Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission’s Winter Sow Program

Announcing Free Seeds for Pollination Preservation Gardens! The Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC) is once again hosting a Winter Sow Program.

You can have beautiful flowers while helping our most at risk pollinators. Our native plants have co-evolved with New England weather patterns and most native plants require a period of repeated freezing and thawing for their seeds to break dormancy and germinate. The OSPC Winter Sow Program allows you to order free seeds, and we will show you how to plant in milk jugs to replicate needed weather conditions so that you will have wonderful plants next summer.

Using this simple method of planting in milk jugs that are then placed outside over the winter. You will be amazed with the bounty of native plants that even the most inexperienced gardener can grow, with extras to share with friends. No gardening experience necessary!

We are offering 50 varieties of seeds this year. If you participated last year, there are over a dozen new offerings. Go to the OSPC webpage and use the Seed List to select which seeds you want. Click here for Seed List

Use this Eventbrite to register to place your orders.

Seed pick-up: Changed to February 5th Sunday Morning 11:30 to 12:30 pm It will be too cold to hold it on originally planned Saturday February 4th . Drive to the rear of Cordaville Hall for a drive-through process.

You can sign up separately for an in-person Winter Sow Workshop on Sunday February 5th or stay tuned for an announcement of a future virtual event on how to prepare the jugs and plant the seeds.

You should start collecting milk jugs:1 or 2 for each species you plan to order. Start prepping jugs now if you already know how to prepare them.

This is a Southborough focused event, but out-of-towners are welcome. In fact, some of our best volunteers have come from other towns. Following the Seed Pick-Up all who registered will be provided detailed information on materials needed for planting

Info on planting activities will be posted on the OSPC Pollination Preservation Winter Sow Workshop file on the OSPC website.

This program is part of the OSPC Native Plant / Native Pollinator Initiative. Since 2015, the OSPC has been working with Dr. Robert Gegear, UMass Dartmouth professor of biology, Breakneck Hill Conservation Land was his first research site after he discovered one of Massachusetts most at risk species of bumblebees on a site visit. His research has resulted in a plant list for at- risk pollinators. All the seeds being offered were collected in Southborough from plants on his list.

The OSPC is thankful to the many volunteers who are working hard to make this project happen. You can get updates on this project and other events on the OSPC webpage and on the Native Plant Gardens of Southborough FB group.

Registrations are closed

Seed Orders for Southborough Pollination Preservation Winter Sow Program