That's a two edged question. You don't want to do anything to stimulate new, soft, sappy growth until the chance for your last frost is probably past. Why waste the effort and money only to have the plants frost damaged due to growth much more susceptible to damage than harder wood? Then, organic fertilizers require 'digestion' by soil bacteria and fungi to release their nutrients to the plants. Most of these are dormant in cold soil so the prime benefits of your expensive food is often wasted. You would be far better off (as will your roses) to wait until the air temperatures begin to warm closer to the seventy degree mark, so the soil can begin to warm and stimulate the bacteria to begin "eating" the organics. Remember that colder night temps cool the soil back down, slowing the bacterial action and reducing the benefits of the fertilizers. If your plants are potted, they'll begin to be able to use the fertilizers earlier because sun shining directly on the pots heat them up faster, earlier, so there is more digestion going on while they're heated up, but they also cool off faster as that absorbed heat radiates back out into the colder night air. The actual date is going to vary greatly by your micro climate, but you can figure that out based on your air temps and when you think it's safe to trigger the soft new growth without subjecting it to certain freezes.

This is what I did last year and it worked well: -Bought some 14inch tall and 4x8 ft raised beds in wood. Filled them with store bought soil mixed with some of the compact clay from the garden. -Sowed tomatoes, peppers, melons and cucumbers (heat-tolerant species) inside in January. -Sowed Basil, Zinnia, Amaranthus and Nicotiana in February. -Direct sowed beans, salad, peas. -Bought some herbs which I planted out directly. -Planted out most of it in the middle of March. -Vegetables, tomatoes, and cucumbers got harvested. Most of it died in July. (Except a tomato specie called "Matts wild cherry tomato" which was very heat tolerant (but also quite unstoppable,weedy, overwhelming plants and self seed wildly!). -The peppers did I actually harvest until Christmas (had to plant them in a flowerbed- ran out of space). -I will full heartedly recommend Zinnia for the Texas gardens. They was a blast ! Flowered along time. I haven't seen the SVBs, and they sounds like a really serious treat. Though I haven't actually Zucchini, but three types melon and cucumbers. Sounds like a terrible pest. -I bought some plants too. Find a good garden center and use some dollars on something exciting. Lots of fun with a small investment. I bought a Passionfruit Plant. Its a tad invasive, but I've got loads of Passion Fruits this fall and winter. Very healthy and very excotic for a Scandinavian like me. -Good Luck! I write about my garden in Houston here.

I am a newby in cut flower production. This was my first year and I'm very proud of my work. I'm selling my flower to some local florist. My problem is that I try to have two different flowering period, but finally with this cool spring the first and second flowering became the same. I'm running out of most of my flower. I think that I will have a rest for july and august, but I want to sow something no for mid september and october. I live in the north of Italy, my first frost is on mid November, so I can have flower till October. But I'm thinking which flower can I sow now? I have a really hot summer here in Italy, and I have not a lot of experince with cut flower. If they are growing during an hot period they suffer? they will flower too soon and I will have small plant with short stem? Plese help me!!!! I know It is a little bit late but I want to try, give me some suggestion about the best tipe of flower. I was thinking about another round of: zinnia, centaurea, ammi, snapdragons, yarrow, salvia, basil because now I have also scabiosa, craspedia and catananche that I sell a lot but the lifecycle is too long What do you think? You made some sowing during july or august? Thaks Giulia

You can sow seeds at ANY TIME OF THE YEAR. I sow something just about every month. Using the most basic logic, seeds are dropping from the mother plant with prolific enthusiasm, right now...but they have their own innate timing, so providing we avoid mucking about with bizarre chemicals, setting up complex lighting schedules or broiling them on heat pads, the seeds know what to do as long as they are in a sympathetic situation...ie, as close as possible to their normal environment...and experience conditions, including a winter chilling and cycles of warm and cool which they would expect in a natural state...and here lies the rub because we don't just want plants which grow in our climate or soil type...no no no - we want tricky divas which need coddling and protecting. Plants which turn up their toes with a hint of frost...although essentially, the same rules apply - to replicate the cycle and conditions of the plant's native range. I have absolutely zero intention of faffing with seeds to raise difficult plants. The germination is the first testing for plants under my neglectful regimen - which is... sow outside when I get around to it, water once and leave them to get on with it...or not. Attrition and winnowing really sorts out the feebs and fusspots, so preventing mucho disappointment further down the line after time and effort has been invested with watering and potting on (the actual sowing couldn't be simpler or faster). Sow shedloads and you will be grateful for the fails when the awful realisation of dealing with hundreds of seedlings finally dawns (sometime around late May...just as the season hits fever pitch with maximum demands on the exhausted gardener.