Winter Sowing Method or Direct Sowing?
WinterSown.Org offers this information for gardeners who wish to compare the differences between the Winter Sowing Method and seeds which are sown directly into the garden soil.
All seeds that can be WinterSown can also be Direct Sown, but they should be sown heavily because Mother Nature takes the vast majority of direct sown seeds to feed her critters and biota.
Direct Sowing, also called Direct Seeding, is a traditional method for sowing seeds outdoors. It involves preparing the soil bed, sowing the seeds, and keeping them moist throughout germination. The Winter Sowing Method is better because the seeds are protected in their mini-greenhouses.
I usually direct sow....why is Winter Sowing better?
When you direct sow in the ground the seeds are at the mercy of Mother Nature....they can get washed out in downpours, be eaten by critters and bug and birds, desiccate in the wind, or can rot in the soil.
In a Winter Sowing mini-greenhouse the seeds are in a protected environment. They get the same weather as the seeds in the ground...same temperatures, and the little slits in the lids allow both rain and melting snows to keep the soil moist and the flats watered. But they ARE protected so more of the seeds will survive to germinate in Spring. The germination counts are generally astonishingly high.
Tip suggests these links for further study.
by Marni Katz
The Grower/ November 2002
Vegetable Production and Marketing News
Oct 2003, Vol. 13, No. 10
Texas A&M University Cooperative Extension
Sexual Propagation of Plants
Plant Propagation
Master Gardener Manual
Ohio State University Extension
