I'm hardening off 4 tomatoes started in Jan - I have about 9 total, so super ready to get rid of some. Will plant them after direct sun is past, put up the supports and cover with agribon19. It's just an experiment, in case the weather goes on like this without great change - if they make it, after only 2 days of hardening off - and cooler weather comes, I'll pop some platicated greenhouse thingy on top..... But I have too many in the house too big - I was experimenting with production under lights - but just had indeterminate, big plants....next winter, I'll buy some special container tiny plants to continue on with the experimenting.... I too need to start some of my main crop tomatoes for summer....so perhaps I will do the winter sowing too....as you all say it isn't too late...

How many days for the melons? I just sowed some 75 day ones 2 weeks ago. Have a second round of French cukes to sow for fall harvesting. Swiss Chard just popping thru Tonight sowing the 68 day corn. The fall cauliflower and broccoli plants just poked thru for planting in July I figure my frost date at October 15th.

Very nice! They look great :) I grew zinnias this year for the first time. I think they were early spring sown. I was surprised how quickly they germinated, and they're quite healthy and pretty. I didn't think I would be that impressed with zinnias for some reason, but they're great, and I will definitely sow them again next year. I grew mixed lilliput zinnias, but they are much taller than I expected. A couple of the plants have peach colored blooms which are quite pretty. It's great to try all kinds of things because you don't know what you'll end up liking. There were several other plants I was so excited about initially that ended up not being what I expected, but the zinnias were a pleasant surprise.

Hi Lesuko, You should be able to start all the annuals now, either inside or in small pots outside. Outside, if it stays cold out they shouldn't come up until the soil is warming enough for them to germinate, and as late as it is, by the time they do come up it should be warm enough for them outside--or you could just move them in overnite if we should get some kind of a Freezing Catastrophe like we did last year. Inside, they'd germinate faster, but you'll need to keep them in really good lite/direct sun or they'll get leggy pretty easily. If you have them in a flat or box you could move them out into the sun during the day and back inside over nite. But if you start them inside and they've been grown inside for a while, be sure to acclimate them to the sun gradually or you could burn the leaves! Wouldn't likely kill them, but would make them look really bad for a while and would take them a while to "grow out of it!" Having said all that, I'm not really too up close and personal with annuals, so maybe other folks will have other advice for individual things! (What is your "drumstick?" I have a "drumstick" Primula, but I'd be VERY surprised if you have seed for that!) Rudbeckia can be a perennial or only half hardy, but either kind could be started outside, no problem, unless it gets COLD after they germinate. Or inside! Hollyhocks, a perennial, outside no problem (same as Rudbeckia) or easy to start inside. Scabiosa, if you mean the perennial one, same as the above two. Since you're calling it Scabiosa, I'm assuming you have the perennial, but I've heard of other things called pincushion flower, don't know if they're some other kind of Scabiosa or not! Lavender--I don't think you'll have any trouble starting it "warm," but if it doesn't work stratify some seed for three or four weeks in the fridge or freezer first, folded in a damp paper towel in a zipper baggie, and then plant them. Lavender is one I'd usually recommend winter sowing for the natural stratification, but it may be fine without it--just not sure! With the winter sowing you tried, there's a VERY good chance your problem was over or under watering. Very likely too much water. I tend to overwater things when I'm hovering over them too, and I know better! (And don't even try to tell me you weren't hovering! ;-) ) After things germinate you need to start leaving the soil dry deeper and deeper into the pot before you water again. Once they germinate you shouldn't water until at least the surface is dry, even to start with. Just bite your tongue and do it! Even if they wilt a little bit! That won't hurt them, as long as they don't lay down "all the way." But too much water is fatal, and by the time you can see there's a problem it's probably too late. Do all that with the watering with the things you're starting now too, whether you start them inside or out. Watch them and water, at first, when the soil is dry about halfway down in the pot. As they get bigger you can let it get even dryer. Besides not killing them that also helps develop a good root system as the roots grow deeper into the pot "looking" for water. I doubt that fertilizer had anything to do with it (outside either, saw you're post on the Who's Here thread)! And some things, like the seriously xeric things, don't like to be fertilized and do better if you just leave them alone to do their own thing! If you have questions when things start to germinate--now or on your next winter sowing adventure--come back and ask about individual plants for more specific recommendations. Gotta go, Skybird P.S. From what you posted on the Who's Here thread! I suspect I'm the one who told you to Eyeball your plants and then plant them there! Wanna see some pics when things get going for you!