Artic continental climate here and still -20c at night. Last year on Easter Sunday I noticed the ground was frozen still 1cm down. I drew a few lines through the top cm along the iceblock under and sowed carrot seeds. Covered them back over and put a sheet of builders plastic over them, a stone on each corner. Biggest carrots ever!
I have planted spinach seeds in buckets on my deck in February and when conditions were right they sprouted and grew. No covers. Elevation 7500 ft. Zone 5. Colorado.
Looks like we had the right idea by pushing our sowing back from spring to winter... except that we didn't quite go far enough. lol I'll be trying some fall sowing this year for sure! Thanks!
What I did was make divets in the soil in October and let it freeze solid. Then I seeded spinach in the divets and covered with soil I had kept in the garage. My spinach came up in spring with snow still on the ground much better than seeding in spring. I’m zone 4 🇨🇦
@@elkinator64 thank you very much… that was quick. Loamy soil here too. I might have to go a bit deeper because we can get to -30 F, off and on especially during January.
Direct seed tomatoes. They will catch up and have little to no blight due to a lack of transplant stress. Works a charm. No plastic, just plant or place on frozen ground and cover with a thin layer of soil. Plant enough to have to thin out the stragglers. Mark the locations. Mulch like crazy once they start to grow.
I'm blown away! I'm saving this tip to try in a few months. This will be my first year winter sowing. I need all the tips and tricks I can get to avoid dealing with grow lights and seeding trays. I don't think I have the patience to deal with the hardening off process
Old farmer trick was coffee can seeding. In the Spring fill a can with alfalfa walk around sprinkling on the frost. The frost would pull the seeds down to the ground to fill out the crop. Snow afterwards didn’t matter. Anyway, it’s a thing my husband is a certified crop advisor and still chats with farmers who use this method. Love the channel.
I'm in zone 6. My best suggestion is to prepare your garden in late fall, amending it as desired, then sow your seeds where they will eventually grow next year, and then stop fussing with them! I do this with kale, thyme and parsley, with tremendous success. There may be a few species that won't do well this way, but I haven't found them! Seedlings I started indoors looked terrible by comparison. My kale self-seeded originally, and this was what got me started sowing in the fall a few years ago. Incidentally, 2nd year kale produces LOTS of edible foliage, and in Spring, also produces a hedge of beautiful yellow flowers that feed the pollinators for ~6 weeks. Volunteer tomato plants are abundant and maybe tastier that their hybridized forbearers. Thyme was a pain to start indoors, but just a few seeds sprinkled in place outdoors produced huge clumps by summer.
Exactly, basically imitate the natural process even further: plants usually go to seed in summer/fall and the seedlings germinate the successive spring, remaining dormant in the soil during winter. This would in my opinion the simplest and less work requiring option. The big problem I see could be distinguishing the little seedling from unwanted plants in early spring if some weeding is needed.
I can't believe I'm saying this... but you've just gotten me super excited for fall! lol I've thought about trying this with potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. But you're right, why not throw in some kale and other cold hardy veggies as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
Trying to find the right location in the garden while it was all covered in snow, was kind of difficult. SO doing this in the fall would be WAY easier. I'm convinced! I'll add this to my list for the end of the season. Thanks guys!
I"m a huge fan of overwintering seed. I have dumped extra fruit/veg in certain areas of the garden and have the following return year after year: tomato, tomatillo, onion, garlic (you can never get it all out), Potato (never get it all out) and some squash. It works, no domes. However I do still start seed in the high tunnel but i have started counting on my over wintered fruit seed...we shall see....last year I pulled out 2 year old celery...seed went everywhere! I suspect i'll have a ton of it this year.
This is so inspiring! I've thought about trying this with potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. And we already do it with our garlic. Many others have commented about fall planting kale and other cold hardy veg. But if we can do this with tomatoes too? Our springtime is about to get a lot less hectic! lol
@@BackToReality I"m a deep mulch gardener (since I have really clay soil) 5 years in I now have a nice base of compost. I do put 3 inches of wood chips on top of the old tomatoes and it seems to work. I'm in zone 8B (portland, oregon).
