Kristi, You're absolutely right..I check far more than once a week, probably like every other day..just came from a check and my surviving Exotica bulblet (from NBF attack) is sending up a scape and Sumatra and Vera! I can't keep up with them! They are all over the house on two floors here.. there.. and everywhere!! I also have some very interesting mislabels showing their true colors..or lack of color..a white Double Dragon (should be red)..can't tell yet if it's going to be a double..and my White Peacock is looking suspiciously like a Flamenco Queen..should know soon..can't imagine that Flamenco Queen would already be ending up in the mislabel pile!! I have two Dutch hybrids a Candy Floss and Lady Jane that are virused and they are way up high where I can't reach them and I can see some green poking up on them too..maybe I can use Candy Floss for some seeds this season..Please post your pictures when they bloom, just write all over them so no one will be tempted to steal them..or you can put some of your fancy handiwork like your swirling eye somewhere on the flower..that should stop them... Donna

You don't mention what species/cultivar seedlings you're working with, but the regional climate of the species might give you some clue as to how much near dormancy rest period would be required. Generally, a three month rest period during which a period of no less than 400 hours at temperatures of 32'F to 36'F are obtained is most beneficial. Likewise, a gradual and most natural reduction of light, temperature and moisture is best for prompting dormancy. In the final phase, they must be brought out of dormancy gradually, reversing the process. What is likely to happen with an abbreviated dormancy is that many of your little seedlings would not develop a stem the next spring (called a ladder), but rather come up and continue to grow just like they were before with scale leaves only. Those with ladder form would grow all season while those with scale leaves would go dormant in mid season. This presents a real problem if you grow seedlings in a pot. While those with ladders will have to be fed and watered, the others don't and they usually end up rotting. That said, it is typical of lilium seeders like myself to extend the growing season under lights another four to six weeks and still get a sufficient three month rest period for most types. Something else we do to get baby bulbs larger faster, so to speak, is start our seeds in late January-early February. You don't say what zone you're in but if you're in a zone like Z4, Z5 or Z6, your seedlings, if started in March or April, should be more than ready to go into dormancy now. Don't worry about freezing the foliage; that won't hurt anything. A good place or way to store and provide dormancy is inside an unheated garage or by burying the pots in the garden tipped on their sides and covered with mulch once the ground freezes. For a lot more information relevant to your questions, I encourage you visit http://allthingsplants.com/forums/view/lilies/ or by just going to www.allthingsplants.com and scrolling down to lilies in gardening section and read the 'sticky' threads on the top about 'extending the growing season under lights' and 'starting lilies from seeds'. I'm glad you're interested in growing lilies from seeds and welcome you to join in on our discussions there. This post was edited by interspecific on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 12:52

I was still picking tomatoes right up until the first frost. When I knew that the cold was coming, I cut branches with green fruit and put them in sunny windows. They ripened slowly and weren't as tasty as the summer ones, but we had fresh tomatoes until January. We have a long growing season here; welcome to the sunny southland! Ginny

sorry I didn't see this sooner. I agree, Eliot Coleman's books are great plus you can see his posts on Facebook about what he is doing in his high tunnel. A local market farmers also posts his photos and sells fresh veggies at the winter market here in zone 5B NH. I have a greenhouse plastic covered wood frame high tunnel. The ground never freezes inside but the air temps as mentioned by another poster get just as cold inside as outside when the sun goes down. We have a thermometer in our kitchen with sensors in different places so I know what the temp is in the high tunnel as well as outdoors. There are some easy tricks to keeping things warm like putting Agribon fabric over plants. Some of the market gardeners are using supplemental heat early in the season to get an early start on tomatoes. Johnny's Selected Seeds website has some good info about high tunnels. Yes, you can plant cold hardy things earlier but you also have to know that there is a Persiphone period during winter when there is not enough sun so plants go dormant. My simply plastic high tunnel seems capable of being a zone or two warmer depending on how much extra protection I give things. I overwintered rosemary and variegated sages successfully (but not last winter). I'm planting in the ground. Cilantro, kale, claytonia self seed in my high tunnel but not outside. I don't think beans are cold tolerant. Spinach and chard are. I had a goal of picking salad greens for Thanksgiving dinner. I might have done Christmas, too. You will need to read up on varieties because some lettuce is hardier than other varieties. I have had some lettuce start regrowing in early spring. Surprisingly, even with the sides rolled up and double door open, in summer the temp is easily 100 degrees on sunny days. In winter there can be a huge temperature difference. I have a yard hydrant so I can have water in winter but that requires an underground pipe from the house. My tomato plants are healthier than those growing outdoors. I still start seed indoors under lights. Between Johnny's and Eliot Coleman's books you can figure when to plant seeds outdoors under plastic to provide fall and winter harvests. I did not do winter crops this past winter because voles and other furry creatures had caused too much damage. Went to undercover a late crop of broccoli only to find every head gone. Also be aware that it gets too hot to be working under plastic in the summer and even some spring days if you don't get out early.