This is the response I got from the Jonathan Green seed company" "It all depends on the weather and what you expect. If you still are getting daytime temperatures into the 60'-70's, the ground temperature I assume is still above 50-55 degrees and with these conditions and some moisture, seed will germinate. How fast and how quickly it will fills in depends on your ability to provide water if it does not rain and if Mother Nature makes the air temperatures plummet in your area under 50 degrees for 10-14 straight days. I think you still are okay, it just may not fill in as fast as it would have if you had planted Sept. 1st. I would rather you seed now in order to avoid weed competition if you seed next spring." I looked up our average highs and lows for October on weather.com and learned the average high is no longer above 60 as of October 20. The forcast shows higher temperatures than that for next week, but I don't know about the week after. I guess I will watch the weather. If we will have above 60 then I will seed with JG products. If not, I'll use some other (cheaper) brand to help prevent erosion and weeds and then seed again first thing in the spring. Darn it!

This is a very good question and I'd like to see if somebody more knowledgeable can help us both out. My assumptions are ... 1) That you can sow tropical seeds any time of the year as the equatorial sun shines at about the same brilliance all year round. However, I have reservations that overall, there are changes due to changes in trade winds caused by more temperate zone temp shifts caused by seasonality that might even affect tropicals. 2) That you might be able to fake seeds out by growing them indoors at spring-like temps and having perhaps kick-started them with Giberellic Acid. What do I know for sure? Well there are some seeds like Gingko Biloba that need to experience a successive temperature shift, from cold and gradually to warm. If you plant them in warm, forget it; they are not going to germinate. But you can still fake them out by using your refrigerator to keep them cold for 3 to 4 weeks. That's what they say. I tried it and my Gingko seeds still haven't germinated. Stratification? I'm not sure how important layering the seeds between deposits of mulch which replicate fallen leaves can be. I think it's more to do with the temp cycle. But anyway, if your seeds aren't tropical and germinate at any time of the year, there appear to be ways to fake any seed out and coax them into germination. What happens after that, depends on how good your indoor environment provides for what they need which I suspect doesn't have to be much more than room temps and appropriate soil and water requirements. Finally, some seeds, even in their native soil and locale, can be sleepers, taking months or years to germinate. I suppose even the experts don't have a clue how to motivate these. But yes, if someone wants to chime in with some suggestions beyond my assumptions, please do. I'm sure Missti would be as grateful as I.

i'm pretty sure shallots and onions are similar in culture...

Julie - The same time that I set tomatoes out, I plant summer and winter squash. I will get more organized and write the dates in the future. Collards were started first because they are hardier and can take the heat. Broccoli was started after that, then cabbages and cauliflower. Today I planted swiss chard and kale. Yesterday I planted 2 more squash varieties, cucumber and transplanted collards to the ground. Fern - One of the reasons that I wait to put crops in the ground are nematode issues, when hot they are very active, other bugs too and when the plant weakens there they go. I will be watching the weather and probably sometime in September I will sow, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets and peas. I am looking for the soil to get a little bit cool. And here are some pictures for you Julie and Fern Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower seedlings in half day sun Summer squash Collards were transplanted yesterday where I had sweet potatoes before Green beans More collards and herbs Today I started swiss chard and kale, I put them in the bathtub in solo cups, covered with a towel. Once they germinate, they go out, morning sun afternoon shade till they can take full day sun Silvia