January in Wisconsin does not easily offer the gardener/farmer a lot of opportunity to get their hands dirty. With a little planning, the process of seed stratification gave me the chance to play in the dirt on a recent cold, snowy day.
Last November, at a native wildflower seed exchange hosted by the local Wild Ones chapter, I scored around a dozen types of seed and, most importantly, learned that with any luck, I’ll have hundreds of tiny germinated seedlings in plugs of soil ready for the ground come spring. Learn more about the vibrant global seed exchange community here.
On a snowy January 11th, as a big winter storm took aim, the time was right to sow the variety of seeds in the milk jugs I’d been saving for just this purpose.
Follow along until spring planting in the meadow!
All set to transfer containers outside to get the necessary chill hours. See Prairie Moon Nursery’s seed stratification description or wonderful Wikipedia for more details.
The exciting part of this method is that these hefty plugs of soil in the jugs can be easily opened, watered, checked for germination and moved around to get more or less sun exposure.
Once we get frost free nights, we’ll dig out areas on the property based on sunlight and moisture requirements, and look for clumps of our new plants to show up! Stay tuned friends! The groundhog did not see his shadow this year!
Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia was a highlight of a spring roadtrip – a place with the perfect blend of history and scenery at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It offers a unique 2-for-1 deal in that the town and 
