Poochella, thank you - that helps a lot. I'll repot them into milk cartons as I'd planned, and water them sparingly. They're all coming up and the leaves look really good, so I can't have screwed things up too badly yet. :-) I have a heater in the greenhouse - it never falls below 50 (normally it stays around 58-60 at night and on cold days, but if it drops into the teens at night, it gets down around 50 or so). So freezing isn't an issue at all. I have veggies and annuals growing out there right now that I started from seed - a freeze in the greenhouse would be a complete disaster for our gardens this year. Russ, I did say 13 hours of "daylight", not "sunlight". My greenhouse is situated where the sun hits it very early in the morning, and is on it all day, no trees or anything shading it at all (doors and vents stay open all day on warm, sunny days to keep the heat managable between 70 and 85 or so, and there are fans running in there 24/7). There are about three microclimate zones in my yard - the greenhouse is in the warmest, full sun microclimate, where I have roses (my favorite flowers) starting to leaf out already. I have all manner of annuals and veggies growing out there in the greenhouse, and none are getting leggy at all, so I'd think that if there's enough light for tomatoes, there's probably enough light for the dahlias to get started. They're coming up fine, as I said, the leaves look good, so I think they're getting plenty for now. Obviously as the days get longer, they'll have light longer. I'm not on the "mountain side" of the state - south-central Montana (where I live) is closer to a desert than the cooler mountain regions in the western parts of the state. And I never said I didn't like dahlias...I said my husband loves them (which he does). I like the flowers, but I have more of a passion for roses personally (don't have to dig them up in the fall). Maybe I'll fall in love with dahlias after growing them for a season or so - but I won't know if I don't try! My hubby doesn't care much for typing or forums, and he would never "make" me ask anything, anywhere "for him" (he wouldn't have asked for himself either...he'd just throw them in a pot and let them grow or not, as his dad does). I asked of my own free will, because I was interested in how to get them the best start possible. It's my nature to jump into whatever I decide to do with both feet. I am interested because I love my husband, he loves dahlias, and that makes me want to have some in the garden for him, regardless of some extra work in spring and fall. Have you never grown something just because someone in your family really likes it? In any case, thanks for the advice. I'm sure we can get the dahlias off to a good start this year now.

I haven't noticed any mold around the inside of the pot, but then again, once planted, I have not taken them out to see if there was mold inside. I use the newspaper to line a regular pot so that it is easier to transplant to the soil without bothering the roots. The newspaper pot gets buried into the soil eventually, and becomes compost. So I don't see any problem with that.

I leave mine in the same pots during the first Fall to get as much growth, for as long as they're alive growing and until they decide to dormant or freeze. Then if they're not too crowded, I leave them grow in the same pots a second full year; then set out. Since you had good luck with your seeds and they're over crowded--as happens sometimes, then setting out next spring is your best option. If your pots have good drainage you can bury the pots in the same garden with the rest of your liles,cover with about an inch of dirt and mulch a little with coarse straw preferrably after the ground freezes if it does in your area. Overwintering in an unheated attached garage is OK too, provided you put the smaller pots in a larger pot and cover with an inch or so with soil to keep them from drying out completely so check in mid january and water lighty if needed. I cross pollenate and seed lilies as a hobby. If you are interested in learning more about lily seeding or just lilies in general check out www.allthingsplants.com click forums in the heading, then scroll down to the second section titled 'plants' where you'll see lilies listed. There's a bunch of very good lily seeders in there.

I start my dahlias, caladiums, and tuberous begonias indoors to get a jump on the season here in Zone 5, Chicagoland. (FWIW, I buy new ones each year, have had no luck storing tubers. My basement is not cold enough. Some of the pots I store indoors dry, complete with tubers and / or begonias in them: sometimes those survive. I have 2 growing right now, I will have to cut them back hard). My rule of thumb has been to start at Easter, but since Easter floats around a lot, maybe I should come up with a new plan. I have had leggy dahlias before, so maybe I HAVE been starting them too early. I do pinch them if there is too much stem space between leaves. Last frost date here is traditionally Memorial Day, end of May. However, the Chicago Botanic Garden lists May 15 as the last frost date now. I don’t have lights for these, the pots are set in front of a sunny window. Caladiums are started in flats, the rest in pots. Caladiums and begonias will get transplanted into annual pots, when I have the annuals. Most of the dahlias will go in the ground. The caladiums take the longest to get going, all I really expect of them is to make roots and wake up by the time I am ready to transplant them. They spend a week or 2 hardening off outdoors before planting; I pull them in if the temperature dips. Assuming I transplant these outside at the end of May, how much head start should I give them indoors? A month (start end of April)? Or longer? Please specify if you start ALL of these at the same time, or Dahlias first, begonias later, etc. Thanks!