You are right, Dotty, I am finding lots of plants just sow and come up on their own - nigella, poppies, hellebores, to name a few. I winter sowed for a couple of years and it worked like magic and I loved the forum - such enthusiasm!

I agree one hundred percent. So many seeds will germinate better with some stratification/exposure to outdoor winter weather. I currently have several (okay, many) containers outside where I planted seeds in autumn or winter. I noticed when I was a kid that things like Lunaria sprouted more reliably when kept outside for winter compared to keeping them safe indoors until spring, or indoor sowing. Tons of plants are like that so you're definitely correct.

Of course, some things are too tender and won't survive, or will be so slow to reach maturity that it's better to start them indoors, but many, many types of plants seem to really benefit from outdoor fall or winter sowing. I'm surprised there's such a sudden craze about it, but it's a good craze, so I'm glad to see it. :)

Speaking of winter sowing, I have a terrific crop of variegated Lunaria popping up from autumn-sown seed...same for columbines, verbena bonariensis, penstemons, poppies and all sorts of goodies. And I know many folks have also noticed that autumn sown annual poppies seem to do much better than spring sown ones. For those of us with limited window space, and/or bad cats (I have both unfortunately) sowing things outdoors in autumn or winter is a very good strategy for many types of plants. I'm glad you mentioned it.

Take care and happy sowing, indoors OR out.
Grant

I usually sow seeds of cool season flowers and veggies outdoors in very early winter. Usually At the end of December/beginning of January. Works great for me.

I normally don't get around to planting daffodils until January 1st so I just started to make it a tradition on New Years Day. One year a neighbor was walking by and said "oh, I didn't know that we were supposed to plant those now!"

Hey, I haven't seen any sign of my poppies. I hope the seeds didn't get washed down the hill into my neighbors lawn. Boy, will he be surprised when the opium poppy police show up at his place.

LOL. Keep us posted on those poppies!

I've noticed quite a few California poppies poking up, plus the iconic Papaver atlanticum that you see all over northwest cities and towns (thanks for the ID bboy, I've admired and grown it for decades without ever troubling to find out what exactly it is).

I see a few tiny clarkia seedlings popping up all over the place, and a late crop of the variegated lunaria (some sprouted in October and now have two or four true leaves (nicely splashed in white) and some are sprouting now), plus the columbine mentioned above. No signs yet of my "other" poppies (nice double forms in crushed raspberry, pink, and white), but it's a bit early for me to notice them (which is different from a bit early for them to sprout, lol, sometimes they're so darn tiny I don't notice them until they're the size of a dime).

I'm checking almost every day on the pots of various milkweeds (Asclepias), gas plant (Dictamnus alba), Euphorbia longifolia 'Amjilassa', variegated Verbena bonariensis, variegated "kiss me over the garden gate" and variegated American poke-weed (pretty early for those three), plus native fireweed (Epilobium, I know, I know...it's fireWEED but I like the bloom color and the shape of the plant, and several others that escape my memory right now. Still, it's fun to see some of the autumn and winter-sown seeds popping up.

Take care,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Variegated kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (hate the name, love the plant)

I used to let my chickens free-range through my yard, which meant that planting seed at any time of the year, never mind winter-sowing, was doomed. The "ladies" especially love those poppy seeds!
It's going to be interesting to see this spring whether the extra cold weather we had this winter means that echinacea and some of the other perennials that require stratification will self-sow. It self-sows enthusiastically in my sister's zone 4 garden, but not here in my mostly-7 garden.

Grant, which variegated Lunaria are you growing, I've got the mauve/purple flowering one, looking for the one with white flowers. I've also have some others with mauve, purple and white flowers, not variegated but I like them for splashes of color. When they form their silver dollars I give them to anyone who wants them, they can do all the peeling :-). I sure would like to find the seed for the white variegated one. Maybe someone up my way can help me on that one.

A......

A - I have a few (about 15) that I scrounged from the pods I missed on decorations. If you want, send me an email. They are pretty, especially the first year when they are just foliage.

Midnight, mine are supposed to be the white-flowering form of variegated Lunaria. I've grown the purple flowering variegated forms in previous gardens (and loved them) but neglected to bring seed with me to this garden, so I resorted to bidding on ebay.

This is their first year and they've grown like crazy and are highly variegated even as two-leafers (my previous strains tended to not show much variegation until their second year/blooming). SOooo, I haven't seen this current crop bloom yet, but the seller said they were white-flowering. I'll happily share seeds with you, or anyone who wants them when they bloom. I'm hopeful some of them started early enough in autumn to bloom this summer. There are plenty just sprouting now too (I bought 50 seeds and tossed them all in the garden in August), but they won't flower until after their first winter, but I have hopes for the larger ones flowering this year.

If so, I'm sure I'll post pics of them, and if/when I do, just remind me you want seeds and I'll send them. Love sharing plants and seeds, so please don't be shy!!

Take care,
Grant

Grant, thanks for the offer, we don't have trouble getting most seeds from the U.S. I think corn is a no no. I'll keep an eye out for my variegated mauve for you if you want. I know seed has sprouted in the spot where I was growing it, don't know if there is any second year plants. Is it allowed to send these seeds to the U.S. ? Winter has decided to stay here for a while, :(

Happy gardening,

A......

The title of this forum is mis-leading..I really am trying to sprout artichoke seed. I have not grown it before and it is not germinating very well. I have started 12 peat pots set in a mini "green house", and only 2 have sprouted. I put 3 seed in each pot because I had heard they didn't have a good germ rate. Anyone have any suggestions? I would like to end up with about a dozen plants as we go to the local farmer's market.