Celeste Longacre

Ever tried sowed seeds outside in the hard winter ground? My friend, Jackie Caserta told me about this new idea and it sounded pretty easy so I decided to give it a try. 

Granted, this is an experiment on my part, but the woman who wrote about it, Trudi Davidoff, said that these plants ended up being much hardier and healthier than anything started inside. It’s best to use cold-hardy plants so I decided to try some lettuce, broccoli and Swiss chard.

The idea is that you sow seeds into mini-greenhouses that you make yourself from recyclables. Then you place your mini-greenhouse outside.

Begin with some take-out trays. These should be the kind with the clear plastic tops, like some found in Chinese or Thai restaurants.

Slit some holes in the bottoms and tops for drainage and air flow.

 

Decide which seeds you are going to sow and label the bottoms.

 

Fill 2/3 with a good quality potting soil. Plant your seeds.

 

Cover the seeds with 1/8 inch of potting soil.

 

Water well, cover and put tops on securely. If they don’t fit snugly, tape them down. Place outside on your picnic table or in the garden.