If you are looking for a step-by-step description, the first link on the FAQ page for the Winter Sowing Forum is great to start with. The link is at the very top, and is titled "Getting Started with Winter Sowing," or something like that. There are not a lot of photos, but Trudi has provided an excellent description of the process.

I hope this helps!

cheers,
Nora Belle

Well, I don't have a whole lot of pictures, and what I have are pretty poor quality, but maybe this will be of some help:

Milk jugs cut open, with drainage holes done, filled with soil, wetted down, and draining in the sink, awaiting seeds.
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Seeds sown, milk jugs taped up and ready to go outside.
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Hope this helps a little!
:)
Dee

I don't have pics, but I do mine much like Dee does, with one exception in cutting. I like to leave the handle attached, so I cut the jug around everything but the corner where the handle is. I end up leaving about a third of the jug uncut. It makes it a little harder to sow in, but SO much easier if you have to move your jugs around later. I also don't worry so much about taping it closed. A couple of pieces about 3 inches long is all I use.

This is my first year winter sowing and I've had better luck finding milk jugs (DH - chemist - limits the plastic in our house) so that's mainly what I've used. The first batch I did, I cut like Dee. IMO, this maximizes the height that the sprouts can reach but the amount of dirt that can be added is limited by where you cut - or it'll fall out. The second batch, I cut about half way between the top and bottom of the handle, across the whole jug so the handle is the hinge. This manner improves the carrying ability of the container, as Nancy said, and the way I'll do all of the milk jugs now. Since I haven't done this before, I'm unable to see the big picture nor predict future issues.

I am happy as a clam that the weather here has again cooled since my seeds are germinating!! I did panic but am going to let it go, since I didn't encourage these flowers to sprout yet and am leaving it up to Mother Nature:)

I used milk jugs last year but will be using roasted chicken container this year as they all ready are split in the middle

Hi Jill,

Glad you've enticed another winter sower! I posted a few pics on winter sowing a couple of days ago. I use Vjhale's technique of cutting an "oven door" on the side of the jug. Pics will describe that better. Usually the door pops right back up so no tape necessary. I like this method because the containers are easy to grab by the handle to move or mess with and stay sturdy. As sprouts appear, I cut more and more of the window away as they get growing (this allows for quick watering with a wand on gentle shower when all the jug windows are open and facing the same direction). Once the overnight temps aren't crazy, I cut almost the entire top of the jug away, leaving the handle intact. Sorry, couldn't find a pic of that. Hope your sis-in-law enjoys her winter sowing- is she in zone 7 too? We need help, lol!

Shore

Here is a link that might be useful: winter sowing