Winter Sowing

I am attending the Chicago Flower and Garden Show this weekend and next week will be sharing gardening ideas I picked up or improved learning there.  To get you in the mood, I thought I would share an idea I have been toying with and finally decided to accomplish.  If there are no pictures with this post, please bear with me, I am having some trouble with the computer recognizing the .jpgs  I will post photos as soone as it allows me too!

Winter sowing is an easy germination method that allows you to start hardy seedlings for pennies.  Winter sowing is done outdoors during winter using mini-greenhouses made out of recyclables.  There is no heating devices, no energy using grow lights and nothing very expensive at all to start your seeds.

The best source on the internet for winter sowing tips and guidelines is www.wintersown.org by Trudi Davidoff.  On that site you can identify what can be winter sown or if you should just save the seed and direct sow it in the garden.

This is a great green project for recycling old milk jugs and toilet paper rolls, yet you can get a bit of dirt under your finger nails when it is hard to do that outside in Illinois just yet.

What you need:

Sharp scissors or a knife

Milk cartons, gallon size or paper towel tubes and a card board box

Seed packets

Waterproof marker

Water

A roll of duct tape

Potting soil

Outdoor location to place your planted seeds

Steps:

Place the tubes in a small cardboard box spaced so they touch each other and do not fall over.

Or poke holes in the bottom of a one gallon milk carton.  Then using sharp scissors cut the carton all the way around by the handle, leaving the handle intact.  This will leave a hinge for opening the milk jug.

Add the potting soil to the milk jugs or paper towel rolls.  It does not need to be very deep about 1 ½ to 2 inches at most.  Label the milk jug or writ on the inside edge of the towel rolls the name of the seed you will be planting.  You can put a label on the bottom of your milk jug too in case the other falls off.

Give the soil a good watering before placing your seeds.  This will keep them from floating away when watered after.  I watered the milk jug before I planted and the towel rolls after I planted them. 

Remember to plant the seeds at the depth specified on the seed packet.  Pat the soil down or add a layer of soil on top of the seed instead of pressing them in.

You need to have 2 inches above the soil to allow space for seedlings to grow.

Secure the sides of your cut milk jug with duct tape and place it in the snow outside or on a picnic table, sidewalk ledge or balcony.

I put plastic wrap, double thickness over the top of the cardboard box.  To give the greenhouse effect I need to get the seeds to start.

Herb seeds I recommend for winter sowing:

Calendula

Viola

Flax

Basil

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Sage

Thyme

Dill

Hyssop

Marjoram

Chamomile

Chives

Yarrow

Thinking about the New Year

We attach significance to the turning of the calendar, and when the calendar turns to a new year, it means more than learning to change a digit when we write a check -- we’ve started a new chapter.  I was on yahoo today and there were a dozen articles about New Year’s resolutions and how no one can keep them.

I thought perhaps if we attacked them differently we might have different results.  So rather than a list of items that you should do because you want to be a better you --  like lose 50 pounds, stop smoking and such, all of which are hard and lengthy items requiring renewed motivation on a regular basis --  try this list on for size.

* Read one book you’ve wanted to read.

If you are a big reader, you already have a stack to read. Pick one and commit to getting it read. If you read less and don’t have a book in mind, talk to someone you trust and admire and ask them for a suggestion. It doesn’t matter what the book is; pick it, and read it.

* Make a list of the things you’ve learned this year. (I got this idea from a post on a yahoo group for The Essential Herbal)  Hopefully it is a long list! Don’t try to do this all at one time. Give yourself a place to write and a couple of days to allow your mind to find these nuggets.

* Identify the top five.

Review the list you made and pull out the five that are most important to you. Write them down and think about why they are so valuable to you and how you can benefit from them today and in the future.

* Spend one day in service to others.

Volunteer your day to a service organization. Go to a nursing home. Rake the neighbor’s leaves. Use your professional skills in a pro bono way. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do it with a giving heart.

* Make a list of the most fun things you have done this year.

You will have fun making this list -- and yes, I do mean make a list!

* Identify why they were the most fun so you can do more of it next year.  This only makes sense. Once you have thought about your “most fun,” figure out how to get more of it into your life -- whether it is an experience, time with specific people or whatever.

* Choose one herb to get to know.  Read about it.  Find a photograph.  Get some seed and try to grow it.  Find ways to use it in cooking or other recipes.  Tell other people about it.  See where exploring this herbs takes you—Does it relate to other herbs?  Is it a companion to other plants?  Do you meet new people while exploring about it?  Does it taste, smell, look or otherwise remind you of another herb, seasoning or plant.

* Make a list of things you want to learn next year.

Some things in life we learn serendipitously, and those are precious indeed. But we can also determine what we want to learn and why. Make some of those determinations now before you turn your calendar to the New Year.  

Some of these items in my list are forward-looking tasks, some retrospective. That is intentional. It is important for us to consistently and regularly reflect while looking out at our future.  This action allows us to see where we have been as we look to where we are going -- and correct our course to get where we want to go.

Making a resolution does not have to be a chore.  Make it into an adventure instead.