Winter Sowing Guide - Why I DON'T Recommend Using Plastic Bins
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- After over 6 years of trial and error using the Winter Sowing Seed starting method, I have a pretty good idea of what works, and what doesn't work so well. In this video I am sharing my personal experience and why I DON'T recommend using plastic bins.
Video that shows my enormous amount of jugs that I did in 2019: • Winter Sowing Update 2...
Videos of reveals of seedlings that were grown using this technique in previous years:
2020 : • Winter Sowing 2020 Rev...
2019: • Winter Sowing 2019 Rev...
2018: • The Gardening Adventur...
2017: • End of April 2017, Gar...
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Additional info:
I use a seed starting method method called "Winter Sowing." I do have a whole playlist that covers this unique concept.
✅ • Winter Sowing Master P...
Don't forget to check out the discription box for lots of links of videos I have previously done showing the SUCCESS with the milk jug method. Some are quite "raw" so please be kind.
You missed the point. Dont use the bin like a giant jug and fill it with soil. Use it as a greenhouse filled with other containers. Works great for me. Movable if you move the containers partly, drain well, stay moist because they are in their own pots, easy go grow tons of varieties in the same tote.
I agree with you but the plastic totes do shatter much quicker than you would think. I did leave mine ouside the whole year maby if i brought them in before the summer they might last longer.
Glad it works for you. It doesn't for me. I've tried the whole "greenhouse approach " that you're describing, and nothing germinated for me. Either was too wet, or too dry. Didn't keep an even level of humidity. So... I don't recommend them. Most Winter Sowers don't. We stick to the tried and true method of smaller containers like milk/juice/water jugs.
@@GardenJensJourney I just made a comment on someone else's video about the same problems I could foresee using bins: cost, they're brittle, they won't balance humidity. I think most people don't understand that you lose the terrarium affect with larger container. Thank you for explaining. And if it does work for others, great, but I think there is babysitting involved and for me it ruins the joy of winter sowing.
@DustyFlats agreed
Right…and I’m not hearing anything like what I heard the bins suggested for-inverting over the garden bed.
The seeds I sowed inside that had developed a strong root system when I transplanted them growth outpaced winter sown seedlings that I put directly into the ground. The winter sowing seedlings went into shock and took awhile to start thriving. I plan to plant some of my seeds in cups and use bin outside to cover them. Last fall I dumped old potting soil into a bin and left it outside all fall and winter. The lid was tightly closed. I was dreaming shocked when I opened bin, seeds that were in old potting soil had germinated. Note: This bin had not been opened or watered during the whole winter. I kept the cover on the bin and removed plants as they grew in larger in late April and May. I used that bin to start seeds that had difficulty germinating using other methods. I made sure I never planted seeds very close together. Some seedlings were transplanted into cups before planting them in a permanent location. I usually transplanted bean seedlings directly into permanent containers.
Glad it worked for you.
You are exactly right. I’ve had the same experience with the bins vs milk jugs.
Thank you for sharing your experience as well. ☺️
This was so helpful! I came here when I saw your comment on...another video...and I am so grateful for your experience and sharing this! Lets hope for an early spring.
I don't mind this winter, as long as we get enough snow for my guys to work. ☺️ They plow during this time of year. What I'm praying for is consistent temps. So when seeds start to sprout, they do well and grow appropriately. ☺️ The last two years have been crazy. LoL.
@@GardenJensJourney Oh I get you there, I suppose I'll be gathering up all my jugs and shoving them under shade as the temps spike and drop 🥴
@@GardenJensJourney I'm down in 6B, Indiana, it gets pretty warm pretty quick!
@@kwillett00 you shouldn't need to move them any time soon. Only when your temps are steadily above 80 AND you see that your plants are stressed. Just keep an eye out.
Good suggestions
Very helpful! Thank you so much. I was thinking of trying them and now I won't waste my money buying those!
Thanks so much for this advice as I am trying winter sowing for the first time this year . It was what I have been thinking but glad to hear you articulate it.
