I think it is a great idea, Don. You might also observe on your driving around the residential areas some hosta in a few gardens. If so, are you up to stopping and chatting with the owner on a weekend or a time when the gardener might be home? In such a case, I'd have some cards printed up to leave on the door, pointing them to your Flickr or Photobucket site where they may view your garden. Include in your credentials that you are a member of the American Hosta Society too. It might be nice to include a link to the GardenWeb Hosta Forum also. Most folks are Internet savvy unless they are a lot older than MOI! Try for some instant trust and confidence, because a "cold call" is the hardest there is to make. Oops, we are having another downpour, looks like fog it is so heavy. It gave me just enough time to pot up the six new hosta from Van Wade, but not take their pictures. What a great day to read and listen to the thunder. Another day off. :) Hosta going wild I am sure.

Reading the OP, I feel like I wrote it. I live in a small municipality just outside a major metro area with a solid and growing local food market. I too have a job much like horticulture (urban forester) in that salary range. I'm a bit ahead of you in that I'm married with two great kids. We have been dreaming and scheming for years to get some more land and aspire to all the things you have mentioned. Land access is the #1 obstacle to getting started in Agriculture. You have to already have full access to acreage and infrastructure to make it a living. Currently, I have a 1 acre yard. Half of it is ravine and woods, the remaining half split between front yard, house, garage, and back yard skunkworks. That doesn't leave me with a lot of room to work. I have a 50x50 veg. plot and I just this past year put up a 12x32 pvc hoop house. My local municipality cried no joy on that, and I was fined, ordered to remove, appealed, and ultimately given a restrictive variance on it. No "farm" animals of any kind are permitted here, including chickens. I have some bee hives hiding in the way back I hope will not get spotted by the fuzz. I have managed to shoehorn in many fruit crops where I have the light. A friend of mine got me linked up with a well to do downtown restaurant and I have a niche market selling Heirloom tomatoes there. It's not going to bring me home from my day job, but it is financing all my other growing endeavors. Again, we aspire to more, but I wonder if we can afford the land. (we will definitely be looking OUTSIDE our current municipality) It's hard to look at the big farms around that are making it work with the pick your own and agritourism. In our area, we have several of them, but I also know it is the only way some of these family farms are going to make it. Urban sprawl has eaten up more land around here than you can imagine. Hugely rising land values in these areas make it almost impossible for farmers NOT to sell to developers. The most productive farmland in the world is being scraped off, built up, and sold to the McMansion set who then wonder why it's so hard to find local produce. The family farms have to justify holding out. Some are making it, a lot are not. I feel like I'm going on an old fart rant here (even though I'm not old)... Anyway, we are working towards it, starting small and dreaming big. If I have any advice for you, it would be to find a small niche market and focus on that. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you might get in over your head trying to do everything at once.

Justgotabme - Ha ha! Sadly I wasn't much better before I had kids. At least not about getting organized and staying that way. But I did have more energy to just stay up an extra half hour and tidy up so it didn't get quite so crazy. The good news is that after I wrote my pity-party posting last night I did get up and pick up the scattered mail, any trash on the floor, DD's books and got the toys back to her zone. Some of the stuff is gone off the couch too, mostly just the trash stuff though. Looking at what I just wrote about not being able to get organized and stay that way... I'm not sure that's true. I don't think I have EVER been organized. I have gotten my house neat and clean, but I think I can't keep it that way precisely because it is not organized. On the other hand, I think my kitchen is fairly organized and everything there that belongs there has a home... but it doesn't stay neat because other things like to camp out on the kitchen counter and table. I don't think most of my house is unorganized because I have too much unloved stuff (though that's certainly true of the garage), we do haul stuff to Goodwill several times a year and there's an ongoing goodwill pile in the garage. But I'm sure if I started digging through my closets I could find more to haul away.

