nancyjane ...in case of a slight frost, should I leave the already sprouted plants under cover without a lot of direct sun... Being a cautious Nelly myself, this is what I'd do -- leave them covered with row cover outside in a sheltered spot so there's indirect light. I think your DD wouldn't have to worry that they might need watering more than once a day, as she might if you had them inside on a heat mat and under lights, though if you want to be REALLY careful, you can go that route. Fingers crossed that they survive your vacation!

West: Suggestions? You want suggestions? Tiffy and I would fill the front garden area with beautiful flowers, and we shamelessly lure unsuspecting victims to our obsession. Wintersow flowers for next to nothing. Required are empty milk jugs or other plastic containers with lids, potting mix, some cheap seeds (and we can direct you to some free seeds too...) In Tenessee, I start with things like echinacea and Black eyed Susans, gaillardia and agastache, salvia, melampodium... Email me or Tiffy if you're interested- we'll get you on the road to a beautiful flower garden by summer. And you can wintersow veggies, too. Karen

Gerard, it's this wonderful, precious group of people that keeps me coming back every day! Gardeners are nurturing by nature, but these people are above and beyond! I'm incredibly thankful that I stumbled in here one day to ask a question... because they not only answered me, they welcomed me into the fold and have warmed my heart ever since! From me to you, this is your official "welcome"! I hope you stick around! We share much more than just hippeastrum blooms and gardening tips... we share our lives and families, our pets and homes, and all the other beautiful things we enjoy growing and nurturing! Thank you for sharing your photography! The flowers are wonderful! If you only knew how painful and depressing winters used to be for me... well, that's in the past now... I look forward to winter these days... because I get to share it with this unique group of caring individuals, and their talents with bulbs and digital photography! Welcome! Pull up a keyboard and join us!

You have a couple of options - reduce the light (so the plants use less water,) or provide them with enough water to last 1 - 3 weeks. Herbs and flowering plants need a lot of light, so setting them in the bathtub may not work for them, although it should be fine for the ferns. You can set your plants up with self-watering systems, which may mean less work for you even when you're home, since you won't have to be watering every few days. Or if you like the way you're doing it generally, try this: When you get ready to go away, move the plants away from the windows 2 or 3', and set each of the pots in a dish. Water your plants, and allow a runoff of 2 or 3" to build up in the drainage dish. You'll just leave the water there, it will provide the moisture for the soil. When you come back, remove the plants from the water (if there's any left,) and allow the soil to dry out enough so that it is barely damp, or however it usually is when you water normally. The plants will not be harmed by sitting in wet soil for a couple of weeks. This is basically what happens with self-watering systems, unless you have one of the sophisticated ones that have moisture sensing devices that release water only when the soil is dry. Roots don't "sip" water when they need it - they're little gluttons, and will suck up whatever is there, for as long as it's there.