Cheers!
Glad it can be of help to you. ☺️
@@cristallaprade5487 the method you're describing is not winter sowing. it's likened to the method of no transplant winter sowing but we still don't open the lid with that method. The bins would have holes placed into the top so that air can circulate out and the water from the rain and the snow can get in. There's no propping up of the lids in this, we keep it closed so it keeps the greenhouse effect going.
Here in Germany we don't have such milk jugs but I buy jugs for distilled water.
Those work fine too. It's mostly what I use.
Such good advice. I’ve never winter sowed but i can tell you’re right!
Glad I found this video. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
I’m glad I found this video. I was thinking about adding some bins this year but I think l’ll stick with the jugs!
Glad it could be helpful! Blessings!
thank you Jen, this is so helpful.
Concur as to everything. Bigger isn’t always better. Thanks for the caution
I don’t put soil in the bin I put the bin on top of my plants as a green house
That's good. Other people do it the other way, and it doesn't work.
Super video. Subbed, will be watching more. Thank you!
I get my clear totes from Costco in a 3 pack for 16.99 (both the body and lid are clear) I use the seed starting cups so not too much soil. I drill 6 holes 2” down from the top of the lid to help vent if they get too hot they can release some heat. At night I bring them inside if it’s cold in a designated spot by the door. If it’s not too cold I lay a moving blanket over my bins and remove the blanket in the morning when we let the chickens out. 2 years were good so far.
I'm glad you found a method that works for you. 😊😊
I like the idea of putting jugs outside, and leaving them there. No need to move them in and out. I only have to cover them if seedlings are growing in them, and we have freezing overnight temps. Otherwise, they are low maintenance. But again, I am glad you found something that works for you. 😊
Plastic containers are excellent for germination indoors w/o sunlight requirement. Such as Trachycarpus, Sabal & other palm seeds.
I also use them as a upside down cover over for plants that need warm weather. I do not use the lid. Ventilation comes up underneath the bin through the balcony/patio floorboards. Or used the side handles as legs to keep the container 1 inch above the ground. The key is not to allow heat to trap itself in a runaway greenhouse effect.
Yes, for how you are using them, they would work. They don't work for the "Winter Sowing" seed starting method. 😉😊
You don't need to open the bins... you put holes in the top to vent and allow water in, just as you leave the top off the milk jug for the same purpose.
I've done it that way. Did not work due to the large "air space." The humidity did not regulate equally at all. I had spots that were completely damp, and spots that were bone dry.
Also, as stated, the plastic of the bins was so brittle in the fridgid temps that they would crack or completely shatter if bumped hard enough. 😳
This absolutely did not work for me the 2 years I tried it. If it did for you, awesome! 😊
Good tips for growing in the winter....However, I don't use those large bins to grow in ($4 CDN at dollar store), I just use them as covers for starting seeds in my raised beds.
Yes, they work great for that!!
Thank you! It is my first time!
The bins are not meant for food use anyway, they are possibly toxic depending on the manufacturer. Milk and water jugs are much safer to use since they are intended food safe materials.
Very good point!!!
Correct, thank you for better info.
I just found your channel today! Thank you for telling us your experience. I just commented on another channel the same points about bins. And yet another channel, she was drilling holes in the lid and she punched right through the lid because they Are that Brittle--she's lucky she didn't get hurt as it surprised her as well.
The whole thing about the bins is some people live where nothing can be unsightly--I get it, but putting cell trays in a bin, purchasing high priced bins and trays only to drill holes in, is losing the value to me. The small container of a jug is better at regulating moisture and heat and efficiently creates the terrarium or greenhouse affect you want and need. A larger bin will need monitoring and that defeats the purpose for me.
