As a very general guideline most brassicas/cole crops like cabbage are planted 6 weeks to a full month before tomatoes and/or peppers. So in theory if you plant your tomatoes Memorial Day then your cabbages would have been planted in mid-to late April. If willing to cover/protect as needed from late freezes they can go out even earlier. They are often one of the first things planted out to the garden as they are quite cold tolerant but not very heat tolerant. But as glib said above 'how' tolerant all depends on the variety you use. Late Flat Dutch is a 100 day cabbage variety and is often planted here in mid to late February while Early Jersey Wakefield is only a 70 day cabbage and tho very cold tolerant still does good here with even later planting dates. Dave

Super! Thanks so much! One more question, I swear. I pulled plants previously and they look rather sad since we get such cold weather here early. Should I pick large plants or divisions for the swap? I don't want to be the only one who brings "wimpy looking" or sad plants, ha-ha! Also, pots, my amount of pots are sparse. I have pots but I don't want to get rid of them all for the swap. Can we bring plants in coffee can containers or I also use old 2 littler bottles cut down, with holes in the bottom to promote drainage as a way to recycle what we use in our home. Course, again, I don't want to seem "cheap." Thanks so much and sorry I seemed frantic before, I was just hmm, frantic. I also bake so I'm planning on bringing chocolate no bake cookies that are more like fudge, and new miracle grow feeder bottles with the garden hose attachment and some other goodie bags I made up. I was going to give them at Christmas to encourage family members to start a garden and decided against that because it will be snowing around that time. Thanks and I can't wait to be there!!! Katina Plants I have to bring are: Stonecrop Sedum: Autumn Joy Daisy: 1 Hybrid variety, Orange/Brown, Red & Yellow they change colors Hosta: Lg (Wu) variety Hosta: Lime Green variety Hosta: Green Variety Hosta: Dark green and white stripped Dianthus Red Hot Poker Liatris: Purple, Gay Feather Succulent Ground Cover (For containers only) invasive Celome Seeds: Invasive (but pretty!) Apple Mint Chocolate Mint Garlic Chive Butterfly Weed Orange Swamp Milkweed: Pink Some other Ohio Native Plants Some rare plants. House Plants

Well, that was fun -- let's do it again next fall! We had an even dozen folks and near perfect weather. (I know Dave was eager to light the fire, but it wasn't quite that nippy.) Thanks to Mouse's mom, we had nearly as many freebies as we did plants to trade. And there were some great plants to trade -- there were some striking hosta (was that "Stiletto" or does it just look like it?) lovely lirope, sweet-smelling stephanotis, and I picked up a prayer plant like the ones I remember having as a kid. (And the best part about a swap like this, I got the instructions directly from Dolly on how to care for it.) Kim and Mouse's themed door prizes were great, for the newest gardener, the oldest, the youngest, and the most travelled. And thanks to everyone else who brought door prizes, we had a little something for everyone -- including little Nialls, who happened to latch onto his just as his sister drew his name. But most of all, it was a lovely fall afternoon hanging out in a great garden with wonderful hosts and fun folks, talking about plants, food, and how funny life can be. Terri and I had a really great time -- and we're already planning for next fall! Look forward to seeing folks then, if not at the spring swap -- and thanks again for a great Saturday afternoon. I'll think of you all when I look at my plants! -- alison

Thanks to everyone who came -- it was a blast! Big thanks to Terri and her husband, for setting everything up and making it all seem so effortless. (And thanks to Dave for manning the fire pit on a surprisingly cool day!) The food was fantastic -- not sure who brought the pork medallions, but they were mighty tasty. And I sat down at the end and had a piece of each of the three pies -- yum! Wonderful to see everyone -- Maxine and Dan, who came up from Chillicothe, get the award for the farthest travelled. Other than Terri, Sherry-from-around-the-corner had the shortest trip -- but weren't you glad you brought your car anyway, for all the plants you picked up? It's always good to see Jeanne and Mary -- aka "June" -- and the ever-ebullient Mouse and Kim+1. It was great to meet you, too, Sarah; your enthusiasm is infectious! I think Terri T. was the best prepared -- she showed up with a list of plants she'd researched that would suit her conditions and caught her interest. She was able to pick up several from her list! I got so many great plants I hadn't even known I *needed* -- like hellbore seedlings, filipendula, and Bath pinks. And I got alllllllmost enough purple ajuga to finish off the back yard ;) As if the food and plants and comraderie wasn't enough, thanks to Mouse for bringing the perfect way to cap off the afternoon -- a bright white Taurus and a bucketful of colorful markers. We got to kick off her new ArtCar with our own creations. Nothing feels more deliciously sneaky than drawing on something you usually don't get to draw on! Thanks to everyone for making it such a great afternoon. As Kim wrote on Mouse's car, here's to "Peace, Love and Gardening! (And Chocolate!)"