Winter Solstice is the Heart of Winter Sowing

The time for winter sowing is almost here, making my thoughts turn to Winter Solstice. Annually, December 21st (or somewhere near that date) is typically the day of Winter Solstice. It’s seen by most as the shortest day of the year and the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Many religions observe and celebrate Winter Solstice for various reasons, and Native American Tribes even celebrate Winter Solstice to this day. Their ritual is one that honors your ancestors, belief system, and a way of offering prayer and gratitude. Many Winter Solstice celebrations involve eating foods that contain grains and other seeds. This, of course, leads way to Winter Sowing.

The Winter Sowing season starts on the Winter Solstice. Winter Sowers celebrate the day by sowing four sets of seeds. Each seed set will honor Remembrance, Life, Mother Nature and Faith.

There are a few extra steps I’ll be taking before I start sowing my seeds though. I’ll start by walking through every room my house burning dried sage to keep destructive thoughts and feelings away. Then I’ll enjoy a nice exfoliating scrub and moisturizing lotion, followed by a glass of wine. Then I’ll imagine how comfortably “Nekkid” I am under my clothes! No one else has to know that I’m “Nekkid” under there, now do they? It’s a state of mind, letting all negative thoughts slip from your mind and thinking about the good things that come from giving back to Mother Nature. Now, about those seeds……

Seeds of Remembrance should be seeds of flowers that remind us of someone we knew and loved but is now gone from our lives forever. I’ll be sowing Asimina triloba (Paw Paw tree) seeds in honor of my dear Paw Paw.

Seeds of Life should be seeds of plants that make fruit or nectar and invite birds and butterflies to our gardens. For this, I’ll be sowing shrub seeds to provide cover for birds, seed of nectar plants to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to my gardens, and seed of butterfly host plants to aide the butterflies in breeding. I have over 150 types of seed to sow for this category.

Seeds of Trees should be sown to honor Mother Nature. Trees will help clean the air we breathe, reduce excess sun on the soil, and provide shade for our heads on a hot summer's day. Prunus persica (Peach Tree) seeds will be sown to honor Mother Nature.

Seeds of Faith should be seeds for plants from a zone that is beyond ours in warmth. It will help us to remember that we accept the "Leap of Faith" in our hearts and know that Mother Nature is capable of miracles. I live in zone seven and will sow seeds of faith for plants that are only hardy to zone eight. Leap of Faith seeds I’ll sow are Matchless Cuphea ignea (Cigar Plant), Plumbago auriculata (Plumbago), Mimosa strigillosa (Sensitive Plant), Chenopodium ambrosiodes (Epazote, Mexican Tea), Stevia rebaudiana (Stevia) , Isolepis cernua (Fiber Optic Grass), and Ipomoea alba (White Moonflower).

The upcoming weeks will be spent prepping my winter sowing containers, writing out plant tags, sterilizing soil, and organizing my seeds to sow. It’s a lot of work, but the rewards are so much greater. I just hope that Mother Nature smiles down on me while I’m sowing those Winter Solstice seeds and sends a wave of gardening success my way.