Just a humble though and on topic: "How does fruit/seeds get planted by plants themselves?" Sounds like self seeding is the way to go and thus "like nature" it will grow.
This seems like it should work!! 🤔 Still lots of snow here in Saskatchewan - but was thinking about giving this a try as well this week before the spring melt really kicks in. Good luck to us cold climate gardeners! 🍁🍁🍁
I appreciate the vote of confidence! I hope you do try it out. Your climate is a bit colder than ours (and you have a lot more experience with winter sowing than us) so I'd be curious to see how it works out for you!
In fall of 2022, I collected a bunch of sunflower seeds, squeezed them to keep the hardened seeds and any that cracked were thrown into the garden bed. It rained a lot, froze and then I covered with snow. This spring, they germinated and grew into my largest sunflowers. I might begin sowing in the fall if it proves to be easier. It doesn't seem like frozen ground affected these seeds or any other volunteers I had.
I know a guy who sow his leeks in the fall and they come in spring and are doing great. I want to try this fall along with onion seeds. Just to experiment. If that works, it will be a lot of seedlings I won't have to take care from February to planting.
I love this idea! I've thought about trying that with both potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they end up growing perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. I agree, anything that can get done in the fall, would save a lot of time (and brainpower) in the spring!
Yes,You can actually sow directly onto snow it’s called “frost seeding” it’s usually only done with cover crops and with native forbs but I don’t see why you won’t be able to do it with some cold hardy vegetable species
winter wheat should go inch deep. I was thinking (and trying) many times about sowing cannabis on the soil when the snow is melting or later in the spring. I think they got eaten, rot or grew a stem and died. The success rate has to be couple of plants from a plant-worth of seeds. When a wild plant full of seeds dies there is not a hundred plants there the next year
I always look forward to your videos, and this one is super interesting to me as I still have at least 2 ft of snow on my garden in northern WI. Thanks for this experiment. It is getting me more excited for spring planting!
Thanks Mike! And I'm comforted to know that we're not the only ones that still have snow at this time of year. ;) It's easy to feel left out when so many others to our south are already planting, while we're still shoveling. lol That's actually one of the things that I'm really liking about this winter sowing so far: We get to start working in the garden while it still feels like winter outside.
lol, I know eh? Two videos in as many weeks... We're turning over a new leaf (or at least, trying to). We'll do our best to post regular updates on this comparison throughout the season. So stay tuned :)
Do you mean that you cover the ground to warm up the soil before sowing the seeds? Or after? And if after, how long do you leave it before pulling the plastic back? Thanks!
@@BackToReality we remove the snow as you did, throw seeds and then cover the whole place with black plastic sheet. plants begin to grow under the plastic and two or three weeks later when they are few centimeters long the sheet is removed and the plants are transplanted on their final destination in the field or if its still too cold we construct a low green house with bow shaped branches and clear plastic sheet... this is done for red marconi peppers and tomatoes because climate here is cold till end of April most of the time. my mom is always growing lettuce through the winter with such low clear plastic sheet green houses, they grow slow and survive the winter and we have lettuce whole winter if the temperatures dont drop bellow -10°C because some years we have temperatures even lower than -30°C here
Starting seeds in containers is not always to start early. Many times it's to have a transplant that one can plant out at the perfect spacing. Some seeds are not hurt by freezing and will not rot sitting in moisture for a long time. Those seeds will sit there and not sprout until the temperature is warm for a few weeks straight. You can sow them directly, any time after the soil has cooled below 4°C in the fall. In the spring, one would, normally, wait until the soil is workable. Then start preparing the beds where those crops are going first, setting each bed as it is ready. That gives you a longer period of planting in the spring. Rather then planting everything in one weekend.😊
You make some really good points! Spring is always such a busy time, and everything feels like a rush. As a result, we usually feel like we've missed something, or that we could have done a better job at spacing, companion planting, etc. So, being able to buy ourselves some time, and spread out the planting window a bit, would be a HUGE help. I think we'll try some fall sowing next year.
