We sow in vented mini-greenhouses made from recycled containers, we use them for germination but not for growing a crop. The containers can be made in less than a minute without cost, they are portable and disposable.

I think you can learn more about the Winter Sowing Method by reading the FAQs. It's a good place to start.

You would need a pretty big cold frame to grow the volume of plants that many people here grow...or even just the 37 containers that I did last year.

- Brent

I guess I should have been more clear.
I completely understand the method of wintersowing but I guess what I'm wanting to understand is the difference in the mechanics of the two. Brent, the quanitity is a good point and I hadn't thought of that.
Do people utilize cold frames for the same purpose that Winter Sowers do or is a cold frame intended for something else entirely?
The reason for my curiosity is that I was reading through a post from several months ago where a poster was describing and showing pictures of the wooden frames her dh had built for her and she had filled with 3-4" nursery pots and then covered with plexiglass with holes drilled in the top. It resembled a cold frame so much that I started wondering what the difference was between the two.
So quantity is a great point. What else?
Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,

As Trudi mentioned, cold frames are traditionally used as a way to grow and harvest fresh vegetables throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons, when it is too cold to grow them out in the unprotected garden. Our winter sowing containers are used to germinate plants which will be set out in the garden when they are small. So if you are winter sowing lettuce, you will set the plants out in the garden when small, but if you are growing them in a cold frame, you will leave them there until they are ready to eat. This is not to say you can't use a cold frame to winter sow seedlings that will later be set out in the garden, it's just not its original purpose.

From a high level winter sowing is more of an overall technique of growing plants from seed; it is not just about using milk jugs. Some people do use cold frames, structures similar to cold frames and even greenhouses and still call their method winter sowing. Using individual clear containers is the more common method.

Probably the biggest draw for winter sowing is the low cost and ease at which people can get started. Growing plants under lights, growing plants in a green house and growing plants in a cold frame are viable methods, but if you have $10 to your name and no carpentry skills then you can still get started winter sowing with a few packs of seed, a bag of potting mix and some milk jugs.

One difference between a cold frame and a milk jug is that people leave the tops off their milk jugs so that the containers will get some natural water. With most cold frames you would have to provide supplemental water.

- Brent

I WS in a cold frame, in addition to using the jug technique.

I can put 24 one foot square flats in the frame, and each flat holds up to 64 individual plant bands, so I can fit 1,536 individual sown cells.

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My frame hasn't got holes in the cover, but isn't airtight either. It doesn't pass moisture, so keeping the soil in the flats moist is more difficult than with jugs.

Okay, so moisture is another thing I didn't consider.
I'm not going to be building a cold frame anytime in the near future, I was just simply wanting to learn the differences since the ideas seemed so similar.
Thanks to all of you for helping with the clarification.
Have a happy weekend of gardening. Donn, didn't you start a thread about that very thing? LOL! We'll be having temps in the mid 90's and high humidity. Hardly the ideal gardening weather but that won't keep me inside! Just gotta take more breaks and drink more water.
Stephanie