No Light? No Space? No Problem! Start Seeds with Milk Jug Gardening

The seed catalogs are calling your name, but your home leaves much to be desired for starting this year’s seeds.

Maybe you don’t have a south-facing window—or if you do, there’s no ledge to rest plants on. Maybe your apartment is basically a windowless dungeon. You’d love to set up a grow light, but let’s be real:

• You don’t have the space.
• Your kids or pets would get into everything.
• A proper setup with shelves and lights costs $200–$600—who has that lying around?

You’re about ready to scrap the whole idea.

But there’s another way…

Do you drink milk from plastic jugs? (Or know someone who does and could save theirs for you?)

Do you have a small deck or another flat outdoor space that gets a decent amount of light?

Great! You can start seeds this year—even if you live somewhere as cold as Zone 3!

In this post, I’ll show you how to start seeds when your home has no light and no space. Let’s get into it!

Like to see how it’s done? Watch the video below if you prefer that kind of content:

Seed Starting Without a Grow Light or a Window

The seed starting method I’m sharing with you today sounds too good to be true–but I promise you that it does actually work, although there are a few limitations I’ll share at the end. Winter sowing originally started out as a cheap and effective way to start perennial flowers from seeds, but the method can be applied to vegetables as well.

I live near Saskatoon, SK, which is in Zone 3b and has a short growing season of approximately 100 days, give or take, depending on that year’s weather and which sources of frost dates you believe. In 2018, I tried my first small experiment with winter sowing (or milk jug gardening, as it’s sometimes referred to), and it was a success.

Winter Sowing Works–Even in Cold Climates Like Zone 3

I started a few cool-weather vegetables that I thought had a decent chance of succeeding- lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and radishes. The Swiss chard and radishes failed, but I was very pleased with how the lettuce, kale, and spinach turned out.

The successful plants were the first to be ready in my garden and didn’t need any additional hardening off. Plus, since they were started outside, they didn’t take up precious window or grow light space in my modest house.

UPDATE: I got both the Swiss chard and the radishes to work the second year!

P.S. If you’re in a cold climate like I am, the name “winter sowing” is a bit of a misnomer, especially if you’re trying this with vegetables. I didn’t put my milk jugs out until the end of March, hoping to avoid -30 or -40 weather. In warmer climates, I’d expect you could actually put yours out in winter.

How to Get Started Winter Sowing with Milk Jugs

Supplies

To start your own flowers or vegetables, you’ll need…

• empty milk jugs
• scissors
• potting soil
• seeds
• a fade-resistant, permanent marker
• duct tape
• a garden planner (to keep track of everything)

Step-By-Step Guide for Milk Jug Gardening

Start by cutting the milk jug into two pieces to create a place for the soil and seeds. Fill the bottom part with potting soil and spread your seeds.

Add a bit of water to the milk jug. You can see approximately how much I add in this video.

Next, tape the top part of the milk jug back on and label each jug with what you planted. Write down which jug has what in your garden planner as well. When I did this in 2019, I thought my permanent marker would be good enough, but the sun and moisture washed it out completely by the time the plants were ready.

I’ve actually found much better success with putting a garden marker inside the container itself. The words don’t fade out at all, and you can reuse the markers from year to year.

And that’s it! Set it and forget it until the snow melts, and check on it a week or two before you’re ready to plant.

What Vegetables Work Best for Winter Sowing?

Not every vegetable is a good candidate for winter sowing. Heat-loving vegetables that need to be started early, like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or artichokes, would not do well. Avoid vegetables that don’t like to be transplanted, such as carrots, beets, or really, any root vegetable you can think of.

I’ve also experimented with pumpkins and cucumbers, but I put them out in their milk jugs much later–probably late April.

Vegetables don’t actually need freeze-and-thaw cycles to germinate. However, this method does seem to produce much stronger starters for transplanting. As I experiment more, I will let you know what vegetables are successful and when I think the best time to put your containers out is.

Related: The Best Vegetables & Flowers to Start with Winter Sowing

Can Annual Flowers Be Started Using Winter Sowing?

Yes! So far, I’ve started marigolds, zinnias, and calendula using the winter sowing method and hope to keep experimenting with even more flowers.

If you want to experiment with starting annual flowers using milk jugs, it’s a good idea to pick flowers that have a shorter date to maturity (unless you have a longer growing season than I do).

If you’re using the winter sowing method to start perennial flower seeds like it was intended, feel free to try any perennial that can be started from seed and put them out any time in the winter.

Have you tried winter sowing? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

If you liked this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for more cold-climate vegetable gardening tips, delicious recipes, and cut flower goodness! I also make weekly videos over on my YouTube channel. I hope to see you there!

HAVE YOU TRIED SEED STARTING, ONLY TO BE LEFT WITH STRETCHED-OUT SEEDLINGS AND DEAD PLANTS?

You’re not a bad gardener–you just need a little know-how. For the price of a few seed packets, you can stop wasting time and money, and start growing seedlings that actually live and you get to harvest. Don’t miss out on another growing season. Get your copy of Seed Starting Success now!