Seed Series: Winter Sowing

Native plants in New England have co-evolved with local weather patterns, and most native plant seeds require alternating periods of freezing and thawing to break their dormancy and germinate.  At this winter seed-sowing workshop, Freddie Gillespie will show us how to plant seeds in milk jugs to start them for the spring season. All of Freddie's seeds are from plants on Dr. Robert Gegear’s recommended plant list, a curated list of local native plants that will preserve and enhance biodiversity in your garden and support local insects, bees, and butterflies.

No gardening experience is necessary, make a 2027 resolution to start your native plant journey from seed, learn a new skill, or enjoy the process with a group! Using this simple method of planting in milk jugs that are then placed outside over the winter, you will be amazed by the bounty of native plants you will have come spring and summer. This program will be hands-on and key materials (seeds, soil, tools, etc) will be provided, with participants asked to help crowdsource supplies like jugs.

Freddie Gillespie has been hosting winter sow workshops in Southborough since 2020. For the past decade she has worked with Robert Gegear to establish the Beecology Research Garden at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land. Using this garden as a source, she has also developed a seed distribution program which resulted in the distribution of over 2,000 packets of 63 species of native plants from Dr. Gegear’s plant list for at-risk pollinators last year.

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Learn more about the other workshops in our Seed Series:

• Oct 4, 2026 | Ethical Seed Collection

• Nov 4, 2026 | Seed Cleaning Techniques