Yes, put seeds in right away, ..got lots of new plants this way. But,..not sure if they will germinate when picking this early, when they turn blue I let them on the bush at least another two weeks, they get allot sweeter, [ripe] and almost black inside. Mine don't look like flat tomato seeds, more like sesame seeds, [black] but very tiny,..about half size.

There was a thread on this topic some months ago--see below. There are some good photos of niches. Our project is bogged down, but I have a few additional comments since I posted... Because we have to watch our pennies, I'm shopping in bargain places. One problem I have encountered is that oddball lots of tiles often don't include bullnose pieces as well as regular field tile sizes. The niche that we have roughed in will require some cute tricks to make ordinary tile edges seem attractive and classy; we don't want to just snip tiles and leave raw edges. DH, my sweaty equity, did not finish the niche smoothly when he created it in drywall because we knew we would cover it in tile. Now, we're thinking that we might not do the tiling right away and he'll have to pull out drywall tools and make a proper corner edging around the niche. This kind of "go back and do over" gig is getting very frustrating. [Meanwhile, I've found a smashingly exciting tile that of course only comes without trim pieces. It's sitting right next to me, thinking. Unfortunately it has a decidedly unfinished raw edge and will require tricky handling if we choose to use it. I just covered it over so I can't see it tempting me there on the table. Have to be more practical. ] Tile shops do carry a metal edging that can be used to finish off edges when no bullnose is available, but I haven't seen examples of it in actual use on a range niche. Would love to see a sample photo to reassure me. Also, remember that if you choose to work with a thick tile or a remnant of some kind of rock from countertop on the back of the niche, that will cut down the depth of the niche shelf. If you want the area above range/cooktop to be an artistic focal point, I humbly suggest that you either make a niche OR some kind of tile design but not both. If you choose too fancy a niche back, the items standing within the niche will compete with the tile design for viewer's attention. Mine will be a working kitchen, so we're planning to put oil bottles, vinegar bottles, salt shaker, etc. there and they are supposed to get top billing. Don't forget that you can suspend a second shelf in the niche if there's room. Here is a link that might be useful: Niche topic thread

Hi june, I am on about 4 acres and there are woods on most sides of the property and only one neighbor on one side that I can see and its fenced there lol. So escapee passiflora and other vines aren't a problem. In fact, there are "wild /rogue" trumpet vines, japanese honeysuckle, and carolina jessamine growing all crazy out in the woods and up various trees on the back of the property. I have a lot of gulf frits so they do keep the escaped (from pots) passies under control here too. For additional control, I grow most of my passiflora in pots and use 3 tall bamboo poles tied together at the top in the large pots. Then I use fishing line and black electrical tape to create a little trellis for them to attach their tendrils onto between the bamboo poles. Then I position the pots up against a fence or tree and let them climb that way once they grow over the bamboo poles. When it freezes, I cut them back to the length of the bamboo pole/trellis and move the pots into the gh because some of the passies I grow will freeze back badly and some are tropical so gh culture during the winter is best for those. ~SJN

Careful, those are postal regulations, not Dept. of Agriculture regs. Light Brown Apple Moth quarantine for all nursery stock from quarantined areas (includes the list of quarantined counties);Imported Fire Ants quarantine for listed specific areas; I would check with the State Agricultural Department before moving any potted plants from one county to the next. Some counties can't provide propagated roses for donations to sales in other counties without State inspections. It depends whether the shipping area is under quarantine for pests and/or diseases if the plant can be moved into the receiving area. Do you remember the discussions in the past about how expensive the phytosanitary certificates were for Vintage to ship roses, while other sources didn't have to provide them? Vintage was in several quarantine areas for specific issues where Visalia wasn't. You should check to insure the sending location isn't under quarantine for something your area doesn't already have.