It’s called winter sowing. Save a plastic container like the one in the picture. I poke 9 holes in the top and 9 in the bottom. I do that by heating up the tip of a Phillips head screwdriver over the gas flame on the stove. Then push it through the plastic. Easy. Mark the top of the container with whatever you plan to grow. This one is half rosemary and thyme. 

Moisten soil with warm water and fill container to the top. Now add your seeds. Lots of them. Thinly cover with more soil and close the top. Then leave the container outside in your sunniest location. Do no work. Check container on occasion to make sure it doesn’t dry out. 

In 2 months you will have a container stock full of whatever you planted. You can now start dividing up the starts and putting them in your garden. 

Seeds know when to come up. The beauty with this method is there’s no work until it’s time to start breaking them up to plant and also no need to harden off. The seedlings have already come through harsh weather and are used to the elements. For those who start seeds inside  (and I do), you know the extra work of  hardening off, which takes a week or more depending on weather.