I put the raccoon into the shed Wednesday evening because rain was in the forecast. Saturday morning was dry and a squirrel had dug where my Sweet Treat carrots were planted. The raccoon came back out and today (Sunday) I heard a squirrel making a racket in the far corner of the yard. He seemed upset about the raccoon being there. I think I will leave him out even in the rain from now on. On a side note it looks like a pair of hawks has moved into an abandoned rooftop across the street from me. I think they're Cooper's hawks but they seem rather large. It will be interesting if they nest up there.

Radishes like it cool, I think. Two years ago, I put the seedlings in the raised bed around mid-March. They did great. They like the cool weather. The raised bed might have given them some protection from frost, though. I do recall going out and putting row covers on them a couple times. Linda

Oh dear. I pulled all of them up this afternoon and threw them on the compost pile. Sorry. Sure was surprised when I saw those blooms. They seemed to only last a day like those of chicory,too.

Hey, Bill. You know, I also do a bleach bath and it's based on what you wrote a couple months ago in a seed-saving thread. Four parts water to one part bleach for about two to five minutes. I also do the scrub you wrote about in that same thread. It just seemed logical to give the gel removal some mechanical help at the start. I should have thanked you before, but I'm definitely thanking you now. All throughout my processing of the seeds, I'm culling out the undesirable seeds. (My bamboo skewer and I have a mission.) :>) My wife kids me about how meticulous I am. I also use a skewer to spread the seeds out on the cheap paper plates as Bill suggested. I end up moving every seed to a position where it doesn't touch any other seed and that allows me to execute my final culling. So, thanks again, Bill. To know that I am using processes which are very similar to those of an experienced tomato-ologist like you does wonders for my confidence. I also want to thank Dr. Carolyn. It was Dr. C.'s posts that helped me break down all the info and see the actual task (get rid of the gel). She helped me understand that the gel was there to keep the seeds from germinating inside the tomato (although, this happens on rare occasions - but that is a defect) So, I want to thank her as well. My two to three day process doesn't stink half as bad as some of her posts have suggested. LOL :>) I have also concluded that the little bit of tap water I put into the juice and seeds slows down the process. I think it may be the chlorine in that tap water. As soon as that evaporates off, the fermentation really gets going. It's hard to only thank a couple of folks. There are so many others that added their indorsements to the subject. Digdirt, wvtomatoman, jean, trudi, suze, and a host of others. Thanks for caring about folks you have never met face to face. The combined knowledge that is present here is an extremely powerful entity. Lastly, I've always said that the best thing about knowing something happens when you're allowed to pass it on to others. So, again, THANKS!!!!!