 'Artemis'. I will try it as well. I don't pick out all the chaff when I save seeds of Zinnia's and Marigolds. That would take forever and a day. I did Lupine as well. Can't wait to see all these beautiful flowers. BTW -- do you have your results in a video from last year? Would love to see it! Question: What if your greenhouse gets hot, cold, hot cold? I've noticed my unheated greenhouse range around this time 70-100 degrees. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for letting us know what’s happening with you! And so glad that you don’t pick out the chaff either, there’s no point 😂 - it would all fall to the ground in nature anyway.
And thanks for introducing the Silver Sage Artemis - I bet it’ll grow so well at yours! Will have to check it out when it does.
Regarding the changing temps in the glasshouse… we don’t worry about it at all. The temps outside will fluctuate, too - so it’s similar to what the seeds need (and would get outdoors). We do, however, on a humid day or unseasonably warm one, make sure we keep it aired out and not stuffy. (Altho it’s so old and full of oddly fitted glass panes 😂 it ls pretty much always airing out).
You know what… we didn’t do a full review of last years garden. I keep telling Allen that we need to… now I’ll say that you brought it up, too 🥰. He’ll do it then! Ha ha
@@perennial-gardenwell there you go. Thanks for the information!
I would love to know what you are sowing, maybe a quick tour of your greenhouse, after you are finished ❤. Jo UK 🙂
Thanks for watching, Jo! We can for sure give a quick tour of what all we've sown... I think it's around 50-60 different flowering plants. As soon as the snow stops, we'll get out there and update :)
Hey Jo! We posted a new video with a list of what we’re sowing. Hope that helps :)
I actually did the milk jug method and placed them inside the unheated greenhouse last year. It worked really well for our Midwest USA winter ❄️
Any suggestion on the type of soil you use? I've got containers...hubby built me an unheated (though vented) small greenhouse...and need to start trying something!
@@jackieshrock5279 I just used regular potting mix, which was what I had on hand. You could use mix especially for seed starting too. Looks like these guys use plain old potting soil mix😊
That’s what we use, too - just regular potting mix. We’ve used seed starting soil in the past, but we found that potting soil worked the same (and it’s cheaper!)
Thank you for watching! 🥰
I just adore you guys❤. Any way that you would consider moving next door to me , South of Glasgow? I would even attempt some Danish for you!!!
Just bought a Rhino greenhouse. I am beside myself. Any suggestions more than welcome. So much love to you and your family. Karen xxxxxx
haha! We'd love to be neighbors 🥰 And congrats on the greenhouse! I bet it's way cozier than our old one. We did paint it last spring to make it look a little better tho. And we've replaced a few glass panels this week after a major storm took out one side.
BUT... you're going to love the greenhouse! Ours was here when we bought the house in 2018, and there's a 20+ year old grape vine growing in it that makes the best grapes in late summer. Hope you get as much joy from yours as we do! And if you're ever in Denmark... come by! We can pretend to be neighbors for a day 😇😇
Yay! My mum was Danish ... so good to feel my roots! And grow some ... do your trays have holes in the bottom for drainage? Tak
Tak fordi du kiggede med❤and yes, our trays have drainage holes in them. We should have mentioned that clearer in the video. Huge greetings from Frederiica to you!
@@perennial-garden 💜
You guys need a bigger space. I bet you can't wait for your boy to grow out of the trampoline so you can do something beautiful in the center of it. Your garden is beautiful! I could stay in the backyard forever! I aspire to fill my garden beds to the point of explosion, just like yours. Thank you for all of the information!
Of course, you don't NEED more space. I just think of all the people who have more and do nothing with it. I imagine how amazing it'd be if you were on 3 acres of your own and did that kind of beautification. I'm in Midwest USA and we watched for hours last night. I'm currently winter sowing and doing some cleanout of my garden beds. I watched a propagation video and then so many more! How lucky you get to work in such a beautiful park as well! Happy gardening! I hope you keep us updated and inspired!
