Propagation: Time to start the cold weather sowing?, 0 by poppysue

poppysue wrote:
Weez - I bet there are plants that would do okay outside for you. You must have some plants that re-seed on their own in Alaska. Some of the hardy annuals and the hardy perennials?? I'd be worried about the moisture more than the temps. I think once a seed freezes it probably won't be affected until the warm temps in spring come - if it's too wet a soggy than rotting might be a problem. With covered containers you can control the moisture they get and keep them from becoming water logged. With the coke bottle greenhouses I water them once when I plant them and I don't have to water again until spring when I start removing the tops. Some seeds start germinating while there's still freezing temps in spring.

I bet some of the quick growing annuals like batchelor buttons, calendula, and candytuft might work okay. Anything that needs a long growing season probably wouldn't be worth it. Perennials won't be as large because they'll be germinating much later than plants started indoors.... but they'll be sturdy and catch up quickly. Try a little experimenting and see how it goes.

This picture is of the coke bottles I put out last year. It's funny because there was no snow on the ground... we already have about 2 1/2 feet of snow this year. I pack them in boxes to keep them from blowing around in the wind. The boxes fill up with snow and there they stay until spring. I must have planted about 75 of these bottles the first year I tried it.... and there was probably 80% germination. My zone probably doesn't get as cold as yours but my growing season isn't much longer.