Winter Sowing in the Snow

I read an article about winter sowing the other day and decided--since we're decidedly in the middle of a nice little 4-5" winter snowstorm here--to give it a shot. The idea behind it is that a lot of native seeds live outside during the winter, and germinate perfectly well in the spring without being cosseted inside. So if you plant native seeds in flats and leave them outside--rather than taking up lots 'o' space in my loft--they'll germinate at the right time and become happy plants. I just planted one flat as a kind of experiment because I didn't want to waste all of my seeds if it doesn't work. Here is what I planted ...

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)
Arugula ("Roquette" variety)
Genoese Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
Garlic (came from Dillions, has sprouted for me before)
Lavender "Lady" (Lavendula angustifolia)

The potting soil I used (the only organic kind I could find) seemed funny when I got it home. It was almost grainy looking, but it wasn't fluffy when it was wet like other potting soil I've used. Maybe not the most well controlled experiment as a result, but regardless I like the idea of just kind of having faith that things will grow regardless of (and perhaps even with the help of) a half a foot of snow.