They'll be fine on top of the yard. Put some thick layers of wet newspaper on top of the grass instead of landscape fabric (It's cheaper, too!) and fill with dirt on top of that. My tomatoes are in raised beds about that height on top of what was lawn, with newspapers originally under the dirt. They have been there for 3 years now, and have done very well. They will get big, deep roots, especially if you grow the larger types. The good news is that if you have red clay under that lawn (like we had in northern VA), I've read that the clay improves their flavor. Finally something good about red clay! One thing about the raised beds--regular tomato cages will absolutely not stand up when the vines get big. The soil is too loose, and the cages don't even do so well in regular dirt. I now have metal fence posts sunk over a foot deep, to which I wire my tomato cages.

OMG!!!! Girl, those Teddy Bear Sunflowers are AWESOME!!! I have always wanted to grow some and someday I will. Your's are a sight to behold. Geez, I'm just amazed. Way to go. :O) About the Clematis... I'm starting to think that this policy of cool feet and hot head is an old wives tale to a certain extent. My best clematis grow from the north to the east sides of the house. Here is Haygley Hybrid (not blooming) with Claire De Lune in bloom. Northern exposure to the point that I have to remove moss from their feet to feed them. They get sun from 3 pm onwards and that's it. Haygley just finished blooming and the flowers covered the whole thing... I also have Ville de Lyon which is now 15 feet tall and blooming like there's not going to be a tomorrow. It gets sun until 11 am and then shade the rest of the day. The roots are underneath a veranda. Don't have a photo right now. These are my best performers here and cool moist feet is certainly THE thing. The shade they get is more like indirect light - there's no tree over them.

Any perennial that requires a moist chill will make a perfect candidate for winter sowing. Putting the seed pots outside exposes them to cool days and cooler nights in a zone 8, and has them conditioned to sprout as the weather begins to warm again. That's not to say that only things that require the chill can be winter sown, just that seeds with those conditions needed to break dormancy are the first and obvious choices. Here's another database with suggestions for germinating seeds, you can compare to those you are interested in sowing, or check back here with us if you don't find specific plants mentioned. You said you 'know what you did wrong'...are you feeling positive there or did you want to share what happened and confirm corrections/plans.... Here is a link that might be useful: Clothiers

Thanks Brandon. That is something to think about. Maybe I could transfer the spring blooming ones in the fall, and the fall blooming next spring? Something like that? I really am so tempted to do it now! But: a) the bed is not ready, and I'm not even 100% sure exactly where it goes. I'm also pondering whether or not I would like to do a raised bed. And b) I told my husband no more beds this year, and he will kill or divorce me if I even look like I am thinking about it. LOL!