I am a first year WS person and I was JUMPING up and down a couple days ago because I thought I forgot to plant broccoli until I remembered the jugs. I raced out to find I Did have some and they were UP!!😁
If the bins work for you great, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel. I'm happy, no, THRILLED the jugs worked and it will be a HUGE game changer for me. Those broccoli plants were the best seedlings I ever grew--not leggy spindly strings, but short and stout! No more babysitting, trays, transplants, over/under watering, lights, fans, mold, gnats and room hogs!!! I've been set free!🤣🤣🤣
I did throw them in the small greenhouse because I ended up ordering bare root this year and everything is coming broke dormancy and in zone 5a WI we've had 19° at night and snow as others have had this Easter. First time I started a heater in greenhouse--probably won't like electric bill, but worse if my plants die. It's not to bad to heat as it's attached to garden shed and is about 6x8 so easy to heat. Can't complain as we spent about $7 for hardware and rest was scrap lumber and pieces of someone's wrecked greenhouse😊 want to remodel a bit this year and add a heat sink.
Thank you so much for the video as we are always learning and it's great to collaborate with like minds.
I have been wondering if I put the milk jugs in the bens for peppers butting holes so the milk jug opening is through
the lid
No need. They will be fine on their own. Doing a "double greenhouse " can actually ruin your seeds and seedlings.
Well we don't buy milk cuz we have a milk cow. We also don't drink juice... so I thought maybe a big tote. I'm so glad I watched this first before I went crazy planting everything. Lol good information thanks so much for sharing. 💓💗
I don't drink dairy milk, or drink juice either. But we use a lot of bottled water, so that's where I get the bulk of my jugs. I also have some friends who also get bottled water, or they do drink dairy milk, so they give me their jugs. :-) Glad you found the video useful. Blessings!
I just read what another person does, she had her coffee shop save their jugs. Win win.
We don't consume dairy products either but we do buy salad greens in plastic tubs, so that's what I use for WS. 2 containers of the same size/shape, bottoms only, with holes drilled, and taped together. One is the bottom, the other is the top. Works great!
Thanks for all the info! I’m really thinking about trying this - even though I have the gear to do indoor starts, I’ve heard how much heartier the seedlings can be when started outdoors. I’d also love to not have to move them in and out to harden them off, and use our beautiful sunshine instead of indoor lights.
I’m in New Mexico in zone 7b and I think I’d need to open up the mini greenhouses very often. We get afternoon temps up to 65* this time of year and then suddenly plunge down to something like 40* days.
Have you found a way to open the greenhouses to vent them, without the hassle of having to tape them up or deal with tape losing adhesive? I haven’t seen your video of 300+ milk jugs yet so I might find the answer there. I imagine opening and closing that many very often would be a huge backache haha.
Thanks Jen :)
Once you open them, you don't retape them. 😉 You just "close" them and they will be fine. You only need to worry about "closing" them back up if it gets like 50 or a bit colder ( for warm loving crops). Otherwise they will be fine.
Here is the link to the video where I show my large amount of jugs. I also update the description box and video with additional links. ;-) ruclips.net/video/Dw806XA7ax8/видео.html
I'm not sure, but from the comments it sounds like people are confusing winter sowing in jugs with bins used as cold frames. If the bin works 4U Great, but I'm sure it doesn't work without babysitting. That's the whole glory of using a small container--it will take care of its self--mini terrarium. All you have to do is glance at them once in awhile to see if they sprouted. I never had one dry out that was properly wet to begin with before taping shut. But if your climate is drier you may have to drizzle some water in on the side. If you live in snow country they will be fine.
If you don't have jugs ask your local food places that use milk, bottled water and juice, friends family, neighbors and recycle center. There are jugs everywhere.
I agree Dusty Flats.
I pick up the bins from garage sales and use them to hold the mulch around my perennials and for the past two years I’ve done my brassicas and onions in them. I use jugs too
For clarification, are you talking about using them for the "winter sowing" seed starting method, or using them to grow in??
