I just got my seeds in the mail today ... THANK YOU!!! The variety is astounding and I got just about all of my "really wants" for next summer, wow! Thank you to everyone who send in seeds and participated, it helps make this one of the best swaps around ... and a HUGE TREMENDOUS thank you to Heather. The amount of time and effort that you put into this is amazing, taxing I'm sure, but so much appreciated by all of us. Thank you for organizing this swap again and for taking the time to help make sure that we all get some of the seeds that we really really want, and a great variety of new ones to try as well! I wish I could send you something off your wishlist as a thank you, but I took a look and don't have any of them ... your wishlist in much the same as mine in some respects, lol! But I did want to let you know that they arrived, and to thank you for all the time and effort you have put into this!

Birds are often the culprits for excavating new seeds; and small rodents. One system which may work for you is to get some small mesh 'chicken' wire to put over a row of wire hoops pushed well into the ground. Fasten the wire to the hoops. When the plants are up you can either leave the protection there until you're ready to harves - or move the wire across to a new site. (Aside: if you have found a source of trashed supermarket trolleys those baskets make very good protection for young plants and small patches of strawberries ;-) ) For the euc's: ask on the Australia forum. There are many species of Eucalyptus. Bear in mind that if you get more rain than the Blue Mountains your plants are going to grow much faster. For the tomatoes - generous holes with the soil well-mixed with plenty of compost, a stake or other means of support, and the recommended serving of fertiliser, followed by reliable watering. A trickle system would probably work well and ensure that the leaves aren't left damp. For soil-planted plants - you might want to investigate what it would take to install a watering system on an automatic timer. Trickle is probably more economical and effective than sprinklers as such. For plants you're growing on, or house plants - might be worth looking at capillary watering pads. (More forums to look at!) PS unless you have access to vast amounts of material - and mechanical assistance - your compost heaps will never supply all the organic stuff you'll want in your garden. It pays to allocate a chunk of the garden budget for buying in. If you develop the habit of always adding a couple of gallons of compost to the soil whenever you put in a new permanent plant - and a six inch layer when you renew your beds for annuals and bulbs your soil will steadily improve and so will the water-holding capacity. Mix it through rather than burying a layer. In some soils buried compost can become a toxic mess. Clay can be particularly bad this way. Keep the humus in the top six inches. If you're not home often enough to water things week by week - a deep watering and a hefty mulch layer can help plants carry over. Usually established plants will be fine. It's just the new ones that are making roots to escape from the root ball that can seriously suffer. Bare-rooted planting can take a year or so to create a decent root mass. With that in mind you might want to work a patch at a time to give the high intensity care needed to get plants well-established.

I call them Dream Merchants. Really they are not selling a product but a dream. Went to one Amway party and the poor presenter spent an hour "explaining" to me that it was not about selling dreams. Alas, the first page in the Amway sales book says you have to "sell the dream". Pretty certain I ruined his Amway career. The scam is to sucker people into selling carp for you. You get them excited about being rich without having to actually work. Show a pyramid chart and talk about the hundred if not thousands of people that will soon be "working" for you. Stop to show some pictures of a tropical beach location. Continue by projecting huge wealth if thousands of people all sell this stuff for you everyday. End up by noting that some people deserve fabulous wealth and it can be theirs if only they cough up a hundred bucks to join your sales team. Not everyone wants to be wealthy so not everyone joins your team.... don't you want to be filthy stinking rich without working? I got sucked in by AFLAC. Fresh out of college and looking for a job anywhere. Being an "Insurance Agent" seems almost like a real job. I actually sold a few dozen policies before the reality set in. Just because you establish a customer does not mean that you own that account. No, your Regional Sales Manager has the right take over your accounts because you fail to sell them more insurance every month. Last sales meeting I was threatening to turn the RSM upside down and bounce him on his head. Had to quit before I gave into violent temptations. : ) lyra

