The "crazy carrots" are the result of damaging the roots during transplanting. It also happens when you plant in ground and the root runs into a stone or something that gets in its way. I don't know how deep an Aerogarden is. You might be able to grow Parisian carrots - they're very short.

ctlane - if you're new to starting seeds I would recommend you do some reading and not plan on doing everything that way at first. Not that starting plants from seed is hard, most are easy to grow, it does save you money, and you have a much better selection of what to grow than what the average nursery or garden centre stocks. It's just that there are a lot of things that have to be done right - if you do it wrong you can get discouraged, and you'll have wasted the money you just spent. So... Go ahead and do it - you may love it and it is intensely rewarding to look at something and say to yourself "I grew that from a seed"! But don't go overboard the first couple of years, and keep your expectations realistic. Here's what I tell people that are new to the process: 1. Seedlings need light, water and air. *Light - A sunny window is not usually a good idea. Even though it seems nice and bright, the amount of light your seedlings will get is not enough, and they will get long and spindly. If you have a huge window or a 'greenhouse window', then it might be good enough, but they will do better under fluorescent lights. A four foot shop light from Canadian tire or Home Depot is ideal. It can be put in the basement, garage, of spare room - whatever you have available. Don't waste money on expensive specialized plant bulbs. Cool white bulbs are all you need. Seedlings should be one to two inches (yes that close) from the bulbs. *Water - One of the biggest killers of seedlings is a fungal infection that is usually called 'damping off'. The stem gets a pinched look and the seedling keels over and dies. Overwatering is the main cause for this fungus to get out of control. Keep the seed starting mixture only damp - not wet. Amount needed varies from plant to plant and the age of the plant. *Air - A lack of air circulation is another major cause to damping off. A fan placed a few feet from the seedlings will both circulate the air and help the seedlings grow sturdier and stronger. 2. Seedlings need a lot of attention. If you cannot check on your seedlings at least once a day (preferably twice or more), then you will not be able to monitor them as they grow. They will need to be watered, thinned, and moved away from the light as they grow taller(the tops of the plants need to remain close) 3. All seeds are not the same. Some need to have been started months ago, many need to be started now, and many more need only be sown outside and not started indoors at all. Many seeds need a cold period (called stratification) in order to germinate. This can be done in your fridge or outdoors using a process called wintersowing. Figure out what you want to grow and ask specific questions about those seeds. So this spring, buy a couple of sorts of annuals or veggies you'd like to have, and give it a try. Use a sunny window, or get a light and go for that - whatever you want. Note what worked and what didn't, and ask for feedback. You'll probably still need to buy plants at the nursery this spring as it'll take a couple of tries to get the hang of it. But then, look out - you'll be taking over the basement with the seeds :-) BP

It would help to know a few more things, such as how many plants you want to start this way -- a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand or more than, say 10,000. It would also help to know what your outdoor climate is like, whether you've got something like a screen porch, and so on. That said, here are some ideas: The typical setup you see at garden centers and big-box stores -- a solid- bottom flat, an insert with 72 cells that can be separated into 12 packs of 6 cells each and a humidity dome works pretty well if you're talking about quantities up to the low thousands of plants. You can buy the pieces separately, and at case prices they're much cheaper than as assembled sets. Furthermore, you can get by with fewer humidity domes than the number of inserts -- you take the domes off as soon as you get germination, and the dome from the first sets you start can be switched to the next sets. Also get some flats with non-solid bottoms if you will be putting the packs outdoors where they will be subject to downpours. Finally, although 72 is the most common number of cells you'll find in stores, you can order sheets of inserts with different numbers -- say, 36, or 48. You can usually get gowing medium that's fine for starting seeds in fair-size bags or small bales at home-improvement stores and garden centers. Read the labels -- you want something that says it's ok for starting seeds. Some potting soil has a lot of large chunks of bark in it and would have to be worked through a sieve before it's usable. You can make your own mix from finely milled peat and pearlite if you wish. I buy compressed bales of Sunshine Mix #1 from a large-scale grower -- of there's a large garden center that raises its own stock near you, you might be able to do the same. To sow seeds in the size cell we're talking about here, you don't need any special equipment. Some people are very good at shaking even tiny seeds out of a packet 1-3 at a time; others might empty seeds from the packet onto a folded piece of 3x5 card and then use a pencil or pen to tick off a seed or group of seeds into the cells. I actually use a small, shallow Japanese sauce dish with a small pouring lip to hold the seeds and a pencil to push a seed or three at a time onto the medium. (I usually sow 3 seeds per cell and then thin to 1 after they germinate.) If you want, you can sow seeds in flats without the cells, but I think you would have to prick them out and put them into some kind of small container to grow on before they were ready to go in the ground. I think that system works better if you can devote a lot of time to the project and/or aren't sowing a lot of different kinds. If you go that route, I'd recommend a flat that has a fairly solid bottom but with some holes in it for drainage and bottom-watering. Large-scale growers often start with a plug trays that have more and tinier cells in about the same space as the 72's -- maybe up to around 400 cells, and they tyically use machinery to fill the cells with growing medium and quite likely to add seeds to the cells. I think this is overkill for any home situation. In your climate, I would think that as soon as things germinate you can place them outside. (Room light is adequate up until the time things sprout, even for seeds that require light for germination.) Many annuals will survive outdoors at temperatures in the 30s and 40s, even if they need temperatures in the 60s to 70 for optimal germination. You can give them protection from drying wind by putting them in an open-topped cardboard for a few days, and I'd start their outdoor stay in a shady spot. As long as it doesn't freeze, most can stay outdoors at night. Seed packets, catalogs and the web should tell you which annuals need higher-than-room-temperature heat for best germination and which ones are set back severely or killed by temps in, say the 40s. When your seedlings reach the point where they've filled their spaces and their leaves are touching, you can usually plant them in the ground. I know there are a lot of things I haven't described very thoroughly, if at all, and some of this is guesswork about your climate (I have to do things differently in the midwest), but I'm sure others can correct that and fill in the gaps, or have better suggestions. I just wanted to get this started. As for seed sources, I'd suggest Stokes, which has a fairly good selection, reasonable prices, pretty good instructions on their packets and offers both small and grower-sized packets. If you're thinking of relatively small numbers -- say, 10 flat's worth, 720 plants, getting the packages from Home Depot or your local garden center might be your best bet. For larger quantities, you can order flats, inserts, etc. from places like Pinetree Gardens and Charlie's Greenhouses, but since shipping can be expensive, you might be better off with a grower's supply company located near you. There's a link to a California outfit below. I've never used them, since I order from Midwest suppliers. Others will probably have better suggestions. Good luck Here is a link that might be useful: American Horticulture

There are lots of places but I use www.charleysgreenhouse.com They are in Whatcom County, Washington where I went to University many years ago and they are great people and VERY serious about what they do. They have an excellent selection and reasonable prices for starting equipment. I'm sure someone will have something closer so you don't have to order online, but I would recommend getting a catalog from these folks at least - they have some unusual stuff! -Marie