Have you ever wondered how to keep planting even through the winter months? Believe it or not, you can — and it’s simpler than you might think! Some people refer to this technique as Planned Burials, and it’s one of my favorite secrets for growing strong, resilient plants with almost no effort.

What Are Planned Burials?

Planned burials are a beautifully natural way to plant certain seeds outdoors — especially those that need a cold period to germinate. In other words, you’re letting Mother Nature take control. This process is also known as winter sowing, and it’s been happening since the beginning of time.

Think about it: wild plants drop their seeds every fall, and those seeds rest quietly under leaves, snow, and soil until the right moment in spring. Then, when the temperature and light are just right, they wake up and grow. Planned burials simply follow this same natural rhythm — intentionally and with purpose.

Why I Love Planned Burials

If you’ve ever wondered how I manage to get so much planted each year — this is one of my tricks! I don’t just plant in spring and summer. I plant all year long. Some seeds are tucked away into their planned burial spots during fall or winter, while others are left to scatter naturally around my food forest.

And it works! Each season, new surprises pop up — little green gifts from seeds that rested through the cold months and decided, all on their own, that it was time to grow.

You may have seen the common “winter sowing” method online — the one with rows of milk jugs filled with soil and seeds sitting outside in the snow. That’s the same basic concept, but I prefer to skip the plastic clutter. Nature already provides the perfect setup — mulch, fallen leaves, branches, and the natural canopy of your food forest — all working together to protect and insulate your seeds.

Not Just for Cold-Weather Plants

Here’s the fun part: planned burials aren’t only for hardy, frost-tolerant plants. Warm-weather crops like tomatoes and dill can also thrive with this method!

Tomato seeds, for instance, are protected by a natural gel that surrounds them — a built-in defense system designed to help them survive harsh conditions. This means you could literally toss a few overripe, heirloom tomatoes (never hybrids) into the soil in fall, and by summer, you might have new tomato plants sprouting all on their own.

That’s right — no grow lights, no seed trays, no indoor fussing. Just nature doing what she does best.

Seeds That Thrive in Planned Burials

The best seeds for planned burials are those that can handle cold or those that are perennial in your growing zone. These include:

Flowers: calendula, black-eyed Susan, echinacea, poppies, nicotiana, marigold, rudbeckia, sunflowers, and more.
Herbs: chamomile, chives, parsley, mint, lavender, oregano, and other hardy favorites.
Vegetables: arugula, broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, and more.

But don’t stop there! Try a few warm-weather seeds too — like tomatoes, dill, or peppers — and see what happens. The mulch, leaves, and canopy layers in your garden will create a cozy blanket for your seeds to rest under until the soil warms up again.

Letting Nature Take the Lead

Planned burials are one of those beautiful reminders that we don’t always need to control everything in the garden. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is step back and let nature lead the way.

So this winter, instead of packing up your seed trays and waiting for spring, tuck a few seeds into their cozy burials and see what surprises await you next season. You might just discover that nature is the best gardener of all. 

I have all this info plus so much more in my Edible & Herbal Food Forest Guide. Get your pdf copy TODAY for step-by-step, easy to understand. SIMPLE guidance, so YOU TOO can create your own edible & herbal food forest!

Always remember:

The Future Is Worth The Patience Of The Present

-Michele

The Homemade Gardener