Image by: PCG #1 Get Fresh Seeds For the best chances of success, acquire your seeds from reputable commercial sources. As tomato seeds age, their germination rate decreases. It is best to use seed that is less than 4 years old; however, seed that is much older can usually be germinated if has been stored in cool and dry conditions. #2 Get a Seed Starting Mix Garden soil is not a good choice, as it compacts too easily and can harbor organisms that cause diseases. A commercially prepared seed starting mix, usually a combination of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, is recommended. Avoid mixes that have a high fertilizer content, as this causes more problems than good. Commonly used and recommended mixes are Jiffy Mix, ProMix, MetroMix and Fafard. Many other brands, or even homemade mixes, can be used. Combine the seed starting mix thoroughly with warm water to bring it to a useable state. This may take quite a lot of mixing, as completely dry mixes can be difficult to wet. Sometimes it's best to let the moistened mix sit overnight to be sure that it is evenly wet. The final mix should be damp like a wrung-out sponge, not soaked or soggy. #3 Select Some Containers Tomato seeds will germinate in anything as long as the seeds get moisture and warmth. After germination and initial growth, the seedlings need to be potted up to larger containers. Containers must be able to drain excess water. If using old or previously used containers, its best to sterilize them with a 10% bleach solution. Your choice of containers for potting up depends on the number of plants you desire. Professional nurseries use growing "flats" with various-sized plastic cell inserts. Many sizes and kinds of flats are commercially available to the home grower, but they are not essential. Many home growers use styrofoam or plastic drinking cups with holes poked in the bottom. Just about anything will work as long as excess water can drain. #4 Determine When to Start Many novices fail at starting tomatoes simply because they start too early. Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks. Before planting seeds, you must determine when your plants can be safely placed into the garden. Planting outdoors is best done about 1 or 2 weeks after the average last frost date for your area. Ask friends or use web resources to find your average last frost date, then do the math to calculate your seed starting date. #5 Plant Your Seeds Fill a small container with damp seed starting mix. Plant your seeds about 1/8 inch (3 mm) deep. Firm the mix lightly to ensure that the seed is in direct contact with the moist mix. The seed needs to absorb moisture during the germination process. You can plant lots of seeds close together because the resulting seedlings will be moved to larger containers after germination (when the first true leaves appear). It is a good idea to provide some sort of covering over your germination containers to preserve moisture. You can place the container in a plastic bag or cover it with a sheet of plastic. Allow for some air to circulate but don't let the mix dry out. Dry seeds will not germinate. #6 Patiently Wait for Germination Place the germination container in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Light is not needed during the germination process, but will not be harmful as long as high temperatures are avoided. Tomato seeds usually germinate within 5 to 10 days when kept in the optimum temperature range of 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). Germination is delayed by lower temperatures and accelerated by higher temperatures. Temperatures below 50F (10C) or above 95F (35C) are detrimental to germination. Keep a close eye on the first seedlings, as they need to be moved into bright light as soon as they emerge from the soil. They will explosively reach for light, and if the light is not adequate, you will get 3-inch-long (8 cm long) stems shortly after germination - this is very undesirable. If this occurs, you could try to transplant to a deeper container, or you may want to start over. #7 Put the Seedlings under Light Very strong light is needed to support tomato growth. A heated greenhouse is the ultimate location to continue growing your seedlings. A second choice would be a cold frame (possibly with supplemental heat for cool nights). Many home growers use inexpensive fluorescent shop lights. A south-facing windowsill can work but usually presents more problems than the fluorescent shop light setup. If fluorescent shop lights are used, the leaves of the plants must be within inches of the bulbs. Use your own creativity to make a setup that gets the plants directly under the bulbs. The lights should remain on for 16 to 18 hours per day. #8 Monitor the Plants as They Grow On Tomato seedlings grow best at a temperature of about 65F (18C) with some air circulation and lots of light. When watering, most growers soak the mix and then let it get nearly