How to Use Square-Foot Seed Packs for Winter Sowing
- Chris Musser
- Dec 5
- 2 min read
The simplest, most reliable way to start a meadow in Portland’s hellstrips, former lawns, and compacted urban soils.
At East Portland Plant Club, native meadow seed packs contains the right amount of seed to cover 1 square foot of meadow when grown in clusters. This system eliminates the guesswork of traditional seed packets:
No calculating seed rates
No wondering how much seed to use
No wasting expensive native seed
No uneven germination or patchy results
It also makes winter sowing incredibly simple:
If you want a 10-square-foot meadow, buy 10 seed packs. If your hellstrip is 2' × 20' (40 square feet), buy 40 packs or choose a curated meadow kit. This square-foot method brings professional restoration logic to home gardeners and makes meadow establishment far more predictable, especially in tough sites.
Winter sowing is one of the most successful ways to start a native meadow in Portland—especially in tough sites like hellstrips and recently cleared lawns. Square-foot seed packs make the process even easier, as 1 seed pack can be winter sown in one pot.
How Many Seed Packs Do You Need?
Use this simple rule:
1 pack = 1 pot = 1 square foot of meadow.
For a 10-sq-ft meadow:
5 grass packs
5 flower packs
For a 25-sq-ft meadow:
12–13 grass packs
12–13 flower packs
For a typical Portland hellstrip (2' × 20' = 40 sq ft):
20 grass packs
20 flower packs
Meadow Inspiration: Color Palettes
We offer five curated meadow collections designed for Portland conditions:
Each palette includes both grasses and wildflowers for a balanced, ecologically resilient meadow. Browse all meadow collections here.
Important Dates
Seed Pickup Day:
December 20 Perfect timing for Winter Solstice sowing.
Winter Solstice Sowing Window:
December 21 – mid-January
Winter Sowing Workshop:
January 10 at 1 PM Soil and 3.5” containers provided. Bring your seeds!
Final Tips
Don’t overthink it—winter sowing is forgiving.
The biggest mistake is sowing too deeply.
Use a paint pen for labels (Sharpie fades!).
Group pots in a milk crate or tray so they don’t tip in the wind.
Photograph your seedlings—it's fun to track the stages.
Order seeds now for December 20 pickup
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