Possibly worth bringing up this post again - I have two raised garden beds and intermix plants, with an eye not to put competetive plants or plant enemies close to each other. I find the plants are bigger, healthier and support each other, providing shaded soil and leaves, and planting closely provides weed suppression. Given that I'm in a hot dry climate, it makes sense. Plant further apart when you need to catch every ray. I find that I have fewer pests when I plant like nature and less like a clinical trial. It It's no good for commercial or large scale, but feeds hubby and I to repletion. Herbs, flowers and veg, all intermixed. When something goes or is harvested, I feed that area and put compost and/or manure there and plant in something else that would likely follow if I were doing rotation. Rows just give the caterpillars and slugs a good 'Roman Road' to follow, munching all the way! Intermixing brings all the predatory species that clear up the pests right into the area that they're wanted instead of being somewhat close-ish. It works for me in my area!

First some basics. This may seem obvious, but you must leave flower heads on plants that you want to set seed. Deadheading to prolong bloom is not an option unless the plant produces enough flower stalks that you can deadhead some and leave others to fall off naturally while seeds form. If you grow vegetables and fruits to eat, allowing plants to go to seed may spoil the intended product (for example, lettuce leaves taste bitter once plants flower) or reduce the quantity of edibles, or the seeds themselves may be what you plan on eating (peas, for instance). A further consideration is that many popular garden plants, grown for flowers or for food, are hybrids and either do not produce seed or their seeds are not viable (viable means able to germinate and grow). In any case, before you can collect seed from any plant it must go through the whole cycle of flowering, being pollinated, developing seed, and ripening. Some plants develop seeds within pods of varying descriptions, others hide their seeds inside fruits or berries, and still others harbor their seeds directly inside the dying flower heads. In all cases, any seeds produced will develop in close proximity to the spot where the flowers originally appeared. If you can not locate seeds on a particular plant, try posting a question to the Growing From Seed forum here at GardenWeb for assistance. It's best to let seeds ripen on the plants until they are *almost* ready to disperse on their own. It's a common mistake to separate seeds from the plant before they've finished developing; any collected too early will not be viable. Once seeds have finished enlarging, they will generally change color (from whitish or green to tan, brown, or black) and begin to dry out. Pods will start splitting open, berries or fruits will shrink and wrinkle, or flower heads will begin to fall apart, dropping the seeds within. On many plants the seeds don't ripen all at once (check daily), and it can be useful to tie a small paper bag or the toe cut from panty hose over the seed heads to prevent dispersal before you can harvest. If this method isn't practical, collect the seed heads or pods before they are completely dried out (i.e. papery dry), or the seed may either have dispersed or will fall out when you shake the plant stems while breaking off the pods or heads. *Cutting* the stems will help to prevent this sort of seed loss. As long as you wait until the flower seed heads have turned dark and fairly dry, or until the bracts ("leafy" shape that surrounds the petals of a flower where it attaches to its stem) or the pods themselves have quit enlarging and begun to dry out, you can cut and take these indoors to finish ripening in a cool, shaded place inside a closed paper bag (this will prevent you from losing seeds which disperse *explosively*, such as Impatiens and Phlox). How do I know if my plants are hybrids that may not produce seed true to the parent plant? Always save any tags or labels on plants you buy and ask questions about plants you obtain from other gardeners. Unfortunately, many commercial growers don't tag their plants very informatively (even the conscientious ones make mistakes), and many gardeners only know their plants by common names, which can vary widely throughout different parts of the country and world. Your best bet is to learn all you can about the plants you have or want and post questions about specific ones on the Growing From Seed forum to get additional advice.

Hi, Where in zone 5? Cilantro is easy to grow direct seeded. Sow seed outdoors in full sun after all danger of frost has passed in your zone/location. Sow the seeds thinly and cover with 1/4 inch of soil. Keep the soil evenly moist. Once seedlings emerge thin to about 12 inches apart. Cilantro likes cooler weather, and will bolt and go to seed when the temps get to hot. Although it is easy and best to grow when direct seeded in garden, I have started and have success by starting a few seeds in pots indoors at least six weeks before plant out date . When seedlings emerge keep them in a sunny location with cooler temps. I acclimate them before planting out in garden after all danger of frost has passed. Or you can transplant the small seedlings to a larger pot and keep in a sunny window or put outside. So yes, as long as your potted plants are acclimated first, you can set the pots out in full sun as long as the temps are mild. But bring them in if your temps dip to frost or freeze. Ginny

Seeds are started indoors in very early winter for onions typically... they are very slow to start and have a long growing season. It is considered tricky growing onions from seed and I haven't tried it. If you grow them this season and store sets in your basement all winter I think they will be likely to bolt next year and not make a nice bulb.