23/01/2026
Winter Milk Jug Sowing 101 🌱✨
Now is the perfect time to sow your winter milk jugs here in the North. This method saves space in your indoor seed starting and cuts out the need for hardening off. The seeds will germinate when the time is right!
All you need are milk jugs or other recycled beverage containers, scissors, tape, soil, a marker, and some seeds.
🌱 Slide 2 - Some examples of seeds that can be winter milk jug sown here in zone 3... Amaranth, Anise Hyssop, Bee Balm, Bok Choy, Borage, Breadseed Poppy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chamomile, Chives, Calendula, Comfrey, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dill, Evening Primrose, Foxglove, Ground Cherries, Goldenrod, Hollyhocks, Horehound, Iceland Poppy, Kale, Larkspur, Lettuce, Lovage, Lupines, Maltese Cross, Mallows, Mustard, Mizuna, Milkweed, Mint, Moldavian Dragonbalm, Oregano, Onions, Pansies, Peas, Radish, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Sorrel, Spinach, Strawberries, Scallions, Soapwort, Snapdragons, Stinging Nettles, Sweet Peas, Valerian, Yarrow
Generally, any zone-appropriate perennial or native wildflower seeds can usually be sown this way.
🌱 Slides 3 & 4 - Cut your container horizontally across, leaving a section of plastic attached at the handle so you can open it like a clamshell. Poke holes in the bottom for drainage.
🌱 Slide 5 - Fill the bottom part with moist potting or seed-starting soil. Sow your seeds as instructed on seed pack.
🌱 Slide 6 - Tape jug back up tightly. (Be sure to add a tag inside to identify what you planted. Use a UV-resistant marker so the writing doesn't fade in the sun. Or write on the outside of the jug with UV-resistant marker.)
🌱 Slide 7 - All done! Keep the cap off. This is how moisture will enter the jug when it rains or snows.
Set your jugs outside in a semi-sheltered place that will still get rain or snow. If you're going through an especially dry and warm spell, you might need to throw some snow into the jugs.
🌱 Slide 8 - In the spring, check often for germination.
For a more detailed guide with photos, see Farmer Ash's blog in our links.