To experiment more, try black landscape fabric over bare seeded potting mix. Or clear plastic, black plastic. Remove when germinated and put clear domes over instead.
@@BackToReality mostly warm the soil and keep in humidity. But it would protect seeds too I would think. The only one that is porous is the black landscape fabric. It would differ in that rain gets through and heat and moisture can escape. So there’s 3 variables.
This works in all climates. I am experimenting with it in Arizona zone 9b. So far all my flower pots in the courtyard are self seeded and wonderful. In the garden so far tomatoes and lettuce are successfully self seeding and coming up at the proper times. I just have to provide proper water as that is not reliable here.
Thanks for sharing your experience as well! I'm really hoping this works for us as well as it does for you. If so, we'll be doing a lot more of this in the future!
Good question! I think the main advantage to doing it now, is that the seeds will get as early of a start as possible, only the most hardy seeds/plants will survive, and there will be less to do during the really busy spring planting season. But, that's just my thoughts so far. I'll be sure to let you know if any of that comes to fruition, later in the season.
I think I may have learnt more about gardening startup watching this one video of yours than my last two years of binging YT garden channel contents. In lack of a tractor aka "No till"; By adding a strip of bought soil or compost on top during winter dorment season, will already established, unwanted wild growths just find way through the new soil at spring, or will it die ?
put mulch down and then put woven weed barrier fabric on top of mulch. this is part you will see as topmost. This allows rain and water in and moisture and air exchange in and out. It also removes any chance of weeds EVER. It also protects the microbiome of insects and stuff from birds so they can flourish and eat the mulch faster with no predation to deal with.
LOL I hear ya! We keep bouncing between spring and winter. It was warm and sunny 2 days ago, and then freezing again yesterday, and we just got more snow overnight. Mother nature is such a tease at this time of year.
ok guys I figured it out: plant the seeds directly into ground with clear plastic cup facing down over top. Then put clear freezer bag yard stapled down into ground around top of cup. mulch all around this to insulate but leave top of cup exposed to sun. As plant grows to fill cup, remove cup and plant will grow filling freezer bag. By the time freezer bag is full, you can remove it as it will be warm enough and last frost date has passed. DONE! Super cheap early outdoor planting!
Move to Africa.
We grow year round. Now snow here.
Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
I would miss the snow (sometimes), but otherwise I'm incredible envious! ;)
Artic continental climate here and still -20c at night. Last year on Easter Sunday I noticed the ground was frozen still 1cm down. I drew a few lines through the top cm along the iceblock under and sowed carrot seeds. Covered them back over and put a sheet of builders plastic over them, a stone on each corner. Biggest carrots ever!
I have planted spinach seeds in buckets on my deck in February and when conditions were right they sprouted and grew. No covers. Elevation 7500 ft. Zone 5. Colorado.
Looks like we had the right idea by pushing our sowing back from spring to winter... except that we didn't quite go far enough. lol
I'll be trying some fall sowing this year for sure! Thanks!
What I did was make divets in the soil in October and let it freeze solid. Then I seeded spinach in the divets and covered with soil I had kept in the garage. My spinach came up in spring with snow still on the ground much better than seeding in spring. I’m zone 4 🇨🇦
I love this!!
I'm totally trying fall sowing at the end of this season. Thanks!
That is cool. I am also in zone 4, borderline 3 in NE VT. Is your soil clay, sand or what? How deep did you make the divets? Thanks.
@@sukeywatson1281 I have raised beds so my soil is quite loamy. The divets were approx. 1/4” deep.
@@elkinator64 thank you very much… that was quick. Loamy soil here too. I might have to go a bit deeper because we can get to -30 F, off and on especially during January.
