This is my first year. I am LOVING the large yogurt containers. We don't really drink a lot of soda, or milk, but we consume a lot of yogurt, so this is what I have. Again, it's my first time so I don't know how well they're actually going to work...but as far as prep time, I think they've been the easiest. Tonight I put another spin on them and cut holes in the lids, leaving only the lip of the lid, and put that right on top of the plastic - no taping. I hope that will hold the plastic in place. If it does, that is definitely the ticket. Easy easy!

Hi EM... If you WS root veggies they are best transplanted when quite small, just like all other WS seedlings. I generally get my root veggies transplanted when they are no more than an inch high, and usually they are smaller than that. The problems with direct sowing is that seeds are food. Critters, bugs and birds will find them. There's not always going to be a snow cover and exposed seeds are quickly found by birds. Burroughing bugs and vermin can find the seeds anytime they are active and the ground isn't so frozen that they can't tunnel through it. In my own garden I know that I have field mice despite there being cats and a dog that have run of the yard, the mice are a problem with eating seeds and very newly sprouted seeds in the ground. You know your garden best and your critter or bug populations can be different from mine or anyones garden. I'll suggest that you try both methods, do some WS and do some DS and see how that works out for you, compare the differences not just at germination time, but when you thin the DS or transplant the WS, then later on when you begin cropping.

My guess would be you could buy some pvc pipe,make a small hoop house type frame,to take the easy way out, you could then drape your cover over the frame,and secure it with a bungee cord. I am sure token will chime in here with a very sophisticated set up, so hang on,:0) cAROL

I'm sorry you had to have a setback with surgery and hope you will be ok. Something we gardeners all dread, not being able to work to our full capacity (for us). Is there somebody you could hire to help you? If you got it all planned out and marked, then supervise if you can walk around and watch, it should go fairly fast. I know I feel better if I plant my own stuff myself, but felt fortunate last fall to find somebody to plant my tulips and odds and ends. I could have done the tulips myself but just plain didn't feel like it and didn't want to waste the bulbs. The containers should be fine, but they gobble up so much soil and are getting a little hard to fill; some are a little heavy to lift. Maybe you have help with that. This will mean double planting really. Good luck with it; you know best what will work for you.