When the ground is frozen solid and the trees are bare, most of us assume gardening season is months away. We huddle indoors, scrolling through photos of last July’s tomatoes and hydrangeas, waiting for the first thaw. But a growing community of green thumbs on TikTok is challenging that waiting game. They are encouraging gardeners everywhere to embrace the cold with a technique called “winter sowing.”
This method isn’t new, but it is gaining popularity on social media as a way to scratch that gardening itch in the dead of winter. It turns out, getting a head start on your lush summer garden doesn’t require grow lights, heating mats, or sacrificing your entire dining room table to seedling trays. All you need is some soil, some seeds, and a few plastic containers destined for the recycling bin.
The Viral Appeal of Winter Sowing
For many, the hardest part of winter is the lack of greenery. The concept of winter sowing offers a tangible connection to the earth when we need it most. It transforms the cold, gray months from a time of dormancy into a time of active preparation.
One TikTok creator championing the idea is @cutflowercottage. In a video that has garnered over 22,000 likes, she shares her enthusiasm for cold-weather planting. Her content is a burst of color in a dreary season, proving that you can effectively garden even when the temperature drops.
In her popular video, she highlights a specific list of flowers that discovered usually thrive using the winter sowing method. Her favorites include tough, resilient blooms like scabiosa, feverfew, godetia, and strawflowers. She also recommends bachelor buttons, sweet William, poppies, carnations, and echinacea. Seeing these beautiful blossoms pop up on screen is a reminder that summer abundance starts with winter planning.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.
What Exactly Is Winter Sowing
Winter sowing is essentially a low-maintenance way to germinate seeds outdoors during the winter. Instead of starting seeds inside under artificial lights, you create mini-greenhouses using translucent containers—milk jugs, juice bottles, or rotisserie chicken containers work perfectly.
You plant your seeds in these containers during the winter months and place them outside in the elements. The containers protect the seeds from washing away in rain or being eaten by birds, while the mini-greenhouse effect keeps the soil slightly warmer than the ambient air.
The magic happens naturally. The seeds undergo a process called stratification, where the cycle of freezing and thawing prepares them for germination. When the weather warms up in spring, the seeds sprout on their own timeline, resulting in hardy, robust seedlings that are already acclimated to outdoor conditions. No “hardening off” required.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.
How to Get Started
If the TikTok videos have you inspired, jumping in is incredibly easy. Here are a few tips to get your winter sowing journey started:
- Prep Your Containers: Clean out plastic containers that are clear or translucent. Cut milk jugs in half, leaving a small hinge near the handle. Poke plenty of drainage holes in the bottom and leave the caps off the tops to allow rain and snow to enter.
- Add Soil and Seeds: Fill the bottom half with about 3 to 4 inches of moist potting mix. Plant your seeds according to the packet depth instructions.
- Seal and Set Out: Tape the container shut with duct tape. Label your container clearly (permanent marker fades, so use a paint pen or grease pencil). Place them outside in a spot where they will get rain and sun but won’t be blown over by strong winds.
- Forget About Them (Mostly): The beauty of this method is the lack of work. You generally don’t need to water them unless you have a very dry winter. Nature does the rest.
@cutflowercottage These are flowers that i’ve had the best success with from winter sowing over the years💐🌸 #gardening#garden#wintersowing#vegetablegarden#cottagegarden#plants#winter#cutflowers ♬ Another Year – Andrew Gialanella
A Community of Hopeful Gardeners
The response to this trend has been overwhelmingly positive. The comment sections on videos like those from @cutflowercottage are filled with excitement and gratitude. “I’m trying out winter sowing this year,” one user commented enthusiastically. Another viewer, clearly inspired by the visuals of future blooms, wrote, “Thanks for sharing the pictures! Beautiful!”
It’s more than just gardening advice; it’s a shared hope. When you tape up that milk jug and set it out in the snow, you are making a promise to yourself that spring is coming. Watching others do the same creates a sense of camaraderie. We are all just waiting for that first speck of green to break through the soil. Until then, we can dream of the poppies and strawflowers that will soon fill our yards, making the winter feel just a little bit shorter.