@@sukeywatson1281 same temps for us. As long as you have good snow coverage there should be no problem at all.
Direct seed tomatoes. They will catch up and have little to no blight due to a lack of transplant stress. Works a charm. No plastic, just plant or place on frozen ground and cover with a thin layer of soil. Plant enough to have to thin out the stragglers. Mark the locations. Mulch like crazy once they start to grow.
Ok, planting tomatoes this way is shocking to me. Thanks for the tip!
At this rate, we won't have anything left to plant in spring! :)
I'm blown away! I'm saving this tip to try in a few months. This will be my first year winter sowing. I need all the tips and tricks I can get to avoid dealing with grow lights and seeding trays. I don't think I have the patience to deal with the hardening off process
Old farmer trick was coffee can seeding. In the Spring fill a can with alfalfa walk around sprinkling on the frost. The frost would pull the seeds down to the ground to fill out the crop. Snow afterwards didn’t matter. Anyway, it’s a thing my husband is a certified crop advisor and still chats with farmers who use this method. Love the channel.
I really like this idea. Sounds like a great idea for cover crops. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
I'm in zone 6. My best suggestion is to prepare your garden in late fall, amending it as desired, then sow your seeds where they will eventually grow next year, and then stop fussing with them! I do this with kale, thyme and parsley, with tremendous success. There may be a few species that won't do well this way, but I haven't found them! Seedlings I started indoors looked terrible by comparison.
My kale self-seeded originally, and this was what got me started sowing in the fall a few years ago. Incidentally, 2nd year kale produces LOTS of edible foliage, and in Spring, also produces a hedge of beautiful yellow flowers that feed the pollinators for ~6 weeks.
Volunteer tomato plants are abundant and maybe tastier that their hybridized forbearers. Thyme was a pain to start indoors, but just a few seeds sprinkled in place outdoors produced huge clumps by summer.
Exactly, basically imitate the natural process even further: plants usually go to seed in summer/fall and the seedlings germinate the successive spring, remaining dormant in the soil during winter. This would in my opinion the simplest and less work requiring option. The big problem I see could be distinguishing the little seedling from unwanted plants in early spring if some weeding is needed.
I can't believe I'm saying this... but you've just gotten me super excited for fall! lol
I've thought about trying this with potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. But you're right, why not throw in some kale and other cold hardy veggies as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
Trying to find the right location in the garden while it was all covered in snow, was kind of difficult. SO doing this in the fall would be WAY easier. I'm convinced! I'll add this to my list for the end of the season. Thanks guys!
Great idea! Now you need to start a series about fall sowing- summer harvest, the next big thing for cold climate folks!😂
I"m a huge fan of overwintering seed. I have dumped extra fruit/veg in certain areas of the garden and have the following return year after year: tomato, tomatillo, onion, garlic (you can never get it all out), Potato (never get it all out) and some squash. It works, no domes. However I do still start seed in the high tunnel but i have started counting on my over wintered fruit seed...we shall see....last year I pulled out 2 year old celery...seed went everywhere! I suspect i'll have a ton of it this year.
This is so inspiring! I've thought about trying this with potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. And we already do it with our garlic. Many others have commented about fall planting kale and other cold hardy veg. But if we can do this with tomatoes too? Our springtime is about to get a lot less hectic! lol
@@BackToReality I"m a deep mulch gardener (since I have really clay soil) 5 years in I now have a nice base of compost. I do put 3 inches of wood chips on top of the old tomatoes and it seems to work. I'm in zone 8B (portland, oregon).
Just a humble though and on topic: "How does fruit/seeds get planted by plants themselves?"
Sounds like self seeding is the way to go and thus "like nature" it will grow.
This seems like it should work!! 🤔 Still lots of snow here in Saskatchewan - but was thinking about giving this a try as well this week before the spring melt really kicks in. Good luck to us cold climate gardeners! 🍁🍁🍁
I appreciate the vote of confidence! I hope you do try it out. Your climate is a bit colder than ours (and you have a lot more experience with winter sowing than us) so I'd be curious to see how it works out for you!
