I lookup the stratification requirements when I am making up my plant tags. Then I write on the tag "ws" for wintersow and "ss" for spring sow. If it is something that may need multiple warm cold warm cycles I also write on it "slow" and the date sown. That way if it isn't sprouted by summer I know to keep watering it and move it to a shady spot over the summer so it won't completely dry out before next winter. I file my seed packets I plan to sow and prepared labels in a tub with sections for sowing early winter, late winter/spring, and tender-only sow after frost. This is just to make sure I get the things that NEED cold out first. Then I can take my time doing the things that might need a bit of cold or fluctuating temps or at last can handle cold. The tender things can wait, some of them get done in my "wintersowing containers" and some get direct sown. That decision depends on how many of the seed I have, where it is going, how quickly it germinates, and of course how much potting mix I have left! I always end up underestimating how much I am going to do each year. So, there are still reasons why some of us research the seed's needs, but it is definitely not required for a successful experience. If you like researching that info - do it, if not skip it altogether or maybe just do it for those very special seeds. You will also learn what works best for you over the years and tweak the routine to suit your needs.

I like the look of mountains. In fall we usually spend a few days in the Smokies, crunching leaves underfoot while roaming around the park and the mountains. Now that, I find breathtaking. When renting a house, my main criteria is a spectacular mountain view with a house attached to it! A couple of years ago we visited Wa and I thought it must be the prettiest place on earth. But our travels were limited to the Olympic Peninsula. Again, we gravitated to the mountains, rainforests, and west coast beaches. Vera's terrain in eastern Wa is totally different. I guess the only common denomonater is lush, beautiful flowers. But in think Vera could grow beautiful flowers in concrete. Most vacations we spend on ocean beaches- Caribbean in winter, Gulf beaches in summer. Why do I live in Ohio??? Karen

Fantastic list of seeds! I think it is just great that you have focused your life on nature at such a young age. I too would love to have 10 (maybe 5) acres someday to plant a wonderland of natives plants, and am already doing that on 1.25 acres. Difference is, my interest didn't come into sharp focus until age 45. :) There are quite a few seeds on this list I am interested in, and I checked your want list and I have a few on that list. Maybe we can do a trade this fall? Just a note - on your want list is Cynanchum louiseae - this is an extremely invasive non-native vine that is becoming a serious problem in the Northeast US. And it has the additional problem that Monarch butterflies will "sense" it is in the Milkweed family, lay eggs on it, and then it will kill the caterpillars because it is toxic to Monarch larvae.

I'm not selling this year due to the local drought (its illegal to water your yard. So people aren't buying plants) but last year was my first year at a nearby towns farmers market. I sold what I would call 4 inch pots (square, actually a little less than 4inches) from $1 to $4 depending on the plant type. I sell most perennials in 5 1/2 inch square pots (6 inches tall) from $4 to $6 each. I sell most gallons at $5 or $6 except for some rarer stuff which I sold for $8 but could have charged $10 easy. I really don't think price is the most important thing that gets people to buy something. It is if they grasp the value of the plant - if it looks healthy & happier than any other plants they see when they are out plant shopping. Catching them off guard with something they have never seen before works some of the time but plenty of people only want what they know. My decisions on pot sizes is based more on how I haul stuff to the market. I grow and haul in bulb crates. During the week I shift plants around, but I try to keep as much as I can inside the bulb crates so that I don't have to spend much time loading. I like square pots because they tend to stand up and not fall over better while in the bulb crates. I can only get 6 one gallons in a bulb crate, 12 five and a half inch squares per crate, 18 four inch pots per crate. My 5 1/2 inch pots usually hold plants that are equal in size to what other places sell in gallon pots but I can fit more of them into the crate so I prefer them even though they cost 30 cents each while the gallons are around 5 cents. Most of my customers brought back their plastic pots after they planted their plants so I could recycle them (which is a great savings). Most of the local garden centers charge about a dollar or two more then I do, so I am perceived as cheaper. Pricing is a touchy thing. There are all sorts of things to consider but if you are small time (like me) you can get a lot of your supplies very cheap or even free so costs can be kept down. I propagate most of my material from my own garden so plug costs is low. I only grow a few that need warm winters to grow so that saves money. I don't buy plugs en masse since I only sell in low numbers - instead I go to the local grower and cherry pick the best of the best. I pay more but usually end up selling every plant I buy. I go shopping three or four times each year. Besides, my customers expect everything I offer to be from my yard and grown entirely by me (they don't understand that newer version aren't offered as seeds). Shoppers are influenced by what other places are charging. Big Box retailing has pretty much ruined everything, no matter what anyone says, if Home Depot sells them for $X then that is what the public expects them to be worth. Good luck convincing them otherwise.