WOW where are you that you're finishing up your summer stuff? I'm just getting tomatoes, cukes, zuks etc now! I'm in zone 8ish, No CA. Our season is running about a month late, but I have at least 3 months to go. I usually have one raised bed that finishes in time to clear for a winter bed. Usually the squash/cukes. I also have a perenial bed that I put winter stuff in just cause I don't do very much winter stuff. I also do things such as lettuce and radishes in boxes on the deck where I don't have to go out in the mud and muck during the rainy season. I haven't done seeds for a winter garden yet, but I'm thinking about a month fom now is about when you start from seed in my area. I think I have a site that tells you when to do what. I'll look for it. Happy Gardening! Nancy

I can't really relax until the end of October because that month is when we usually have wildfires, although this year we seem to have had them somewhere or other since May, with the horrific Yosemite fire still burning as we speak. October can be cooler or it can still be hot, so my daily hand watering may or may not turn into watering every second day. What I crave most is rain, so that I won't have to water at all for a week or two, and the danger of fires will be over. That's also the time when the roses will recover from the summer doldrums. I don't think I've ever seen so many rose bushes where the majority of leaves range from somewhat dry and unsightly to totally desiccated and truly ugly. I'm more than ready for all that to go away, and look forward to a moist and green fall and winter, should I be so lucky. Ingrid

Jennifer, Would you believe you are not the first one to ask that question? Thanks, it is a lovely compliment. There are many great gardening books out there, and I can't imagine I could find a way to say anything that hasn't already been said before. And, I can't sit still long enough to ever write a book. I often DO joke that I AM writing a book here on Garden Web, one thread at a time. LOL Dawn

thanks Khalid I'm thinking about sowing both...I will order my seeds from this company http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=83 Common Name: CUMIN - BLACK Scientific Name: Nigella sativa Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual White flowers Mentioned in Bible Culinary Uses: Spicy flavour. Ingredient in curry and spicy mixtures Bread, cake, sauces, curries, chutneys fish dishes Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Respiratory conditions, allergies, fevers, flu, asthma, emphysema Hypertension, insomnia, arthritic and rheumatic pain Clear acne, boils, excessive perspiration Inhibits certain forms of cancer Stomach upsets, nausea, vomiting, colic, spasms, intestinal worms Diuretic and promotes lactation Treat inflammatory and auto-immune conditions http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=461&seeds=1 Plant InformationCommon Name: CUMIN, JEERA Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. It was originally cultivated in Iran and the Mediterranean region and has been in use since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Bible in both the Old Testament (Isaiah 28:27) and the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). Today it is cultivated all over the world. Cumin is a half hardy, slender annual with finely divided, ovate leaves, reaching 10cm long. Tiny, white to pale pink flowers are produced in umbels, followed by gray-green ovoid-oblong fruits, containing pale brown seeds. Cumin is grown from seed sown in spring and prefers full sun, well-drained fertile soil and a long hot summer of three to four months (115 days). Daytime temperatures must be around 30 °C - seeds may not ripen in cold climates. Seeds must be sown directly in a garden bed and keep clean from weeds - germination will take place in 1 to 3 weeks.Culinary Uses: Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds and helps to add a hot and aromatic flavor to food. The seeds are a perfect companion for salad dressings, cheese, pickles, pastries, masala, stews, soups and spiced gravies such as chili. Cumin is an ingredient of curry powder and has a distinctive taste associated with ethnic foods of the Mediterranean Basin. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavoring.Parts Used: The seeds are collected by hand when ripe, threshed, dried and stored whole in airtight jars.Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Cumin is an astringent herb that benefits the digestive system - it is used in treating inflammation, indigestion, flatulence and as an appetite suppressant. Cumin purifies blood, promotes healthy reproductive organs in both male and female, increases milk flow in nursing mothers and acts an aphrodisiac. A fine paste of cumin seed powder mixed with water is applied on boils, swellings and itchiness of the skin. To prepare a mouth freshener, eliminate foul smell of the mouth and heal mouth ulcers - boil Cumin powder in water, allow cooling down, adding a pinch of cardamom powder, filter and gargle. In ancient times it has been used as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth. Massage roasted Cumin powder mixed with sea salt on the gums to treat inflammations, prevent bleeding and to strengthen them. To treat indigestion and flatulence - boil 5ml of Cumin seed powder in 250ml of water, allow it to cool down and drink twice daily. Using Cumin powder with honey will do the same. To treat irritable bowel syndrome - drink pomegranate juice mixed with roasted Cumin powder until the condition subsides. In India ground Cumin powder is mixed into a paste with onion juice - to be applied to scorpion stings Cumin has a very disagreeable flavor and is nowadays seldom used in Western herbal medicine - having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties and a more pleasant flavor. Today Cumin's medicinal use is confined to veterinary practice where it is used as a carminative.For Animals. It is said that: Cumin is often used as part of birdseed mixtures. Mixed Cumin seeds and sea-salt is an universal remedy for diseases like scabby backs and breasts disease in pigeons. Take 113g each of sea salt, common Salt, Dill-seeds, Cumin-seeds, 453g Fennel-seeds and 29ml Assafoetida. Mix it with a little wheat flour and some fine-worked clay. Mix well and bake in the oven. Allow to cool down and put it on the table in the dove-cote for the pigeons