I started some jugs this year to get a sense of how winter sowing works, never having tried it. I put the jugs out around Christmas 2021. I'm in zone 7b, in the Atlanta metro area. I went out to check on the jugs and I've noticed germination in the echinacea and asclepias syriaca jugs. Is this too early and should I be concerned? I'm looking for some tips from people with more experience with winter sowing and any advice y'all might be able to offer.

@daveid1966 - Each type of seed germinates in its own good time at it preferred soil temperature. We are providing the seeds a protective environment to give seeds better odds for success, but the rest is up to nature. There's a saying, "It's WinterSowing, not winter growing". In my experience, coneflowers and milkweeds are late to sprout - late April for me. Maybe mid-March for you? I see some gardeners here logged their wintersown "up" dates for some of their seeds in the NGA plants database - a useful reference.

DeerXing said:@daveid1966 - Each type of seed germinates in its own good time at it preferred soil temperature. We are providing the seeds a protective environment to give seeds better odds for success, but the rest is up to nature. There's a saying, "It's WinterSowing, not winter growing". In my experience, coneflowers and milkweeds are late to sprout - late April for me. Maybe mid-March for you? I see some gardeners here logged their wintersown "up" dates for some of their seeds in the NGA plants database - a useful reference.

Thanks for the reply. As winter sowing is supposed to result in a hardier seedling, are you suggesting not to worry or are there things I should be doing to protect them?

daveid1966 said:

Thanks for the reply. As winter sowing is supposed to result in a hardier seedling, are you suggesting not to worry or are there things I should be doing to protect them?

Not to worry! The jug provides the protective environment. On warm, sunny days, check that each jug is maintaining its water weight. Condensation inside the jug is good. Cold, moist stratification suits what you've sown.