7 Container Types You Can Use to Winter Sow
Are you ready to get your garden started after the holidays? To get your seeds started early this season, try sowing in containers this winter. In this article, gardening expert Matt Dursum shows you the various container types you can use to winter sow.

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For many of us, winter is the perfect time to get our favorite plants started for spring and summer harvests. Whether you’re growing flowering foxgloves or carrots, you can get your garden started early.
The best and easiest way to do this is by winter sowing. This technique uses mini greenhouses to create a warmer environment for your seeds to germinate. Cold weather naturally slows germination. By warming the ambient air, you’ll speed up the process just in time to harden your seedlings off outdoors.
There are a lot of container choices for winter sowing, so picking the right one can seem confusing. From milk jugs and soda bottles to salad containers and ziplock bags, you have plenty of easy-to-find choices. Below are 7 types of containers to sow your seeds in this winter.
Milk Jugs

Often, the best solutions to our problems are lying around in front of us. Milk jugs are easy and cheap tools for winter sowing.
They are wide enough to sow a variety of seeds, similar to a four-cell seeding tray. Plus, they even have a handy ventilation chamber at the top. Jugs are lightweight and easy to move around your garden.
The only rule for using milk jugs, or any container, for winter sowing is that they’re clear. You want the sunlight to pass through the plastic. Below are the easy-to-follow steps to using milk jugs as a winter sowing container.
- Clean the milk jugs to remove residues that could form bacteria.
- Slice the jug horizontally below the handle, leaving the handle intact.
- Cut four to five large holes in the bottom for drainage.
- Keep the cap off for ventilation.
- Add your soil mix and sow your seeds according to the packet’s directions.
- Paste labels on the jugs with plant names and sowing dates.
Seed Starting Trays with Germination Domes

A long-lasting and easy solution for winter sowing is placing germination domes over your seed starting containers. These domes will last many seasons and are a long-term investment that you can rely on.
The domes work by providing cover to your seeds and increasing the ambient temperature and humidity inside the dome. This speeds up the germination time that would otherwise slow down in cold weather.
After sowing your seeds in the cell containers, place your germination domes over them. Move the cells and dome over the bottom tray to secure the setup. Keep watering your seeds according to your seed packet’s directions. Once your seeds germinate, you can remove the dome and move them outdoors or to your greenhouse.
Soda Bottles

Soda bottles—or pop bottles for you fellow Midwesterners out there—also make good containers for your seeds. Most plastic soda bottles have a curved hourglass shape that makes them easy to assemble.
They have curved indentations at the bottom, which help direct water to the drainage holes. You can also line them up in your garden to create large-scale multi-celled garden trays.
Soda bottles are easy to find, cheap, and work magically. They’re great for plants with deeper roots such as carrots. Below are the steps to creating a mini greenhouse out of a soda bottle.
- Clean your bottle thoroughly.
- Poke four large drainage holes on the bottom indentations.
- Cut small holes at the top for extra ventilation.
- Cut the bottle in half horizontally.
- Add your medium and sow your seeds.
- Water your seeds and cover them with the top half.
- Unscrew the cap to increase ventilation.
- Label your bottles with plant information and sowing dates.
Large Plastic Containers

For better or worse, many of us shop at stores such as Costco to save money and buy a lot of the essentials. Many products in these behemoth stores come in super-sized containers. The most common are vinegar, laundry detergent, cooking oil, and even hot sauce.
If you have a large plastic container, it will make a great winter sowing container. It needs to be clear plastic. It also should have only contained food items and not chemicals.
Once you have your plastic container, you can get to work. Follow the steps below to convert oversized plastic containers into epic sowing vessels.
- Thoroughly clean it to remove food scraps.
- Poke eight to ten large holes in the bottom for drainage.
- Make smaller holes in the bottom and top for extra drainage and ventilation.
- Carefully slice it horizontally to make two halves.
- Add your growing medium and sow your seeds.
- Give them enough water to soak the soil.
- Cover your soil with the container’s upper half.
- Unscrew the cap for ventilation.
- Connect the two halves with tape or leave a narrow strip of plastic connected.
- Label your mini-greenhouses with your seed’s information and sowing dates.
Salad Tubs

Salad tubs are easy and efficient. They’re similar to large tubs but more compact and easy to work with. After your seedlings grow, they’ll be easy to move to your garden bed.
Many gardeners, including myself, love using salad tubs because they make it easy to check on seedlings. The lids come off easily and are easy to secure. If you’re having trouble getting your lid to stay on, simply tape the sides in place. Once the weather gets warmer, leave the lid off to let the warm sun filter in.
Salad tubs are usually made from clear plastic and contain clean greens, making them easy to wash. Once you’re done eating your salad, all you need to do is clean your tubs and prepare them for sowing. To use them, follow the steps below.
- Clean your salad tubs.
- Poke six to eight drainage holes in the bottom.
- Fill the tubs with growing medium and soak.
- Sow your seeds according to your specific package directions.
- Poke ten small holes in the sides for ventilation and ten on the lid.
- Cover your tub and move it to a sunny location.
Storage Bins

Do you have old storage bins you need to get rid of? Before recycling them, consider using them to sow your winter crops. These extra-large containers can hold almost an entire garden’s worth of seedlings.
To use storage bins, clean them out and poke a dozen large holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill them with soil and growing medium a few inches deep. Poke ten to twenty small holes around the sides for ventilation. Wet your soil, plant your seeds, and water, and attach the plastic top to create an efficient mini greenhouse.
The biggest downside to using storage bins is their size. Transplanting seedlings can be a minor hassle compared to the other containers. You can solve this problem by placing smaller starter pots, plastic cups, or seedling trays within them rather than filling them with soil. They’re also heavy and hard to move after you fill them with soil.
Ziplock Bags

Almost everyone has ziplock bags lying around. From school lunches to storing leftovers, many of us use them for everyday tasks. As wasteful as they are, they make decent containers for winter sowing.
They’re translucent enough to let plenty of sunlight in. They’re also easy to seal and move once it’s time to transplant your seedlings.
Ziplock bags work great for smaller plants such as arugula, spinach, and violas. You can attach several of them, making them easy to organize. Below are the best steps to turning your plastic ziplock bags into winter containers.
- Label your bags with your seed information and sowing dates.
- Cut small triangular incisions in the bottom of the bags for drainage.
- Remove the corners of the bags for drainage. Keep the holes only 1/2 inch.
- Fill your bag halfway with growing medium, wet the soil, and sow your seeds.
- Close the bags ¾ of the way and use clothespins to keep an opening.
- Keep your bags upright by stringing a skewer through them.
- Once your seedlings mature, transplant them in your garden beds.
Key Takeaways
Winter sowing is a useful technique to get your seeds to thrive in a variety of containers. It increases the air temperature enough to speed up germination and lets your seedlings harden off efficiently. This gives them the strength to flourish during the growing season and survive unforeseen late-season frosts.
When you’re preparing your winter sowing vessels, it’s important to make sure you leave enough space. There should be enough room for air to flow freely between the lid or cover and your seedlings.
After sowing your seeds, check in on them often. Keep the soil moist and watch for disease or pests. If you follow the steps correctly, you’ll get an incredible harvest early in the season.