It should not be a secret that thorny bushed blackberries are the best, wear army, carhart or the like tucked into boots like gollashes or army boots, you need gloves, bug spray, bandanna, machete', knife, gun or pepper spray, and be in good health, good luck, its hot out there dont forget WATER!!

There are a couple of annuals that I direct sow, such as cosmos and marigolds, but in my zone I usually wait until the first of May. If you do them in a container, the temps will be a little warmer than the ones that were direct sown, so they will probably germinate a little earlier. The other thing is that you won't have to worry about the rain washing them away, or the wind blowing your seeds around, or birds eating them, etc. You just have a little more control over the germination process, that's all. Happy sowing (either way you go)! Bonnie

If you have access to an existing plant (like your nursery supplier) cut a few of the fleshy stems off, remove the flowers, and put them in a jar of water. Change the water twice per week and in 7-10 days roots will form at the base of the stem. When the roots are about 2" long, repot in a well draining soil mixture (e.g. into a flower pot) and enclose the pot in a plastic bag for increased humidity for a few days until the cutting recovers. Then remove the plastic bag and the cutting should grow and flower in 4-6 weeks later. You can then cut more stems of your newly rooted cutting and root these, and the cut more cuttings and root more plants... how many do you need ??? Impatiens root very easily in water, if you keep the temperature around 70-75 deg F (indoors) in subdued light (no direct sunlight) and change water frequently. Once roots form, pot into a pot with well draining soil, but then enclose the pot in a plastic bag for a few days because the cutting is likely to be stressed by the repotting. You can also start impatiens from seed (very easy).

otis11 ... As Rosannadanna would say NO HARD QUESTIONS! The answer to what am I going to do with them is I DON'T KNOW. I created a new pit under the avocado tree and created two large plastic planter/bins [in shade of trees] .... so am reaching of point of having to do SOMETHING. I've given hundreds away to church and family who are interested.[but as you probably know, most folks think vermiculture is just plain weird] If I were more ambitious I might consider selling at farmers market or online. But that sounds too much like WORK! [I'm 73 years old and heavily into TAKING LIFE EASY!] I started feeding horse manure ... but that supply has dried up .... now I make HOMEMADE MANURE [a la Bentley on RWC] ... which is paper mixed with kitchen scraps until a nice ripe sludge. The worms love it. Also make the occasional pumpkin 'burrito' and water mellon rinds. Just had a brainwave ... might see if some youngsters from church would want to handle sales for me ... they can keep the $$.... Well, your question gave me something to chew on.