Yes! The name "Cool CroP" is self explanatoy; They grow in "cool" weather better than "HOT" weather. I would consider a range of 42F(n) to 76F(D) ideal for "cool crops". So then "cool" is not equivalent to "Cold". cool crops can survive in "cold" weather but they will not grow measureably. Probably there are few exceptions that may manage to grow just a bit, but not a whole lot. On the other hand, if your winter turns out to be unusually warm, (in zones 6,7,8) your COOL crops may do better than expected. Things can happen. Last year I tapped maple trees(here in ATLANTA GA Area) and made about one quart of maple syrup. You would think that maple syrups can only be made up North/Northeast USA and Canada. So you never know; your cabbages may grow in Wisconsine, this winter.

George: I'm posting a link to the FAQ section for the Round Robin forum. It explains better than I can, but in a nutshell, round robins involve group trades instead of one-on-one trades. The type of Robin and the rules are up to the Host. Sometimes the host fills a box with seeds and it goes from person to person. The recipient takes out the seeds they want and replaces them with the same number of packs of other seeds and mails it to the next person. Sometimes the Host has you mail in seeds and she trades them with other players seeds and mails them back. And sometimes the Host arranges a one-on-one swap with another player in the Robin. There are a number of variations, and as I said, the Host decides the 'game' and the rules. Check out my post on the Round Robin forum for detailed instructions as to the ~Trick or Treat~ swap. Its alot of fun and we'd love to have you join us. Just let me know! Here is a link that might be useful: Round Robin FAQ

Naw! Nothing that complicated! :-) The quick and easy version is - you take a cut down milk or water jug (or anything else about that size, or bigger), fill it with soil, and sow your seeds as you would if you were going to do it all inside. Then you place the container in a plastic baggie with a couple of holes poked in the top (for ventilation), and one poked at the bottom(for drainage), and put it outside (but not in the sun). Once spring is really here you can take off the baggie and you're done. It might take a couple of tries before you get the hang of it, but it works well and is pretty easy, but the best thing is that it frees up some space under the lights for more seeds :-) It works quite well for any seed that benefits from a cold period (stratification). The freeze/thaw cycles break down the seed coat, and the plastic baggie keeps the moisture in and acts as a bit of a greenhouse. The seeds are slower to sprout than if you'd done it inside, but it's much less fuss, and by the end of June it's impossible to tell the difference between seedlings started inside and seedlings started outside - actually some plants will be further ahead if winter sown, due to the fact that they didn't have to go through an acclimation period. You can get as fancy and as complicated as you like - some refinements bring a higher success rate, and some just make certain aspects of the process easier. I don't winter sow because I hate, hate, hate the cold and going outside in the winter. It's my loss since I don't have much indoor space to begin with, but I also kind of like the fussing that goes with the indoor starting - it's an early spring for me :-) BP

Hostas have no presence in winter :-) For an area that receives minimal direct sun (and even less in our gray winters), I'd consider something like Lonicera nitida 'Lemon Beauty' (or 'Briloni'/Edmee Gold) or Daphne odora 'Maejima'. Add in a few hellebores, a fern or two and Carex morrowii 'Aureovariegata' and you are good to go!! You can always fit in a few more seasonal perennials like hostas or astilbe, a deciduous shrub like hydrangea or hardy fuchsia or some shade loving annuals if you want a longer period of color, but the evergreens I've listed will take you through a long, drab and dark winter with a bit of brightness. You could also consider adding the mahonia, skimmia, sarcococca or pieris if you prefer or have room. And in the PNW you never need to plant shop at Home Depot or similar (these are NOT nurseries) as there are high quality retail garden centers everywhere and HD just offers common cr*p!! And I'd never ask for or get any kind of gardening advice there either, as they typically have no idea what they are doing or what they are talking about. And they sure don't have 'consultants' available!!