Starting your own plants from seed is one of the most rewarding gardening experiences, it can also save you a small fortune! Also, many species and varieties are simply unavailable unless you "grow-your-own". Choosing seeds is the first step, there are many reputable companies that offer catalogs, besides the fun of browsing through them, mail-order companies are generally good about dealing with any problems you might have. In buying seeds through retail outlets,it's a matter of "buyer beware" ,those 10/$1 seeds may not be such a bargain if they don't grow! Check the package for date,and complete growing instructions,a reputable seed company will also list the Latin name and germination percentage you can expect.If you've acquired seeds from GardenWeb swaps,or other seed sources ,ask for any info the grower can give! You can use most any container,as long as it will hold 3-4 " of growing medium and has drainage holes in the bottom. Flats with liners are nice,but "recycled" containers will do, if you're reusing containers, follow the cleaning instructions under "what is damping-off?". Seeds need a loose,porous,fine-textured medium, one that won't develop a "crust" on the surface that can interfere with emergence . "Potting soil" is an extremely variable product, many retail brands (especially the "bargain" types)will give disappointing results in seed-starting! A "soil-less" mix will make your growing experience much easier. Some common ingredients in soil-less mixes: Vermiculite, a heat-expanded rock, can be used alone or in combination for starting seeds. Milled sphagnum moss (NOT the same as peat moss unless it says"sphagnum peat")has the benefit of inhibiting damp-off fungus, mixed with vermiculite it is frequently used by professionals. Peat moss(sometimes called "Michigan peat" or "peat humus")a heavier,more difficult to wet and more variable product than sphagnum moss ,is common in retail mixes sold for starting seeds,often in combination with perlite or vermiculite,it's often(much!) cheaper than sphagnum-containing mixes but can be more difficult to handle,especially for the beginner. Don't start seeds too early,there's a wide variation in optimal indoor starting times,and unless you have lots of room,starting too early can be stressful,for you and your plants! You may want to consider starting perennials in summer for Fall planting,as many perennials don't bloom the first summer,to save room for annuals and veggies that really need a head start in temperate climates. Sowing seeds: Fill containers,allowing an inch or so from the top for easier watering, and moisten well. Allow excess water to drain, medium should be moist,not soggy. Press the medium down lightly to eliminate air pockets. For plants that don't mind ,or even benefit from transplanting, like tomatoes and lettuce,a number of seeds can be planted in larger containers and transplanted to individual pots when seedlings are large enough to handle. For those that dislike transplanting ,such as melons,or to save yourself time later on,plant 1-3 seeds in individual containers,snip off all but the strongest seedling with scissors. Sow the seeds on the surface,and cover with additional dry medium to the proper depth, a general rule is twice the diameter of the seed.Very tiny seeds,or those requiring light are surface-sown without covering. Mist the medium well and cover with clear plastic , a 13-gallon clear kitchen trash bag fits a standard flat perfectly(I buy the kind with the handles and tie them loosely)Don't put an enclosed container like this in direct sunlight!! A temperature of 65-75 degrees is suitable for the vast majority of common plants,but there are many exceptions,too many to list here! Check at least daily,and remove the plastic when seeds begin to sprout. Place under bright light ASAP! Seedlings need intense light to grow strong and stocky,fluorescent lights are your best bet (see "do I need special lights?") Position so that seedlings are 2-4" from lights, 14-16 hours a day. A timer will help automate the process. If space under lights is limited,you can try rotating them under lights in 12-hour shifts. Keep a close eye on them and adjust heights as needed. Containers enclosed in plastic should not require watering until seeds germinate,once plastic is removed monitor closely,seedlings should never be allowed to dry out completely,and should be kept moist until roots begin to penetrate the medium. Allow the medium to become dry 1/4-1/2" down before watering thereafter,to allow air into the medium and encourage roots to spread. If you've used a soilless mix, begin fertilizing 4-5 days after germination with a water-soluble 15-30-15(or similar ) fertilizer at half the recommended strength,and weekly thereafter. I've had good results with fish emulsion and seaweed extract at recommended rates,for those interested in growing organically. For growing on info see"OK my seeds are growing...?"