It depends ..... From another post: "How large a container needs to be, or CAN be, and how much soil a planting needs/will tolerate before drainage & saturation is an issue depends on the 3-way relationship between plant mass, container size, and soil type. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of basic knowledge about the 3-way relationship noted, which should logically determine appropriate container size(s). It's often parroted that you should only move up one size in containers when "potting-up". The reasoning is the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the material and soil type/composition that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not consecutive volume progression. Plants grown in slow soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil. This (smaller soil volumes) and the root constriction that accompanies it will cause plants to extend and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have you sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers or volumes of soil per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a large volume of soil that is too slow and water-retentive. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the PWT in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (saturated). So, if you aim for a soil composed primarily of particles >1/16", there is no upper limit to container size. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations." You can grow a very small plant in a very large container if the soil holds little or no perched water (saturated soil). Al

O.K. Count me in too. I'm also hooked, line and stinker..... After my midnight rambles in the garden last summer, I am now up to my eyeballs with ripening seed pods and trays and trays of seed germinating from foliage vriesea crosses, and some xvrieslandsias using T.(Johnny)Deppeana as the hot daddy. I took the advice given me on GW about how to store pollen in fridge, and did successfully get one ripening seed pod of V.racinae x fenestralis - the one I really wanted, as well as others from stored pollen. So thanks for the advice and inspiration, fellow newbie and seasoned addicts! Cheers, Kerry

expert I am not. experienced I am. The winter sun in the north where both of you are located gets shorter and shorter. If you intend on a production of vegetables in the house, you'll have to use florescent or other lighting to be able to grow sun loving plants enough to produce good. Cucumbers are difficult inside. Smaller sized tomatoes are more successful. Leaf Lettuces, cilantros, parsely, mizuna, arugula (rocket), corn salad, bok chois and other asian veges, can sit on a southern exposed window sill. Anything other than a south facing window and you'll need lights. Jason, as far as how high in the pot do you put soil, the more the better is usually good advice. In containers for the winter, you'll likely have to feed them weekly doses of small amounts of fertilizers. They can't get it from the potting mix unless you're using the type that has ferts in them. How do you space them? That depends on the shape of the pot but you'll want them just as you'll likely image it, as far from one as the other evenly spaced but not on the edges. I like Pam's idea of cold frames over her perfect choice of planting for a fall harvest I'd add beets to that too cuz even if they don't bulb and they might with mulch, the leaves are excellent for color and taste in salads. ~tom

I get a bit complicated, but it IS a hobby and I have the time. I used to do it the hard way with windows and some lights. Then about 4 years ago I bought a 4 shelf storage unit, 4'w 2' deep, 6' tall. Bought 4' bulb 4 fluorescent light fixtures and attached them to the bottoms of the shelves. Put daylight and/or growlights in the fixtures (whichever was cheaper). Set the shelves to 4", 8", 12" and 18" below the lights. Built small stands of 4" high from plywood to make the seedling trays stay JUST under the lights "the closer the better" (seriously, if you are going to pay for lighting, get the most you can from them). Used sterile potting soil but added water from the fish tanks. and some organic fertilizer when the seedlings were growing. Transplanted the tomatoes from the small 6-pack cells to 4" deep packs I saved from a nursery sale after 4 weeks, and to deeper pots after another 3 weeks. Deeper each time (tomatoes grow roots along buried stems. When I transplant out from inside (after days of gradually increasing sun exposure) I bury the tomato seedlings up to 12" deep in warmed soil from black plastic and cover that with red plastic (reflects light to improve yield). I have poor sunlight, so I have to do nearly everything to get any harvest. But I expect that would improve anyone's harvest. And grew about 10 dozen other veggies and flowers in the light stand.., I can give details if you want. Hope any of that helps...