I concur with Albertar (and the others :) )... I don't start my squash, etc. until all the "spring stuff" is done. I think sometimes people get confused- although you CAN plant now doesn't mean you HAVE TO plant now! I think that the best way to figure out if it's still a good time to plant a certain seed is to check the days to maturity of that particular cultivar (often on the packet, but sometimes you have to refer back to the catalog/website where ordered) and figure out if that's still before your first frost date. If so, you're good to go! Well, that and maybe knowing some other things... like does this crop prefer warm or cool weather. Like I couldn't start my broccoli seeds now even though there's way more than 52 days before my first frost because our summer heat is too strong here! My Mom in upstate NY could, though. On the other hand, she has to start her long-maturing winter squash now or not get any, while I can hold off another month if I need to! Oops, I see I'm getting carried away with the exclamation marks again. I just find all of this fascinating! Cheers! Sunni

I planted in the fall - perhaps too early, in Sept - and the leaves never died back. Our winter was exceptionally warm. These look amazing and the stem is FAT. I planted after 2 weeks of chilling the bulbs in the fridge. Then I acquired more bulbs...in the winter...these were also chilled for 2 weeks. A few varieties were planted in the ground in December. A few more were planted in the ground in January. Eight varieties were planted in containers, and started indoors, in February. The container varieties are nearly as big as the fall planted ones, at the stem just above the soil. The container varieties have been outside for a month now. I am newer to this and read a fantastic book. What I read is that if the cloves are not subjected to cool weather, once planted, the clove division and wrapper formation gets messed up, later in the season. Well shall see!

Well, bad news today, Amazon is sold out of the Opalkas.. I will call Laurel later today and see if she has any. What I would do is do a search for "Tomato Plants for Sale, Bay are, or your city or a big city nearby. Why do I suggest that? Well I did a search for Tomato Plants "Orange County Calif". I didn't turn up any nursery that had the kind of maters I wanted, so I found Laurel and ordered them all from her. I had a dentist appointment Tuesday, and on the way home, I stopped at a local Nursery, (about 10 miles from Home). They had every mater I wanted, and nice size and price too!, GRRRRRR. I did not find that nursery when I did my search because it was in LA County!!!!! With Me, I want "Instant Gratification" with my maters, and had I done a better search, they would be in my garden now!!! I'm 70 and don't have the patience, time, or wish to take the chance on something going wrong trying to plant seeds, caring for them, light heat, water, etc, transplanting them a couple times, hardening off etc etc, so I always buy live plants. Hope you find your maters! Gary

Know any gardeners that grow their own from seed? (Like me). I always start lots of surplus tomatoes for replacements of hailed out, pest ravaged, or wind casualties. I probably have a hundred tomatoes in my "tomato storm shelter" right now that are ready to be planted if I or a friend or neighbor has a need. I couldn't provide you an Azoychka, (though I grew it one year), but I could give you a Big Sungold Select or one of about 40 better varieties.