@@d.7040 I totally understand you! And we do need more space! 😅Or... we want more space anyway. But for now, we're happy to work with what we have. We took up the lawn to give us more flower beds.. but that's pretty much as far as we can go (for now).
And... we think we can finally move the trampoline this year! Our son is ready to give it up. We get to start looking for a tree to go in that area and then, of course, perennials to tie it all in with the rest of the garden. So that's something exciting for us to look forward, too.
Thank you so much for watching! And for taking the time to comment :) Big hello from Fredericia, Denmark today
💚
@@perennial-garden That's great! I look forward to seeing what you do there! Thank you for the comment back!
@@d.7040 Any time! Big hello from us :)
Great info. Last year was my first year with the milk jug method next to my unheated greenhouse. Do you still have to harden plants off prior to moving them from the greenhouse? I am going to try this in Nova Scotia, Canada,
First, Thanks so much for watching! Secondly, we don’t have to harden them off - as they get those swinging temps by being “outside” in the greenhouse. Ours is unheated, by the way.
Thanks for the great informative video. I have a greenhouse too and I am wondering if the warmer temps on a sunny day will be a problem. Today in Ontario Canada it’s -11 outside but inside my greenhouse it’s 30 degrees. I’m worried that will be a problem.
Hmm... that's a good greenhouse you have! The inside temperature sounds good tho... still cold enough without hitting the lows of outside. You can also air out your greenhouse when temperatures get too high (inside or out) so that it's a better balance on those sunny days.
Thank you! So you think I can winter sow inside despite the huge variance I am getting in temperature? Last night it went down to -5 inside the greenhouse when it was -12 outside.
@@Blackstockcountrygardens I would say so. We'd go for it, anyway :) If that helps!
That does help. Thanks!!
Just subscribed but do your weather temperatures compare with London UK.
similar if not colder in denmark.
Thanks for subscribing! In Fredericia (we're a coastal village (East coast)), the summers are comfortable and partly cloudy and the winters are long, very cold, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -1°C to 21°C and is rarely below -8°C or above 27°C.
Will this method work with vegetable seeds as well? I live in the USA in a cold climate, really cold until March. I'm curious about whether conditions like that are conducive, maybe it's warmer where you are than where I live?
We can't personally say (based on experience) that it works for vegetables as we don't grow vegetables (and haven't for years :) ) ...but this method should work for those, too. Our cliimate here is comparable to Zone 8a in the USA, if that helps? We're located on the east coast of Denmark (on the part that connects to mainland Europe... not one of the 1,400 islands that make up our country). Let me know if this helps at all :)
Hi! I just watched your video. I’m in Central Canada and I am trying this for the first time. My greenhouse hits plus 30° Celsius during the day, but it still freezes at night. I’m wondering if the seedlings will freeze during the night if they sprout before freezing again at night. It is still possible to get to Minus 15° Celsius.
That’s cold weather you’re still having. You can keep the greenhouse open during the day to keep the temps from getting too high (we do that) and cover seedlings when you know it’ll get to a real hard freeze at night.
I hope they all make it! Keep us updated as spring gets closer for you 🥰
Hello. I really enjoyed this video. I was specifically looking for someone’s experience with winter sowing in an unheated greenhouse. Would you please share your last frost date and coldest temperatures, to give an idea of what conditions the seeds/seedlings experience?
I’m in Canada (last frost date 9 May) where temperatures get down to -25 Celsius at times. It’s been a warmer winter than any in recent memory so the greenhouse has been heating up to 30-35 degrees Celsius when the sun is out (in late Jan/early Feb). I’ve been making sure my trays and pots (2.5-3.5 inch) stay moist. I am nervous though about losing my seeds because it has gotten so warm at times. Have you experienced needing to move the seed trays out of the greenhouse at times ? Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Hi! Thanks for writing :) Our last frost date varies -- it's usually at the start of May. We're a coastal town on the east coast... and we're also having wetter winters than we normally do. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -1°C to 21°C and is rarely below -8°C or above 27°C overall.
