...I also live in z6/CT and alyssum re-seeds for me in my flowerboxes on the deck every year. I don't clean out my flowerboxes until spring...so the soil doesn't get disturbed (except for all the birds pecking around out there)..and sure enough...there are always alyssum which have re-seeded. It is really easy to grow from a pkt of seeds though..alyssum pkts are really easy to find. You can just sprinkle the seed on the top of the soil of the area where you want them to grow or use a small container (with drainage holes), fill with a 'seed starter' mix...I use potting soil with about 1/4 to 1/2" of the 'seed starter' on top...wet it down really well and just sprinkle the seeds on top and put in a sunny area. Keep the soil damp and they will germinate.

Wow, I thought this thread would have died out and so hadn't checked back for a little bit. I've been having some troubles with slugs where there's sparsely planted lettuce/spinach/beets, and I do not particularly like to hand kill them (though if I had fish, that sounds like a great idea for food). I have had good success with all my transplants into the garden, but would definitely like to direct sow a lot more. I was looking into Masanobu Fukuoka's seed ball method, but I'm not sure what kind of clay to use or where to get it. Since my last post I've pulled back the mulch around my beds to sow seeds, which I actually like a lot. Now there's a nice border of mulch matter around my beds that are still steadily decomposing, and the soil is good and warm. It was also a nice chance to peek at all the different bugs under the mulch layer. Now I'm considering finally investing in some diatomaceous earth for slug control. Thanks for reminding me of its existence.

Ok. Next year, hopefully, is my first year of not buying plants, because I couldn't get the one's I wanted this year. I live in a 'Flyover' area so my resources are limited. I bought the best resource book I knew of, and I'm following their directions. I'm Midwestern and hot foods do not appeal to me. I garden mostly by the rules that I was taught by my grandmother in the back yard garden. I am a Master Gardener who learns something new about growing (and sometimes killing things) all the time, and tries to share it. This isn't a competition. I'm just trying to help. Peace. Blue Cat.

It is primarily perennial weed species that laugh at mulch as a weed barrier. If one takes the time and trouble to deal with those first-or after the fact for that matter-mulch really will hold back on new weed seed sprouting. But it can't stop dandelions, quackgrass, or other tough perennial weeds already present. Actually, that's what glyphosate is for. I do not even consider mulching a reasonable practice if the use of non-selective herbicides cannot also be part of the picture. And no, don't use "landscape fabric" as new weed seeds will simply sprout on top of the fabric as material breaks down and as dust and other materials collect. Then you will have say, a dandelion with half its taproot above the fabric, half grown through and below the fabric-the worst possible case. Junk idea. +oM