Seeds can go completely dormant in storage but a bulb is still biologically active, gradually consuming its stored energy. Bulbs can last a surprisingly long time but they cannot skip a year. The longer it is in storage, the less energy will be left in it. (Occasionally, people will say something like an oriental lily or cyclamen skipped an entire year and came up 2 years after it was planted. This always happens when they are planted in the ground - never in storage - and it's very unusual.) IF the ground is already frozen solid where you are, you can refrigerate the bulbs and plant them in early spring as soon as it is possible to dig. Chances are the blooms will be distorted somewhat in the first year but if they are capable of naturalizing they will look better the second year.

Andy, your beans are still NOT there? They should be. I put them in the PO mailbox last Saturday. Even if they did not pick it up until after the weekend and the holiday (Tuesday), I would think that you still should of had them by now. Although the mail has been messed up here on the East Coast because of all the snow storms. Maybe that is it. I had emailed Sandhill because I never got their catalog yet this year and usually I have an order in to them by now. I did finally get the magazine 2 days ago, but they wrote me back saying that they sent it out all the way on the 7th of January, and that they had other people from the East inquiring about where their magazine was too. So, I hope that is it. Donna, hers was sent out the same day as yours Andy, and she got her seeds, however she is right on the East Coast like me so that could be why. Angelady, did you get yours? yours should of been to you also since it was in a priority mailer box. Well Andy, I would not worry yet. Just please let me know asap when you get them so I do not start to worry! I would think Monday they would have to be there after all of this time? Shucks, I was hoping to see you post that you received them. Also Andy, incase I forgot to write it in your envie, I have some greasy beans coming to me at some point. When they get here, I will be sure to send you some. I was able to find one to put in your envelope though. Christy

Happy new year! I would normally have replied much sooner, but everything has been so busy with Christmas, then new year and all the rest. Anyway, I have to agree that conservation is by far the best thing we can do right now, and I believe that it will allways be useful as almost all energy comes with a penalty. Both environmental and financial. I've been thinking about conservation quite a bit recently as I'm trying to get a rough idea how much it would cost to build an affordable house (you might have seen my posts about it?) and I want it to be economical to live in. This is partly an environmental concern, but also because it would be misguided to build an affordable house that isn't also affordable to live in. The majority of most anyone's wages go towards their house, so if I can build a house that uses minimal energy I can spend the money in other more enjoyable ways. I can also design it in such a way it comes in to the lowest possible tax category, but that's beyond the scope of this forum. One of the things that surprises me is when I say I want to build a low energy house that uses renewable energy, people tend to picture something very expensive and custom built. When I researched it I found that commonly they're high end houses built for wealthy customers who were willing to spend a lot of money to have luxury items, like solar PV panels and houses built half underground. I don't however see why houses that use very little energy have to be reserved for wealthy people building custom houses, after all one of the main attractions of a low energy house is the very small monthly bills. A low energy house design/concept that comes within (preferably below) average house prices is long overdue, and also has a massive market potential. Admittedly domestic energy use is a fraction of that used by industrial processes, and also accounts for a similarly small percentage of pollution, but I know nothing about industrial processes and (thankfully) don't pay the bills for them either. At least not directly. I do however know something about houses and how I believe they could work better. My main aim is to build it smaller, but use the space in such a way it's relatively spacious with plenty of storage. I also want to exchange traditional and generally energy wasting and expensive materials for newer materials that cost less. Insulation, and lots of it, is important. I also want high quality finishing materials, but avoiding ornate details and using a more minimalist style should keep the costs reasonable. The other main issue is using the most energy efficient appliances possible, and also installing some renewable stuff like solar hot water heating. At least in concept it seems to work, and hopefully one day I will be able to try it out.

yikes, rosemary isn't going to overwinter. I think some varieties can take cold only down to 18 F. I overwintered it one year in my high tunnel with a tomato cage over it wrapped in several layers of Agribon fabric. Most thymes should do well. If you have Greek oregano that might do ok. (My first oregano was really wild marjoram. Greek oregano has a white blossom and the plant doesn't get very tall.) Garlic chives grow but seed all over the place. A regular garden sage would fill the bucket after 2 years. Mine is next to the driveway. Soil isn't great and I never water that part of the garden. Garlic is ready to dig in mid or late July so if you decide to go ahead with it, what are you going to plant in it's place with at least two good growing months left in the season? If you developed a taste for purslane, that might work. LOL. Any change of adding another water source? I have a yard hydrant in my high tunnel. This is something typically used in barns. The pipe is buried below frost line so the water is only available when you life the pump lever. I think rhubarb does dormant later in the season and looks ugly? I think you might consider peppers. Here's a link that warns against over watering peppers. http://thepepperseed.com/growing-peppers/how-and-when-to-water-pepper-plants/ This year my pepper patch was the furthest from the yard hydrant. I grew Buran which is a terrific bell type. Seed from Pine Tree. Very prolific. I also had some Urfa Biber peppers which are very mildly hot. Both varieties were very productive. Last year I grew some "exotics" that required over 100 days to maturity so they needed an early start. They did well. Lemon Drop did very well and became a tall bush but I didn't care for the flavor and heat. Height might be a problem if you are thinking about balancing the overall look of your garden. I usually put the ordinary tomato cages on my pepper plants and they get slightly taller than the cages. Shishito peppers also did well and are the new trendy appetizer pepper. Since they are a small pepper, they start producing early. Just brainstorming here. Hope you get some other replies. When in doubt, there's also nasturtiums. I got a recipe for nasturtium leaf pesto but didn't make any. The leaves are peppery. The flowers are edible. But they might need too much water. I have calendula growing all over. Edible flowers but you wouldn't want a lot.