This year I moved my seed-starting to an unheated (and poorly insulated) basement, so I'm leaving the heating pad on the peppers for now. I remove the domes after germination, and I remove the heating pad from most things. I use some seed-starting kits that I purchased a zillion years ago, and I certainly didn't pay much for them. Maybe $3 each? The domes are getting a little cracked, and a little yellowed, but I'm still limping along with them. I've lost some of the seed-starting cells to cracks and crushing, but other cell-packs wander in from the nursery each year, so I get by. Several years ago, I was able to replace just the domes for $1 each, but I've been having trouble finding the pieces separately in recent years.

You'll find the answers to all these questions well-covered in the FAQs over on the Growing from Seed forum here. There are also lots of discussions with pictures of the various set-ups used, which ones to avoid using, the problems with using peat pots, the problems with using peat pellets, and the problems covers can cause when used incorrectly, damp-off, transplanting to larger containers once germinated, how to use soil heating pads and various types of growing lights needed, etc. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed forum

Verbena bonariensis planted with orange cosmos sulphureus (tall combo) California poppies -- mine have been blooming non-stop and producing seeds on the spent blooms. Larkspur -- spring Cornflowers-- 'Red Ball' is great IMHO -- lasts May-June with deadheading, but let some go to seed nigella (I have extra seeds to share) -- get one plant to bloom and you'll never be without seeds. May bloom. interesting seed pods after. rose campion shasta daisy 'Alaska' perennial ageratum -- seeds and spreads in moist areas echinacea 'Prairie Splendor' seeds are easy to germinate and quick to bloom nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' -- big plant; divide or seed rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' -- buy one plant and it reseeds like crazy. Not my fave, but it's a filler. monarda - buy one plant and it spreads. I like 'Blue Stocking', 'Raspberry Wine' and 'Jacob Cline' bog sage - buy one plant and it spreads salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', 'Marcus', 'Sensation Rose' -- will produce seeds like parent amsonia hubrichtii (blue star) -- great native plant for 3 seasons platycoden (balloon flower) -- don't move the seedlings after they are a few inches high. crepe myrtle 'Tuscarora' -- I find babies all the time! Blooms watermelon color. baptisia -- you may get more than you want, so be sure to control the seed pods bronze fennel -- be very careful. you can get thousands of seedlings in one year. linaria 'Canon J Went' - should be able to pull the extras. pink linum narbonense 'Heavenly Blue' (flax) -- my absolute favorite reseeding perennial. I have a link on the left side of my blog where I show photos and list flowers that I grow from seed. I don't have all of these up there yet. Also, I wrote about affordable coneflowers with bee balm (below). Cameron Here is a link that might be useful: An Affordable Flower Combination

As long as your older seeds have been kept away from severe fluctuations of temperature and/or stored away from direct sunlight they'll be fine. Many seeds can last for several, several years. What you can do is that when you post your list of seeds put a little note into your post to let the traders know how well the seeds have been cared for by being stored well, and put the collection year next to the plant name. The other traders will know from the very beginning that they're trading for older seeds. That will be good way to post your seeds.