Joanna here's a link with photos to help. The seeds need a period of cold to germinate. So they go right outside. I start shortly after the New Year in my zone (6a or 6b) I've always used the water jugs, the extra room feels better to me... Leave the cap off.....they should do fine. I've already had a couple dozen jugs sitting in snow. http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Ho...
"My work is loving the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird — equal seekers of sweetness. Here the clam deep in the speckled sand. Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished." — Mary Oliver, from Messenger