Welcome to East Tennessee!

Many growers, including myself, winter sow their seeds. This is more like how the seed would grow by themselves in nature. If you want to do this, you will have to plant your seeds very soon. There's not all that much winter left. I am including a link to the winter sowing forum on gardenweb below. You can get all the questions you have about this technique answered there. Most people that have tried it feel it produces healthier and better quality plants and is easier than the "traditional" method.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Forum