PlantmastrM - The hubby does inhalers for his asthma, with the indoor plants I think its more the dirt that attracts moss and mold. Mold really seems to affect him. And of course the pollen, I've tried to bring all kinds of cut bouquets and living houseplants in and he has a flair. We dont even open our windows b/c of the outdoor triggers. I really miss the fresh air blowing through the house, I think thats why I enjoy the gardening so much. And he is extremely flexible with whatever I want to plant or do to the yard, its our compromise. :-) Beachgrub, I love the sound of the "gold dust alyssum"! I have a spot picked out for some already, but I've only seen white, of course, and purple. I will be looking that one up! I went out today and found 5 more of my pots sprouted. I worry about the weather and will be researching their hardiness. I made a big rookie mistake....I planted 100+ pots without a clear understanding of hardiness and tenders...somehow I knew it was too soon for the veggies though. One smart thing I did was not to plant all the seeds, only half or less, so it will work out, ill replant if necessary.

This is turning into a very weird weather year for many of us. Because of that, it's hard to give you an absolute answer. Be aware that no matter what any of us tell you, it's nature that has the final answer in when those seeds will sprout. My best guess is that it's probably fine for perennials hardy to your area, and hardy annuals too. I'd definitely wait for anything tender. And if perennials and hardy annuals would sprout early, they have a much better chance of survival in their containers. And keeping them in a shady spot is definitely a good idea until spring is in the air. This is probably our coldest part of winter most years, and it's when I sow my hardy annuals and perennials. I sowed my first jugs a few days ago. I'd go for it if I were you. The chance that they'll sprout in shade is minimal I think, and winter might just stay mild this year. Karen

It seems like you did everything right! Just watch that you see moisture on the saran wrap, if you don't they probably need a drink. And watch for water pooling in them, if you see that, they need bigger drainage holes. You probably don't have a lot of head room for them to grow, so once they sprout you may need to take the top off and figure out another top if the nights are close to freezing. Enjoy your seedlings when they come!

Thanks for the replies everyone! I didn't sow into individual cups -- I just loaded the whole shebang up with dirt and sowed into the dirt. Some stuff I sowed HOS-style, some stuff (like sunflowers, larkspur, etc) I sowed in tiny rows that I made with a fingertip. Of course, as soon as I finished all my containers it started to rain here in Pittsburgh. I moved all of my containers onto a covered porch for the night because I didn't want to flood them so soon! I'm going to move them back out into the yard and the sun today. I had lots of condensation inside my containers so I know I did it right! I labeled my containers by duct taping a snack sized ziploc bag with the names written on a slice of paper. I don't know if that will hold up over the next few months so I will have to check frequently! I've read about the paint pens you guys use. BTW, making the soil was SO EASY! I'm so glad I didn't plunk down all that money for seed starting soil bags. Here they are about 4 dollars for 8 quarts, and with the amount of soil I used it would have been a small fortune. Just a big bale of peat, some compost, and the perlite and it looked almost the same as the MG stuff. I mixed it in a big bag and used the dishwashing liquid tip! Next time I think I would try the mushroom compost over the cow manure compost. Mine had a LOT of large chunks of wood and rocks and stuff. I wound up using only a very small amount. I guess I can use the leftovers out in the beds! Happy growing! Kara