@@GardenJensJourney winter sowing
I put drainage holes in the bottom and some 1” holes about two inches above the soil level. Also six pencil sized holes in the lid. It’s nice to have SHEETS of onions to plant and sell or give away😊
@@fatherofchickens7951 do you live in the north where it freezes solid?? That's where I'm talking about the bins being more susceptible to breaking. I have had almost any bin I have used, outside in the winter, shatter or at least crack in the winter due to the extreme cold.
@@GardenJensJourney I’m in Alaska. I get two seasons out of them. Maybe the holes help🤷♂️ Idk. But it I’ll keep doing both
What else is good if you don't have the milk containers? We don't drink milk. I bought one bin and thought to use it.
Any clear, tall and wide containers that are similar in size. Water jugs, juice jugs, Soda bottles. You can find places where you can get jugs from, like freinds/family, coffee shops, daycare facilities and sometimes even recycling centers. You just have to and ask around. 😊
We don't drink milk either, but go through a lot of bottled water, and I had quite a few friends give me their empty containers. 😊
Gallon freezer/storage bags.
I use the bin as the lid works well.
Explain how YOU use it. 🤔 Enquiring minds would like to know how you're are able to do it successfully. 😊
In my experience of trying for two years, it does not work for Winter Sowing. The moisture doesn't stay evenly regulated. Plus, the bins are so brittle in the severe cold, they break easily.
LOVE IT, we have so much snow, there is no way I can put potting mix on top of snow, even in raised beds, then seeds, then totes....
Agreed. We have about a foot right now.
Reminds me of the tale 'The Princess and the Pea' 🤣🤣
Holy crap why would you have the plants in those bins for 5-6 months? My seedlings are only out for 4-6 weeks! I am starting seeds in flats that I plant in my early spring beds... perennials and cold crops. I could just plant seeds in the ground but it’s easier to plant plants. We drill holes in recycled bins, recycle old seed flats, and make sure our seed starting soil has vermiculite to stop algae/molds. The seed flats get taken to garden and bins get washed to go to basement till the next year so they don’t get brittle with sun exposure. We do winter sowing to get a jump start. I can’t grow 100 different varieties of plants in my house. Also if you transplant small plants there is less shock. I do agree with you though the cells dry out too quick for that. I don’t want to do 100 milk jugs and that would take me 2 years of saving jugs to have enough 🤣
The reason they're in the jugs so long is because a lot of people set them out a month or so before the ground is even starting to thaw that way seeds that have to be cold stratified are cold stratified and the other seeds are ready to go as soon as the weather starts warming up. So for example, here in my area, I start putting seeds in my jugs and getting those jugs outside in February- March. Those seeds can be in those jugs for up to 5 months because some of the seeds will not germinate until around June and then they're not planted until July. This method allows people to get seeds planted, get them outside and then let nature take its course. During the winter time, especially in the north, people are itching to be able to plant and this is a way to be able to plant and then set them outside and let nature do its business. It also is a time saver. I plant around 200 to 300 jugs a year. So by spacing how many jugs go out each week I can get that amount of jugs out before the end of my seed starting period. I understand that it is difficult for some people to get a lot of jugs by themselves, however there are plenty of ways to come across getting some. I used to have to go to a nursing home on a weekly basis to get enough jugs for my planting needs. however, now we use so much bottled water for our electronics and for my business, that I easily save up around 150 to 200 jugs a year on my own. that's also not taking into account how many jugs I'm able to save from year to year before they have to be eventually thrown away.
@@GardenJensJourney got ya. I am in zone 6b southeast PA and I am starting mostly cold hardy veg and perennials. As an herbalist I have many seeds I need to stratify. I just do them end of Feb till March then plant into the garden between March and April. I am just getting a jump start. I don’t do this for tender plants... although considering it. I see you have a greenhouse... why not start the seeds in there?
@@stacyk.3402 My greenhouse is junk. It's not good for anything except for storage during the cold months. In the summer months I use it to grow my peppers in. I start all my plants this way even the tender ones. I have so much faith and success in this process that this is how I grow my seedlings for our landscaping business to sell.
@@stacyk.3402 I also have quite the medicinal herb bed. I started every single one of those plants in jugs just like these.
