Welcome to the winter sowing forum, Charlie! The info you are looking for is in the FAQs. I've put a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQs

if you go to the FQA's at the top of the thread, all your questions will be answered. but in a nut shell its starting seeds in winter, in plastic milk jugs, and other containers. its like having a greenhouse but much easier. hope you give it a try.
jennie

Folks, looks like we've got a live one! Charlie, the best way to describe it is, we put seeds in recycled containers filled with some good potting mix that's moistened to the consistency of a brownie. We stick in a label, close the containers and set them outside in December, January, February, March and let Mother Nature do what she does best. The containers act like mini-greenhouses to protect the seeds from the forces of evil (read squirrels, mice, chipmunks, birds, etc.) that would otherwise keep them from finding somewhere to germinate. Some of the seeds need the winter cold to break dormancy and germinate; others don't. Either way, they get what they need from Mother Nature with little human intervention. Along about March, those protected seeds begin to germinate.
On the chance that you're skeptical, I winter sowed 66 new perennial seed types and so far have germination on all but 2. That says, "It works!!!" to me!!! I've even got ornamental dogwood trees, Siberian iris and hardy hibiscus growing from winter sown seed not to mention blackberry lily, Echinacea, stokesia, rose campion, columbine, foxglove, lady's mantle, lupine, bee balm, poppy, rudbeckia & Chinese globeflower.
Try it! It works!

Charlie-
This method can also be used year-round to start your plants. If you wanted to experiment with it over the summer before going full-scale, try some annuals.
Get yourself a few milk jugs, some potting mix, and some seeds. You'll want to keep the jugs in shade or dappled shade this time of year while they germinate; during the winter you can put them in full sun with no issues.
Welcome to the forum!