@@BackToReality I will be sure to do a video of my experience and results.
Glad to see you guys post! I always look forward to your videos...
Thanks jmorley! :)
We're trying hard to post more often this year.
In fall of 2022, I collected a bunch of sunflower seeds, squeezed them to keep the hardened seeds and any that cracked were thrown into the garden bed. It rained a lot, froze and then I covered with snow. This spring, they germinated and grew into my largest sunflowers. I might begin sowing in the fall if it proves to be easier. It doesn't seem like frozen ground affected these seeds or any other volunteers I had.
I know a guy who sow his leeks in the fall and they come in spring and are doing great. I want to try this fall along with onion seeds. Just to experiment. If that works, it will be a lot of seedlings I won't have to take care from February to planting.
I love this idea! I've thought about trying that with both potatoes and onions, since we always inevitably miss some at harvest time, and they end up growing perfectly well in the spring, after overwintering in the mulch. I agree, anything that can get done in the fall, would save a lot of time (and brainpower) in the spring!
Yes,You can actually sow directly onto snow it’s called “frost seeding” it’s usually only done with cover crops and with native forbs but I don’t see why you won’t be able to do it with some cold hardy vegetable species
winter wheat should go inch deep.
I was thinking (and trying) many times about sowing cannabis on the soil when the snow is melting or later in the spring. I think they got eaten, rot or grew a stem and died. The success rate has to be couple of plants from a plant-worth of seeds. When a wild plant full of seeds dies there is not a hundred plants there the next year
Cool!
LOL! See, I knew someone would tell me otherwise! Something to try for next year. Thanks!
I've also done it with some flowers such as poppies & herbs like dill.
I always look forward to your videos, and this one is super interesting to me as I still have at least 2 ft of snow on my garden in northern WI. Thanks for this experiment. It is getting me more excited for spring planting!
Thanks Mike! And I'm comforted to know that we're not the only ones that still have snow at this time of year. ;)
It's easy to feel left out when so many others to our south are already planting, while we're still shoveling. lol That's actually one of the things that I'm really liking about this winter sowing so far: We get to start working in the garden while it still feels like winter outside.
I still have two foot of snow on my garden space atm but this is definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks for sharing. -Kirsten
I can't believe my eyes, so soon a new video?
I'm really looking forward to the result, even if I'm pessimistic :D
lol, I know eh? Two videos in as many weeks... We're turning over a new leaf (or at least, trying to).
We'll do our best to post regular updates on this comparison throughout the season. So stay tuned :)
Love your videos and am
Glad you are back to them 🥰
Thanks badbami :)
We really appreciate that!
I’m on the edge of my seat. Keep up the awesome vids.
Thanks Chad! We're going to do our best to post regular updates about these comparisons. So stay tuned throughout the season :)
here in Macedonia, we just cover the ground with gardening black plastic sheet and it serves as a solar heating
Do you mean that you cover the ground to warm up the soil before sowing the seeds? Or after? And if after, how long do you leave it before pulling the plastic back?
Thanks!
@@BackToReality we remove the snow as you did, throw seeds and then cover the whole place with black plastic sheet. plants begin to grow under the plastic and two or three weeks later when they are few centimeters long the sheet is removed and the plants are transplanted on their final destination in the field or if its still too cold we construct a low green house with bow shaped branches and clear plastic sheet... this is done for red marconi peppers and tomatoes because climate here is cold till end of April most of the time.
my mom is always growing lettuce through the winter with such low clear plastic sheet green houses, they grow slow and survive the winter and we have lettuce whole winter if the temperatures dont drop bellow -10°C because some years we have temperatures even lower than -30°C here
Can't wait to see what happens.
Thanks yukonsmomma! We'll do our best to post regular updates throughout the season. So stay tuned! :)
Starting seeds in containers is not always to start early.
