Congrats on your WS success! I love marigolds and they are so easy to WS.

Hi Steve, Congrats on your success in your first season! Having too many seedlings germinate in a container is a great problem to have! I also usually put about 9 seeds (for tomatoes, at least) per gallon milk jug, and for me, I don't find it overcrowded. I plant my tomato seedlings out when they are only about 3 inches tall. If I have any concerns about the weather or high winds, or see proof of critters in the garden, I will cover the seedlings with the top half of a soda bottle with the cap taken off, like a little cloche. I might do this for a week or so if needed. In other words, I don't "pot up" before transplanting, which it sounds like you might do from you saying "eliminate another transplanting". Just thought this might be another option for you if you felt you had to wait to plant out. If you prefer, you can certainly do one seed per half gallon jug. That would indeed give you more time to let the seedling grow before transplanting. You will of course go through more potting soil (and need lots more jugs, lol) but if that's okay by you, go for it! Enjoy your tomatoes! Can't wait for that first one to be ripe! :) Dee

My garden did great, I found lots of monarch catepillars on my butterfly weed plants, I have several all over. I had a wonderful display of irises but will need to start digging them up and dividing them next year. I have a huge iris bed and I realize they won't bloom if I start in the spring dividing them but because it is so huge, there is no way I can get it all done next spring, will be an oncoming process every year from now on I think, just getting out of hand. I have planted alot of stuff for the butterflies, salvia, sdeum, coneflowers, lilies, blackeyed susans, etc... I also plant lots of zinnias.

Thanks, Steve and Cecilia! I really appreciate it! Steve, I've put it in a big pot full of homemade compost, and set the pot in as much sun as I could provide. I give it frequent pest patrol (those lacewings helped, and I started both tomato plants off with occasional hard, thorough spritzes of water/milk/baking soda/dishsoap/Tabasco sauce/garlic oil), and a long watering every 4 days or so. You furnished a fabulously healthy plant, which I think was the most important ingredient; thanks!!! Julia