I agree with Paula that if you want to be moving the seedlings back and forth the best way to go is with Wintersowing and just leave them outside. It works quite well. If, on the other hand you are talking about the more common approach of starting your seeds indoors with heat mats, lights, etc. (notice I didn't say better way just more common, ;) then no, moving the plants back and forth inside to outside is very risky. It is too drastic a change in environment and young indoor germinated seedlings cannot tolerate outdoor exposure unless they are first "hardened off". Hardening off is a process - discussed in length in many posts here - that is required for all indoor germinated seedlings before exposing them to the wind, direct sun light spectrum, temps, etc, of outside and especially required before transplanting them to a garden. Review some of the links below for more details and enjoy, but 'baby', your indoor seedlings or follow the Winter Sowing outdoor approach. ;) Dave Hardening Off FAQ Hardening off discussions Scroll down to the ones with the blue borders. Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Forum and FAQ's

Hi! I think I am using a similar method and it seems to be working. (I have had one batch of seeds that keep getting some kind of bacteria or mold on them but they don't seem to be rotting. They have not sprouted yet although they have been in the coffee filters a couple of weeks.) I clean them off daily and give put them in new filters. I have tried all sorts of things to prevent the mold from reappearing but nothing has worked yet. I may just pitch them but I am just wanting to see if they will sprout. None of the other seeds have had this problem so it just may have been an old or bad batch of seeds. I put the seeds in a covered glass dish with 2 coffee filters on the bottom and one on the top. I then moisten it but not to the point of standing water. Of course I have also pre-soaked the seeds as they were raisin dry. It takes much longer if the seeds are crinkled. I have some that have been taking 3 weeks or more to sprout. once sprouted I put them in plastic sandwich bags with miracle grow seed starter soil. I moisten the soil first then place the seeds inside and close the bag. Making sure not to have any standing water in the bottom of the bag. Soil is very moist but not sopping wet. When the first green shoot appears then I open the bag. I will water the seedlings when the bag is lighter in weight and looking somewhat dry. You can see roots appearing in the bottom of the bag. Always make sure you are not giving them too much water as there are no drainage holes in the baggy. Cheers!

Well, here's another idea: soak them in distilled water and hydrogen peroxide (6 T. hydrogen peroxide to 1/2 gallon of distilled water) for two weeks in the refrigerator. Remove them and put them in a completely dark but warm place. You can even wrap them in a dark towel or something similar to block out any light. Start taking a quick peek at them daily after the fourth day to see if anything is germinating. If you see any that look bad or too bubbly around them, remove them as they are rotting and can affect the remainder. It wouldn't hurt to change the solution frequently. I've found that by putting them in solution in the refrigerator for two weeks causes them to germinate much quicker, once removed. Since they are older seeds, it might take longer for them to begin germinating. I have not found any difference in viability between seeds that sink and seeds that float. Isn't it interesting how we all have so many methods and theories? Nancy

If it's raining every day, you nast might be getting overwatered. The leaves kind of behave in the same way if they are overwatered or underwatered. I would guess this is the most likely problem Your soil might have too much peat, and nasts don't always like that. The soil might be too rich for them. With how warm it is by you, might be a bit too warm for the nasts comfort. The dying back leaves might be old enough to naturally be dying off, though I'm kind of doubting that one. I don't see any bugs in the pics, but even a little bit of bug action can make leaves die off. And have you had problems before with the rabbits eating your nasts? Nasts are reputed to be hated by rabbits, and for sure in my garden they are one of the few plants the rabbits will always leave untouched. You might be ok to just go ahead and get them in the ground.