Many times it's to have a transplant that one can plant out at the perfect spacing.
Some seeds are not hurt by freezing and will not rot sitting in moisture for a long time. Those seeds will sit there and not sprout until the temperature is warm for a few weeks straight.
You can sow them directly, any time after the soil has cooled below 4°C in the fall.
In the spring, one would, normally, wait until the soil is workable. Then start preparing the beds where those crops are going first, setting each bed as it is ready. That gives you a longer period of planting in the spring. Rather then planting everything in one weekend.😊
You make some really good points! Spring is always such a busy time, and everything feels like a rush. As a result, we usually feel like we've missed something, or that we could have done a better job at spacing, companion planting, etc. So, being able to buy ourselves some time, and spread out the planting window a bit, would be a HUGE help. I think we'll try some fall sowing next year.
To experiment more, try black landscape fabric over bare seeded potting mix. Or clear plastic, black plastic. Remove when germinated and put clear domes over instead.
Interesting... Is the idea that the plastic/fabric would help to keep them warm? Or that it would protect the seeds from animals / birds?
@@BackToReality mostly warm the soil and keep in humidity. But it would protect seeds too I would think. The only one that is porous is the black landscape fabric. It would differ in that rain gets through and heat and moisture can escape. So there’s 3 variables.
This works in all climates. I am experimenting with it in Arizona zone 9b. So far all my flower pots in the courtyard are self seeded and wonderful. In the garden so far tomatoes and lettuce are successfully self seeding and coming up at the proper times. I just have to provide proper water as that is not reliable here.
Thanks for sharing your experience as well! I'm really hoping this works for us as well as it does for you. If so, we'll be doing a lot more of this in the future!
I buy lettuce, spinach, chard seeds by the pound from true leaf market. I broadcast it in a bed and rake it in.
Why not wait til snow melts?
Good question!
I think the main advantage to doing it now, is that the seeds will get as early of a start as possible, only the most hardy seeds/plants will survive, and there will be less to do during the really busy spring planting season. But, that's just my thoughts so far. I'll be sure to let you know if any of that comes to fruition, later in the season.
Some seeds need cold stratification to germinate.
I'd love to see an update on this!
Wonder if that'd work up here in Edmonton
Honestly, I don't see why not. I say give it a shot!
(That said, my confidence may wane a bit if this doesn't work out for us. lol. So stay tuned.)
Share about your life too , people need to know how wonderful is it to live free!
I would like to see a few more videos.
Thanks Teri :) We're doing our best to post more regularly this year!
Great video and I love your tuque :)
1:51 "beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes"
YOU NAAAAME IT!
lol
I think I may have learnt more about gardening startup watching this one video of yours than my last two years of binging YT garden channel contents.
In lack of a tractor aka "No till"; By adding a strip of bought soil or compost on top during winter dorment season, will already established, unwanted wild growths just find way through the new soil at spring, or will it die ?
put mulch down and then put woven weed barrier fabric on top of mulch. this is part you will see as topmost. This allows rain and water in and moisture and air exchange in and out. It also removes any chance of weeds EVER. It also protects the microbiome of insects and stuff from birds so they can flourish and eat the mulch faster with no predation to deal with.
Hey Derek, Im not too far from about where you guys are and so can say this method wont work cause WINTER ISNT ENDING!!! Like WTF???
LOL
I hear ya! We keep bouncing between spring and winter. It was warm and sunny 2 days ago, and then freezing again yesterday, and we just got more snow overnight. Mother nature is such a tease at this time of year.
How did it turn out?
ok guys I figured it out: plant the seeds directly into ground with clear plastic cup facing down over top. Then put clear freezer bag yard stapled down into ground around top of cup. mulch all around this to insulate but leave top of cup exposed to sun. As plant grows to fill cup, remove cup and plant will grow filling freezer bag. By the time freezer bag is full, you can remove it as it will be warm enough and last frost date has passed. DONE! Super cheap early outdoor planting!