We don't have to move seeds in and out of the glasshouse, but we do open the doors on it to keep the temperature from getting too hot or too humid inside. We also keep extra seeds for any that do not come up :)
@@perennial-garden Thank you so much for providing this context and sharing your experience. It’ll help me manage my seeds and hopefully I’ll see them germinate in couple weeks 🥹🤞🏽thanks again!
Do let us know how yours turn out! We'll keep you posted on our little ones, too :) @@Mortallifeonearth
@@perennial-garden for sure! I will. Thank you. I’d really like that!
I normally sow Cosmos in March / April
When will your sowing germinate if placed in cold greenhouse now ?
They’ll start to show when it starts getting warmer. 🌱
I have an unheated greenhouse and I bring some of my potted Perennials in for the winter. Most of the days are sunny here. While the greenhouse freezes at night it can be 100 F during the day inside the greenhouse (30F to 60F outside). Can this method of sowing be used with such warm daytime greenhouse temperatures? Should I open my windows to keep the greenhouse colder?
It can be, yes. I would suggest opening the greenhouse during the day to keep the temperature from getting so hot and to keep the air moving a bit. Where are you located?
Greetings from Denmark 🇩🇰
I'm in the Mountains of New Mexico, USA. Elevation 7000 ft .@@perennial-garden
Oh wow! I bet it's beautiful there. @@toysintheclosetshop5443
Winter sow in jugs creates a moist atmosphere so there should be not too much babysitting. If I put the WS containers in the GH I don’t think it would work here in the northern part of the states. We are having increasingly difficult temp swings and last year was way too warm and many seeds either rotted or froze. I should have put them in the shade last year.
That's true... the winter jug method has a lot of great qualities! And we do have to babysit ours more than that... but we don't mind. It's all part of the fun :)
And crazy with the temperature swings where you are. We're having way more snow than usual for here on the coast... looks pretty tho.
@@perennial-garden well, this past December was way too warm and rained on Christmas and it finally decided to be winter in January with last weeks combined total of 20” of snow and always followed by cold 🥶 this week below zero Fahrenheit most nights and same with windchills. Then next week January thaw in the 30s F with possible rain Again. It’s crazy 🤪.
@@dustyflats3832 OH my goodness! Your weather is going through mood swings. haha
I follow Danielle but found you myself. I have an unheated Hobby greenhouse and will try your method with the milk jug method. I don't have enough jugs and want to be able to use my structure more. Thank you for sharing.😊
Hope it works out for your area! We're a costal town here in Denmark... you can compare it to Zone 8a for the USA gardening zones if that helps. @@lisab.6818
Denne video er lige, hvad jeg har brug for. 🙏Kan I anbefale en bog eller en hjemmeside, hvor man kan læse sig til, hvilke planter man med fordel kan vinterså?🌸🪻🌱🌼🌺🌻
Tak fordi du kigger med, så dejligt du kan bruge videoen. Jeg er også at finde på Instagram, der snakker jeg også om at vinterså og hvilke blomster.
Som jeg også nævner her i videoen, så kan du vinterså hårdføre sommerblomster som også er meget selvsående ude i haven. F.eks. Cosmos og løvemund.
Du kan generelt så alle staudefrø, de har alle godt af en kuldeperiode. Der er nemlig mange som i forvejen er kuldekimere, frøene skal have skiftende temperaturer for at spire. Ved at vinterså efterligner vi bare naturen. Når du sår dem i bakker er der lidt mere styr på processen, end bare at smide frøene ude i haven. Man kan have svært med at skelne ukrudt fra ny små staudeplanter i foråret☺️
Held og lykke med vintersåning.
Hilsen Lars
Hej Lars
Tak for at slå tommelfingerreglen om staudefrø og hårdføre sommerblomster fast. Jeg vil straks gå i gang😀
Skønt med en oplysende kanal, der belyser havedyrkning under danske forhold.
Er stor fan af jeres kanal. 🙏🌺🌻🌱🌼🪻