When I was in college at KU a friend took me to what he claimed to be an old buffalo rub in the countryside to pick wild strawberries. These were very tiny but packed with flavor. Wild strawberries are a companion plant for asparagus as are parsely, petunia, nasturtium, and comfrey as a dynamic accumulator of minerals from the soil (I prefer the Bocking 14 comfrey cultivar which produces sterile seed and spreads only by root division). I have also hear that horse radish ( probably as a decoy plant) and rhubarb make excellent companion plants for asparagus as well. I was searching for wild strawberry seeds when I noticed this discussion. I was amazed that the differing experiences others had with wild strawberries which were so divergent from my own. Jellyman's comment on digging some up to transplant made me wish I could return to Kansas for the ones I first tasted.

I am dearly interested in all your seeds except the salsa mix. lol lol however I dont have any plants yet.... I do have an iris (pink)....... I have some anemone & windflower bulbs... Shawn

I am in need of locating some milkweed. Not being particular at this time. Wanting to start a butterly garden with my 3 year old this year and we are now trying to locate all we will need. I have a trade list if anyone is looking to do some trading. Recommendations are welcome. thanks

Well, I am quite thrilled to read these great responses! I live in Zone 7, but our Winter is still long. The zones just refer to the extremes in temperature, not how long it lasts. I have noticed volunteer tomatoes come out earlier than I would choose to plant out. So, I can watch for that as a sign. I do not have any trouble with legginess of my tomato seedlings. I have a picture window that faces full-South, and shelves there (for seedling starting in Winter) outfitted with shop-lights. I read somewhere that it is important to use fresh bulbs (fluorescent tubes) as the light diminishes over time. I do not get new ones every year, but if one seems to put out less (judging by the plants), I use that on my alpine strawberry seedlings or something else that doesn't mind. I want to start even earlier because I'd like to keep tomato strains true when I grow them out. I plan to grow out severl this year, and if one flowers first for a week, then they are in the clear, and I can mark those fruits, and then not really worry about the rest. I guess what I mean is that an early & staggered start will allow me to focus on each plant as it comes into bloom, selecting from that, and moving on to the next one. I do have some limitations (medically), so it would be easier to focus on them staggered rather then so many at one time. It may not work out the way I hope, but I figure it is a good experiment for this year. By choosing good varieties for this (my un-familiarity with varieties hurts my experiment here) I can better insure success. The funny thing is that I don't really eat tomatoes--except in spaghetti sauce. BUT, everyone else loves them, and I find there is a group involved with tomatoes that have a zeal for the plant like no other vegetable/fruit. A great deal of home-breeding is going on, and I find it the most fascinating thing. Tomatoes provide a great opportunity to study genetics at home, and to look very intensely at varietal development in plants. I guess I am hooked for a reason not common to most, but I am hooked. So, I will try my experiment this year, and see how it works for me. I am thankful at the varieties/categories I see mentioned. When mentioning "use determinate or dwarf" plants, how can I find out which is which? I have consulted some websites, but is there a thorough tomato base out there? Keep the posts coming! Happy Holidays, Robin