In 2018 I tried out something called Winter Sowing or Milk Jug gardening. This is where you plant your seeds inside a milk jug and leave it out in the cold and snow. It’s amazing, check it out!
I am in Zone 6B Cincinnati and have a growing season that (roughly) runs from May through October most years.
Other videos on Milk Jug Gardening:
https://youtu.be/f4K_OEdo4wE – Frequently Asked Questions
Go to https://www.facebook.com/ErvsGarden/ for all the latest updates and videos!
34 Comments
I live in Texas and they do very well
this is very helpful my friend.. I think I would like to make like this none
Thank you for sharing
I like this but I feel like it’s upside down if you cut off the top part and flip it over you can plant stuff in there and it has a drainage hole already there (spout)….. Then just set it On top of the bottom and it can be it’s water reserve it doesn’t have a cool little green house like yours but it won’t drip all over the place…:And maybe it doesn’t need a greenhouse if you make it deep enough/Tall enough walls the bottom only has to be tall enough to hold it upright and catch the water
Which growing zone are you in?
Brilliant !
Early Girl Tomatos grow great in TX. Love this method!
I use a cheap, old soldering iron to make the holes
You can totally start 50 tomato seeds in that much space. You will need to separate them eventually, of course — and it’ll require you to keep a closer eye on watering. But you can prick out (separate) the seedlings when they are 4-6 inches tall (though I successfully separated tomato seedlings which were 12 inches tall). Don’t worry about them surviving the separation — they will. Just make sure not to water for a good week before separation, as drier soil will come off the roots easier. There will be some root lost due to entanglement, but as long as some root survives, the plants will be fine. They will inevitably be leggy in a milk jug (long and thin), which is actually an advantage during the transplant stage, as you can bury them deeply and they will root all along the stem. I always multisow tomatoes and it’s a fantastic method to reduce space. Btw, you can do that with some of your lettuce as well: if you leave several plants unharvested in your baby greens batch, just dig them up and plant them in one of your beds.
Am collecting my jugs now to give this a try!
This is the first video I found a couple of months ago on winter sowing. Im now doing it. Thanks!
Thank you. Just tried my first time. Had trouble sealing the jugs well, even with duct tape. Do you have any good tips?
Thanks for the great instructions. I am going to start my herbs and flowers this way and I am going to have my grandchildren plant some lettuces and spinach. Also, what zone are you in, I'm in Nebraska zone 5b.
Early girl works on northern Minnesota if you start them indoors
LOVE YOUR HONESTY…WILL TEST OUT THIS METHOD…I NEED EASY…I AM OLD…AND FROM EAST TEXAS. ❤️🇧🇯🖖
Amazing thank you
Is this a good way to propitiate cuttings?
Good job.
Questions… I have a 5gal bucket full of kitchen scraps, crushed bones, old peelings, etc. Would a scoop of that, and 5 scoops of potting soil hurt my seed/lings? And if I'm understanding correctly, this method of gardening could work at anything over 32°?
Hahah the scissors comment was great
I am new to gardening and live in southern Maine . I am looking up start some flower plants and veggies this winter way using your milk jug method this winter . If I were to start in January , are there any tips you can give on how /when to transplant outside ?
Other than the greens which you have planted en masse, at what point do you "up plant" or transplant to larger pots? Or do they stay in the jugs until ready to be hardened off and oved to the garden? (ie tomatoes)
I will try this it looks easy. Thank you
You can leave it out in the snow temps(?) I think I will try it out! So ready for spring! Ohio winters suck 😄
We use water jugs and the lids they never smell, I think the smell comes from the milk . GOD BLESS
You are awesome! Thank you for sharing 🙃 very helpful. Gonna go plant some things over here in Rhode island! Wish me luck🤞(attempting spinach, kale, lettuce, herbs, onions, and purple UFO shaped hot peppers)
I’m guessing you don’t need to harden them off or anything since they’ve been outside?
Can I leave the tops on inside now or do I need to leave them off.I know when I put them outside I will remove the tops
earlier in the video you said do not use milk jug type plastic as it will block too much of the sun… but that's exactly what you're using… 🤔
Love it, dude! Thank you. 😃👍
Great Video. I just completed my first milk jug with some herbs for my daughter's rabbits. I am hoping for great results.
I'm definitely going to try this. I have over 100 water jugs to get rid of since you can't drink the water around here.
I am about to use this method for the second time as I had success following your instructions to sew tomatillos. I grew them in the jug from a slice of a tomatillo. It has yielded 4 plants. I'll be growing various types of peppers this time. Thank you, sir for sharing this with us.
I know I’m late on this. You used 6 spades full of the planting soil however how much trifecta are you using per jug?