This is the response I got from the Jonathan Green seed company" "It all depends on the weather and what you expect. If you still are getting daytime temperatures into the 60'-70's, the ground temperature I assume is still above 50-55 degrees and with these conditions and some moisture, seed will germinate. How fast and how quickly it will fills in depends on your ability to provide water if it does not rain and if Mother Nature makes the air temperatures plummet in your area under 50 degrees for 10-14 straight days. I think you still are okay, it just may not fill in as fast as it would have if you had planted Sept. 1st. I would rather you seed now in order to avoid weed competition if you seed next spring." I looked up our average highs and lows for October on weather.com and learned the average high is no longer above 60 as of October 20. The forcast shows higher temperatures than that for next week, but I don't know about the week after. I guess I will watch the weather. If we will have above 60 then I will seed with JG products. If not, I'll use some other (cheaper) brand to help prevent erosion and weeds and then seed again first thing in the spring. Darn it!

You have to maintain soil temps at 70 degrees to get lavender or rosemary seeds to sprout and grow, very difficult. Of course, my gravel walkway seems to handle this job just fine on its own. When I try to formally raise the lavender its a no-go. See what you can do to start your seeds with some warmth, you already have the seeds so there's no reason not to give it a try. I'd plant them now to have the plants ready for the fall.....if you are the kind of person to maintain lots of pots, etc. I've learned the hard way that I am NOT that kind of person and should do my planting and growing in the ground outside. If you are not successful with the seeds, try getting a plant or two and take cuttings to expand your crop. If you know someone in your area with a lavender they may be willing to give you cuttings from their spring trim back. You're welcome to come here for some, but it seems that's a wee bit of a drive just for some clippings. :-)

You can always copy Mother Nature and toss any seed onto the ground as soon as it is ripe. A little clearing out of other plants and roughing up the soil to allow better contact with the soil once it rains/gets watered. You could also summer sow--which is just like wintersowing, with the milk jug, etc, but at a later time. The advantages of the container are: constant ambient moisture to improve germination and prevent drying out as fragile seedlings, avoidance of washing away in a torrential downpour, avoiding the seeds and seedlings becoming lunch for some hungry rodent, and the containers are labeled, so you know what is growing and can plant it where ever you like and move them in and out of appropriate levels of sunlight/cold, etc. Happy sowing! Martha

They're all coming along quite nicely and you have picked some real good ones. I've grown all that you have, except Goliath. Most, I'm sure as you know, have "late" DTM's. KB, Mexico, and GG were very late for me, 100+ days, so I hope your's come a bit earlier. The Brandywine's have been a challenge for me,and many other people, but are always in my garden each year. I grow BW Sudduth and BW Red (RL) and they produce well since I began shaking all my plants early in the AM during the hot months of Summer. It's made a huge difference over the last 3 years. Paul Robeson should be the first to ripen and CP and Carbon will follow. I would guess that you might see something in the mid to end of Sept. The bulk of them ripenng in Oct. and hopefully beyond. I've given seedlings to a gal that lives in Clairemont and works with my wife. She told me this morning that she hasn't had much luck growing tom's in the Fall, but DON"T let that discourage you with what you have going. I would suggest that you put your seedlings out as soon as possible, starting in a week or so. OUT of the wind and in the shade to start and slowly introduce them to the sun. There's plenty of info. here and elsewhere. I learned alot here: http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com/nctomatomanWebPage.htm Drop me an email..it's available from "My Page" here at GW. Rob