Ok, reconsider using as greenhouses, not as planters. Works for me. Trays, pots, pods all in one tote. Many varieties. NO COLD STRATIFIED PLANT NEEDS TO BE IN THERE FOR THAT MANY MONTHS. THATS CRAZY.
Oh my. Thank you. I was just thinking I can use a bin but I’m thinking of sowing the seeds in small plant pots and placing them in the bin like in a green house. The bin might not survive the winter though would it?
Correct. I have tried the method you have described. It failed. But using the jugs as described in my tutorials, worked beautifully. 😊
Oh goodness...i was just about ready to do this as i have ZERO MILK OR WATER JUGS...WE dont drink much milk..so we buy the smallest bottle therr and sometimes have to toss it.
Hit recycling centers or friends for water or milk jugs. Juice jugs work too.
How do you recommend cleaning your milk jugs to try to get a second sowing season out of them? Very much enjoy your channel!
I actually don't clean mine, unless they have an excess amount of algea on them. I just hang them up. ☺️
@@GardenJensJourney when they do have algae what do you use? Bleach? Vinegar? Thanks!
@@lizadivine3785 I just use warm soapy water. I NEVER use bleach in things I'm growing food in. I do organic gardening and bleach is far from organic. Vinegar would be ok.
@@GardenJensJourney great thank you!
@@GardenJensJourney my sister worked at a small home company growing sprouts. I bet not many people know this, but they have to use a certain amount of bleach in the process of rinsing sprouts. Same I'm sure for bagged, cleaned veggies. 🤣 can't stand the taste of them, it all smells like silage.
If you spray the plastic bin with clear spray paint that has uv protection they will last for years.
I would not want paint coming in contact with any plants meant for food. This might work for growing plants like flowers and such.
@@GardenJensJourney If concerned about spray paint coming into contact with food you can instead use 303 Marine UV Protectant Spray, it’s nontoxic.
Milk jugs are food grade
Exactly!
So are the right totes. Just check the bottom code.
@@faithevrlasting Correct, thank you.
How would you find a "food grade" tote? I don't know what food items are stored in such things, so how would you know where to look? Just curious.
@@GardenJensJourney Numbers EXCEPT 3 at the bottom of totes are good.
Great content Jen. I’d recommend just get rid of the intro, just jump right in!:) Great knowledge in the video
Has anyone tried the plastix coke bottles..NOT THE 2 LITER...I HAVE TONS OF THOSE I CAN GET.
The small ones are too small. Anything less than a 2 liter is too small.
I also tried using a 500L tote and it didn't work, it weighed a ton and and it was soooo expensive. It then shattered and now I have little pieces spread over an acre, environmental disaster.
Exactly. So sorry for your troubles. It's a sad reality for using these types of containers.
My milk doesn’t come in jugs. If you put 6 cells in the bin it’s not so heavy. Sowing in a bin directly is not a good idea.
I have tried that method too. The soil dries out in those cells. You need the soil to be together, to keep itself evenly hydrated.
Unfortunately I don't drink milk and even if I did my country does not sell milk in those jugs.
I don't drink cows milk either, but we do use lots of bottled water. 😊 I get it though. 😊
@@GardenJensJourney Any suggestions besides milk cartons? Because I’ve tried the rectangular plastic storage bins/totes, drilled holes top and bottom and had pretty poor results.
I'm not surprised you had poor results with those plastic bins. I actually did a video on that. Do you have plastic jugs for water, or juice, or soda? That type of size is what you're looking for.
I think you should preface your location first. I live in North Carolina and rarely see 10 degrees if ever.
I generally do tell my location, just not in all videos. My location isn't really relevant to the information contained in this video. Winter Sowing works in all climates, you just tailor it a bit if you live in a warmer zone. 😉 I live in Michigan, where the temps can get very cold.
Or you could assume that not everyone on youtube lives in North Carolina or somewhere that rarely, if ever, sees 10 degrees.