corapegia- How are you doing your spinach starts? I have excellent results in the garden, but can get the seed to germinate inside. People have suggested it is too warm where I'm trying to start them and I believe that is correct. Do you have any tips to starting inside? organic_mamag - Have you tried growing spinach in spring? I also can not get spinach to grow well in the fall. They stay small or do poorly. I'm still working on a solution. For the last two years, I've planted seed on 4/22 (late, had to build the garden first) and 3/30 for spring growing. My last frost date is April 15. I plant nine seeds to the square foot (I do square foot gardening). My beds are pretty rich with compost, so I don't add anything or fertilize as they grow. I've had really good luck with the following varieties: Bloomsdale Longstanding (big), Noorman (bolts late) and Merlo (Italian). For fall growing, I want to try transplants, but as I said above, I'm having poor luck. Bloomsdale Longstanding (it grew bigger): Merlo (next to the woodchuck-demolished peas) Hope spring works better for you, Bellatrix

Dave, "Zinnia grow so quickly and turn leggy almost overnight so most feel they are best direct seeded outside." I agree that it is generally better to plant zinnias directly outside when that works with your schedule. However, I think Dale was trying to get an early start with his zinnias, hence the attempt at starting them early inside under lights. I agree with everybody who identified Dale's problem as not enough light. I just want those who are considering starting zinnias indoors to know that they will not "turn leggy almost overnight" if you provide adequate light. With enough light they are quite docile and well behaved, and you can get an early start of a month or more if you have an adequate light setup. The shelf in this picture has four two-bulb T8 shoplights over it. The shelf measures 2 feet by 4 feet, and with a total of eight T8 fluorescent bulbs over it, the light on the seedlings is good. That picture was taken a couple of days ago and I will be setting most of those zinnias into the garden in the near future. There are a few "late arrivals" in the picture that will spend some more time inside. They would be just cutworm fodder if I set them outside now. All of those zinnias are hand-hybridized hybrids, so I give them better care than I would for seed-packet zinnias. ZM

I think I planted mine in NJ/Zone 7 in 2010 or so, from a four footer and now it's at least 20 feet tall. This time of day, the sun hits it at a certain angle and the leaves look yellow-green (even though it is the all green species, not a GoldRush, etc.). What's to say. It's impressive still being able to plant trees at a mature age and being able to look forward to a Sequoia a few years down the line!! I just limbed up mine a bit too. Should do NO HARM, btw. But I would encourage you to water as we are about to start a heat wave here in the East and much of the country. They are okay in heat and drought but NOT AS MUCH so as Bald Cypresses. (Which is btw, another terrific tree!) I have about a half dozen each of Bald Cypress and Dawn Reds to be planted out back in the Autumn. Cheers!

Al - you've helped me many times on this forum, so of course I"m open to ANYTHING you have to say on my Vigna dramas. I'm in Aus, and havent worked out a way to sort the turface for the gritty mix yet (I understand I can use diatomite etc, but given I have found turface (but its 1500kms away)...I'm sorta in an Frozen Spot on how to go ahead with gritty mix - I do want to get my roses into it, but that's all irrelevant. Point being Gritty not an option this minute). Now I put that first Vigna in 511. HOWEVER, you might really not want to hear how I butcher your 511 - I dont screen the bark. I just buy the 'smallest' bark fines I can, but I don't then screen it. Most of my plants (I've got a lot in this 'corrupted version of 511' seem to cope - ie thrive, nonetheless). However, right now you've got me wondering if the ... here's something perhaps... if the non-screening of the bark BECOMES a problem when I'm using smaller pots. BC... I'm just realising now that over the last few years, many of the plants I've lost (that have been in 511 - most of my stuff is)... have been in the smaller containers.. Yes the plants are probably younger too, obviously. But i'm wondering NOW if the plant being younger is only mildy relevant but the bark being larger than what you'd ideally want is a KEY factor in their demise ... ie in a smaller pot, maybe this 'larger' bark has a bigger effect... negative effect. It seems to me that a lot of these smaller-pot plants in 511 seem to die of.. (in my estimation) some sort of too-wet-dampness fungal sorta death from...overwatering. This I can't help in a way: it rains here (subtropical) A LOT. We can have 2-weeks of drench (almost monsoonal) and my plants are outdoors. I might not overwater my plants (every other day) but sometimes Signore Cloud interferes and overwaters my plants for me. Re: FP. I've researched (extensively) in Australia and we dont have any fert that is the equivalent 9:3:6 ratio. Hard to believe, but last investigation (a year ago), it was true... I couldnt even find anything particularly close (palm ferts were closest). Actually it was fascinating to me that always one or two of the numbers were off the richter...comparatively to 3:1:2 (which is what I broke the ratio down to for simplicity in researching). I've even wondered whether I can simply buy FP 9:3:6 from Amazon and have it shipped over to me. (I was really taken with your points about 9:3:6 and the make-up of leaves/uptake - how perfectly sensible). Yes, I'd like to get FP into my life...I wonder if it's allowed into this country. I'll research that. Meantime, this pot in pot is an idea...I can certainly try but now I've written this all out, I'm thinking you've nailed it when you're pointing to overwatering. Does the question then become: how is my unscreened bark affecting the water draining...? Esp in smaller pots? (thanks again in advance Al - soooo RELIEVED you made it across here to Houzz. When I had so much trouble signing up (days of emails to and from Houzz), and almost gave up, I thought "What if this level of disruption affects people like Al and they disappear??? OH NO!!!" So i'm very relieve to see you here!