Winter sowing of radishes worked! You can plant the same way now

This radish was planted from seed over the winter and has sprouted. Now if I could only remember what variety it was. Photo by Doug Oster Tribune-Review

Last winter I did a video about something called frost seeding (you can watch it here). I threw radish seeds and some other cool weather seeds on to snow which covered a bed of compost. Well, I kind of forgot about them and now the radishes have sprouted.

I planted the seeds right on the snow last winter.

It’s a great lesson about mimicking nature. Think about it, a radish starts to grow, if the roots aren’t harvested the plant produces an 18 inch flower stalk filled with pretty blossoms that also attract beneficial insects. Eventually seed pods will form, then mature and drop seeds on the ground. When the seeds recieve the right moisture and temperature, they sprout.

Those seed pods are actually a tasty treat when they are young. I like to pick them and put them in a salad for guests. It’s a leap of faith to try them, but when they do, they wonder aloud what they are.

This cool spring weather is perfect for direct sowing seeds of cool weather crops. I just throw a bag of compost down and then a packet of seeds. Things like radishes, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, lettuce, other greens and more can be planted this way without concern for snow or really cold temperatures. They will sprout when they are ready.

It’s fun to experiment in the spring garden. Have fun and try growing something different. Mother Nature is always in charge of the garden, when we work with her, we’ll always be more successful.