Tammy, Possibly cutworms. They have been a problem for me in the past. Cutworms seem to like zinnia seedlings. I always dig down with my finger around the remaining stem to find the culprit and destroy it. Sometimes it takes several minutes to find it. Some people use a little protective collar on their seedlings, but that isn't always effective, and it is a rather tedious thing to do. So far I haven't used poison sprays to control cutworms, but a spray containing Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki might be effective to kill the cutworms while they are still in their juvenile "free ranging" stage. The Bt sprays are non-toxic. ZM

Sorry about your watermelons, deer got mine night before last. I replanted this mornin'. The rest of the garden is inside a tall fence. I've got to put up an electric fence for the melons post haste.

toffee - Well lettuce is a cool season crop but it does need sunlight, perhaps more than the north side of your house is going to provide. I would say that given you already have your beds there to try it out this year and take notes on how it does. I would also keep notes on how many hours of sunlight it gets in that area during your growing months. As far as your beds go, stick your hand down in to it and see if it feels warm or hot. Perhaps it will be okay to go ahead and plant in to it if it's not really warm or hot. Worse case you could go ahead with your plans and even if it fails you'll know what you face next year. You can use it as a learning experience. I don't know where you live, (you don't say), but in zone (9) you may be able to grow all year. I know I do here in zone (10). Greg Southern Nevada

Stevey I never use the dome. I plant lettuce right on top sprinkle a tad of fine vermiculite or perlite over the seeds Spray with a fine mist and you should be good to go. You can just bottom water after that Don't go over 80 F And most lettuce needs light to germinate. Do you have air circulation around the started plants? I use a small fan, but I don't blow it right on the plants just indirect air movement. OH one more thing If you have romaine lettuce it will not need light to germinate, but still should be started below 80 F. Curt :-)