Winter Sowing Mini Greenhouse Method for Educators. Learn how educators and home childcare providers can use winter sowing and mini greenhouses to garden with children and support nature-based learning.
Winter sowing means planting seeds in soil and letting them overwinter outdoors, exposed to snow, rain, and cold, until they emerge naturally—sometimes described as creating mini greenhouses for seeds—allowing plants to overwinter until nature signals it’s time to grow.
Miss Sue wintering sowing seeds in plastic containers
In early 2025, we tried winter sowing for the first time, building on ideas that began to take shape over the previous year. I knew the process would work. I had cold-stratified milkweed seeds outdoors for years—without realizing regular garden seeds could thrive the same way.
Stratifying milkweed seeds in winter for summer garden of monarch butterflies
In 2024, a friend from a local plant exchange gave me tomato and green pepper seedlings, started from winter-sown seeds. Those plants yielded abundant summer crops—sweet, juicy tomatoes and small, flavorful peppers. Inspired by this success, I decided to try winter sowing with the children in my childcare program the following year.
mini winter greenhouse in bottle – winter sowing
As a home childcare provider, it was a natural extension of the slow, seasonal learning we practice together in our small space.In the winter of 2025, I launched a group winter-sowing project with the children. We began in January and February to take advantage of the snow and rain before March’s warmth.
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I collected milk jugs and clear containers, sowing seeds in winter. Indoors, we filled containers with soil and seeds. After the children finished, I continued alone.
children helping to plant seeds in bottles for their mini greenhouse
We sowed wildflowers, bachelor’s buttons, echinacea, alliums, northern oat grass, sugar snap peas, supermarket peppers, leeks, onions, zinnias, poppies, sunflowers, and more—trusting the cold, the snow, and the slow rhythms of the season to do what they’ve always done.
watching seeds sprout in bottles – winter sowing – mini greenhouse
Each container had drainage holes at the bottom and ventilation holes at the top. I also used duck tape to seal the center of each milk or juice jug. If a lid was used, it had openings so snow, sleet, and rain could enter. Moisture matters here. Winter sowing only works when the soil stays gently damp. Letting containers dry out defeats the whole purpose of allowing nature to lead. And then…we waited.
Spring quietly came, as it always does, bringing changes that encouraged us to check for signs of growth.
winter sowing success with nothern oat grass, bachelors bbuttong, poppies and clarika flowers.
Each day, I checked for signs of life—peeking through the bottles or lifting the lids of the totes. We were delighted to see the first hints of green: tiny seedlings growing inside their bottle greenhouses. When containers looked like they were drying out, we added water and waited again—giving seedlings time to strengthen and the earth time to thaw and warm up for transplanting.
children transplanting seedlings from the winter sow success
Our first sign that the soil was ready to receive the plants didn’t come from a soil thermometer. Instead, it came from the garden itself. When the ever-persistent dill—known for reseeding itself everywhere—began popping up around the yard, we knew it was time. Sunflowers sprouting beneath the bird feeders confirmed it. Nature was giving us the green light.
harvesting veggies from the winter sow success
We transplanted our winter-sown seedlings and saw great success with poppies, bachelor’s buttons, wildflowers, zinnias, coleus, celosia, sunflowers, cosmos, grasses, tomatoes, peppers, scallion (green onions), spinach, parsley, calendula, cosmos, petunias, alyssum and more. As a result of our efforts, the garden that followed was full and alive.
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Butterflies arrived, we raised monarchs and swallowtail caterpillars and was gifted with a polyphemus moth. Pollinators drank from the garden daily. Hummingbirds visited. Birds nested in the yard. And somehow, a bunny chose to stay with us—not just for the summer, but through fall and winter too. It felt less like my garden and more like a shared space—an ecosystem built with patience and letting go.
butterflies on flowers in the home childcare garden
winter sowing success in our home childcare
vase on table in the chidcare – vase with flowers from our winter sow success
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Until next time,
Miss Sue—your educator in the trenches with you.
See how you can turn your backyard into a living outdoor classroom for young children 0-5 HERE
