I’ve been steadily adding to my cache of winter sown containers. The warm springlike weather of the past weeks has helped many to sprout. As they are HHA (Half Hardy Annuals) and cold tolerant vegetables, I have no worries about the possible onset of colder temperatures through the next weeks. The plastic containers work as mini-greenhouses and protect the seedlings from frost. The cold will only strengthen them and keep them from becoming leggy and outgrowing their containers. I’ve had a lot of fun with this project. I also have set aside a portion of each type of seed so that in the event that some of the containers fail I will have a backup.

A view of some of the sprouts inside their containers. The above photos show my recycled orange juice bottles. These mini-greenhouses are light in weight. To windproof them I wedge them in amongst the heavier milk jugs.

A bird’s eye view through the top of a milk jug. The seedlings inside are asters.

I noticed two of my mini-greenhouses had indications of the dirt drying out. I placed these inside a plastic shoebox filled with water, a perfect fit, and let them soak up a little moisture through the drainage holes in the bottom. This worked perfectly and within a half hour they were thoroughly watered.