Best thing would be to bury the pots in the ground and put some fallen leaves over both ground and pot for insulation. Or, if you have an area indoors with about 35-40 F, you can put the pots there.

There's no need to bring them inside. Maples not only expect, but I actually need, a cold rest period in winter. It's what they evolved with.

huggorm gives good advice. You DO need to protect the roots in the pot, because in nature, they are insulated by soil, whereas in a pot they would get much colder than they would outside in the ground. Although the ground freezes, the actual temperature of the dirt never gets much colder than about the 20s a few inches down, even in very cold areas, because of the insulating properties of the soil itself. However, in a pot, the whole rootball could get to 10 below zero if it gets that cold outside. That would kill the tree. Not the top, but it would kill the roots, and then end up killing the top as a result.

Burying the pots in the ground simulates being right in the ground. Another alternative to that would be piling a mound of mulch around the pot or storing them in the shed that stays cool, but does not get much colder than about 20° F inside.

Just temporary over the winter, you should dig the pots up when spring arrives. You don't want the pots to be in the ground when the roots start growing, or they will find their way out the drainage holes and into the soil

Ok thank you!

in my sand... i could bury pot and all ...

if you have clay soil ... and will make a non draining pot... do not bury the pot and all ...

place them on the foundation of the house.. on the north side ... and make a note to tip them on their sides near thxgving ...

all the better if they end up getting buried in snow ...

in this application the plastic pot if perfect ...

in the alternative... simply pull them out of the pots.. and plant them .. say.. in the veg garden ... and repot in early spring ...

or even better.. put them in there future home ...

maple seedlings.. in nature are indestructible ... the only thing that might kill them ... is too much love... DO NOT OVERTHINK THIS .. and do NOT treat them like babies... they are hardcore.. carefree.. long lived weed trees ... [that's personal bias.. lol] ....

all that .. presuming you arent dealing with some non zone appropriate maple .. as there are a bazillion and a half different kind of maples.. and you really havent IDd it for us ...

a pic of the leaves might get you an ID here ...

and.. to reinforce such ... they are not babies.. and not houseplants .. do NOT treat them as such ....

ken

Ok last year I had my silver out side in a grow bag white cover over the top for winter worked great over winter but not for oak tree or ash tree either made it but the apple tree did well!

Do maple seedlings need sunlight after the leaves fall off? i was thinking of placing the seedlings in a shed which could still get to zero, but place straw all around the pots. Would this work?

In the shed they are likely to break dormancy too early in spring. They would be better off left outside with the pots buried in soil.