Hey everyone! I'm really interested in whether there are any vegetable plants that I can actually sow on top of the snow. I've heard that some flowers can be scattered like that, but I'm specifically curious if anyone has had success doing this with vegetables. My last frost date is Memorial Day weekend, so I'm wondering what might work. Any insights would be appreciated!
4 Answers
Lettuce, onion, parsnip, and spinach can actually germinate at around 35°F, which is pretty cool. Just a heads up, though—any plants you let germinate this way might not grow exactly where you want them, and growth is usually pretty slow during these colder months.
You might not find many veggies that can be sown directly on snow since most need to be buried a bit in the soil. However, strawberries are an interesting option as they thrive with cold exposure and light for germination, although I'm not super confident on the success rate.
Peas and beets can handle frost, but I'm unsure about sowing them directly into snow. Just a thought!
What are you hoping to achieve with this? If it’s just a fun experiment or if you’re short on space, winter sowing might work for cold-tolerant veggies like brassicas and lettuce. Just keep in mind the general rule: most veggies don’t like cold for germination, so it may not give you the best results. Plus, flowers can look nice scattered, but veggies usually need more care and space. Just trying to ensure you don’t waste seeds on this!
I get that! I'm not actually aiming for much growth; I know a lot of seeds need a cold stratification period. Just curious if anyone's given it a shot with veggies.