dry before providing more water. When the plants develop their first true leaves, they should be transplanted into larger individual containers. The plants actually benefit from this re-potting step, as it helps them develop a strong root system. The plants may be set deeply into their new containers to shorten the height of the seedling. Most commercial seed starting mixtures have a small amount of fertilizer that will support small seedlings for some time. Depending on the components of your starting mix, you may need to begin fertilizing. If you do fertilize, do it very, very sparingly with a weak dilution. Depending on the size of your containers and your growing conditions, you may need to pot up a second or third time to prevent your plants from becoming rootbound. The plants require good lighting to continue to grow well. Place the plants where they get plenty of sunlight, and if that is not possible or adequate, use fluorescent fixtures, or specialized high-intensity grow lamps, or use a combination of natural and artificial lighting. Keeping large tomato plants indoors, under artifical lighting, can be quite difficult. To avoid problems, don't start too early. The best solution to the lighting dilemma is to plan your seed starting date so that the transplants reach a reasonable size along with the arrival of suitable outdoor temperatures. #9 Harden Off your Transplants Introduce the plants to outdoor conditions slowly. This is called "hardening off". If it is not done slowly your plants may be shocked and their growth may temporarily cease. The longer the plants remains indoors, the harder it will be to acclimate them to the outdoors. Avoid full sun and wind when you first move them outside. Cold frames can be used to harden off the plants. The covers can remain in place on inclement days and removed on moderate days. Temporary structures can be built from plastic sheeting. Buildings and fences can be used to provide sun and wind protection while the plants adapt to outside conditions. If really cold weather is forecast After the transplants are hardened off, they can be planted to their final outdoor growing locations either in the garden or in large growing containers. Most agree that any early blossoms should be plucked off prior to transplanting. Others leave the early blossoms in place, especially if the transplant is strong, healthy, and not rootbound. Common Problems Leggy Seedlings The plants can become "leggy," the stems being elongated and limp, and the foliage sparse. Leggy seedlings usually occur due to insufficient lighting, too much heat, or too much fertilizer. Suggested remedies, short of starting over, are to repot the plants deeper as described earlier in Step #8, and to use a fan to improve air circulation and keep temperatures moderated, resulting in stockier and stronger plants. Damping Off Characterized by lack of germination (pre-emergent) or causes narrowing of the newly emerged stems at the soil line and the tiny seedlings then flop over and die (post-emergent). Various fungi are responsible for the condition and they are found in high concentrations in any mix with real soil. That's why it's best to use the artificial seed starting mixes mentioned in step #2. Also, it's very important to be sure that plastic domes or baggies on your containers are not airtight. If these precautions are observed, it is unlikely that you will experience damping off. Slow Growth When seedlings refuse to grow it is usually because the temperature is too low or the nutrient level is insufficient. Stuck Leaves Sometimes the cotyledons (the first leaves formed from the seed) have trouble getting loose from the seed coating. Be patient, as the leaves will usually escape. You could wet the seed coating, or you could try to carefully pinch off the seed coat, but if you pinch off the cotyledons, the seedling will likely die. A simple way to wet the seedlings is with a spray bottle of water set to mist. A small drop of saliva is also very effective at loosening seedcoats. Over-watering Many growers fail with tomato plants because they over-water. Soggy soil will cause seed to rot. Once the seedlings are growing, they should be watered thoroughly then left un-watered until they are almost ready to wilt. Over-fertilizing Overfertilizing can cause seedlings to die, to stop growing, or to grow rapidly into spindly plants. One or at most 2 applications of very dilute fertilizer are adequate to get a seedling through to transplant size. Credits:This FAQ is a collaborative effort of Gardenweb members. Specifically, Carolyn137, chemocurl, Earl, funky_demon, Fusion_Power, gardengalrn, Gimme3Steps, greggf, hermantomato, John_Colorado, korney19, Linda_Xn_10_CA, LizzieA, mindsmile, mnewsom30, naturelle, NCTomatoman, Paul2101, reginak, Sally_84, sarah_may, tmflyfish, vaped, zabby17 image by : Paul2101 Good luck and feel free to ask detailed questions in the Growing Tomatoes Forum