I respectfully have to disagree with Al about the practicallity for home production. I have been using 72 count plug trays for years. They are not hard to fill and you can start many plants in a small area. I love using them as it doesn't take large quantities of mixture. The sources quoted above are good. Just do a Google search for plug trays and you should be able to find anything you need. Just make sure that they are good quality and not the flimsy ones.

RG, I agree with Cynthia and Karyn. Except that I use 32-watt Philips cool white T8 bulbs instead of the 40-watt T12 bulbs. The T8 bulbs are more efficient. "Should I buy another timer and 2 surge protector power strips? Is that too much power on one outlet? Should it be on a designated outlet?" Your circuit breakers will answer that question for you. However, the timer and the surge protector power strips draw a negligible amount of current by themselves. "...so I went to Wal-Mart and bought three plastic 5-shelf shelving units..." My recommendation would have been a chrome wire adjustable shelf cart from Northern Tool. I have three of these units, and I use two of them as plant stands. (The other is used for storage, especially kitchen storage by my wife.) Northern Tool has free shipping on these items during certain periods of the year, and I have timed all three purchases to take advantage of that. Incidentally, you can position the shelves anywhere you want (in one-inch increments) on the steel posts. The pictured unit shows the bottom shelf very high from the floor, but I put my bottom shelves in the lowest position, just an inch above the big casters. That gives me the maximum space for my plants and fluorescent lights. In the past I have had disappointing experiences with plastic shelves. They have rather low strength and rigidity, and have become very "sway-backed" under load over time. The chrome steel Northern Tool shelves are very strong, and are rated for 1000 pounds total with the rubber casters. The big roller bearing casters let you move the loaded unit very easily. That's handy when you want to temporarily move the unit to access plants on the far side. I mount four 2-bulb shop lights over each shelf, which puts eight T8 bulbs over each shelf. It is convenient to hang the shop-light chains from the wires of the shelf above. I overdrive my fluorescents, to get 50% more light per bulb, which gives me the light-equivalent of 12 bulbs per shelf. That lets me grow extra large plants before setting them into the garden. Our short Maine growing season needs all the head start it can get. MM

The most cost effective way for you to get Lavender plants is by growing them from seed which is very easy to do. Two years ago I winter sowed - check out the Winter Sowing Forum here at GW - a few and the following year had great sized plants. This past winter, I winter sowed pinks and whites and by the end of the season, I had 16 plants about 8 inches tall. They should be a good size next year. I even had tiny blooms on the pinks. Following is a link to Vesey's which is where I've purchased all my Lavender seeds. Here is a link that might be useful: Vesey's Lavender Seeds.

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Cassian' is hardier than the species in general. I believe it is hardy in zone 5. Maybe even colder? I'm not sure about zone 4. Maybe someone here can verify. It's not as small as 'Little Bunny' for sure and just a bit bigger than 'Hameln', but still compact, about 2 to 3' tall. It's a nice selection.