Nice list :D The only ones I would worry about is the Basil in the event you get early sprouts. This is one I would normally wait until May for. Tomatoes too... I started in late March and early April and still lost seedlings due to mid April dips into the low 20's. I also use those 8-16oz containers too and leave only about 1.5" or less head room. However it's usually hardy annuals and perennials I sow in these....so should the covers need to come off in order to accmomadate the seedlings and it's still frosting at night I don't worry....they survive. As for the shallow soil...if you are still waiting for sprouts after the spring rains are over, ect. or haven't gotten around to planting out it's just a matter of more careful attention to watering ...especially if you leave your containers in full sun like I do :) I usually plant out seedlings in the seed leaf-stage and if I don't I transplant individual seedlings into bigger containers (deeper soil) to grow on into summer. Vera

Hi everyone. Blackwillow - There are quite a few bromeliads of different genera which are easy to grow and recommended for beginners - Three that immediately spring to mind and which I easy to grow here in Australia are, Aechmea recurvata , Aechmea fasciata and Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba'. Aechmea recurvata is a species which is fast growing and when grown in very strong light has magnificent orange coloured foliage when coming into flower. It makes a great feature when mass planted in a garden. Aechmea recurvata Aechmea fasciata is another species and was among the first bromeliads ever to be brought into Europe from South America. It is still among the most popular and commonly grown bromeliads in the world today. Below is one of my Aechmea fasciata plants which is happily growing mounted in a Peppercorn Tree. Aechmea fasciata One of the easiest to grow Neoregelias is one called Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba'. I have several plants and although it can be grown in a pot, I find it grows best in the garden and will quickly grow into an eye catching clump as shown below. (The three foot rule shown at the back of the plant gives an idea of the plant size when the picture was taken some years back - It's now much larger). If grown in a low light position it will remain as an attractive albo-marginated plant with green foliage and white leaf margins as shown below. Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba' (Grown in low light) Below is another plant of Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba'; this plant is growing in strong light and gets full unobstructed sun for part of the day. The higher light produces a pleasant pink flush through the foliage. The plant above and the one below are both grown from pups taken from the same original plant. Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba' (Grown in strong light) The next picture below shows the plant in the centre of the clump above and is just coming into flower and showing just how much colour can be obtained when it's grown in strong light and part time full sun. (The scratch marks on the leaves are from other plants rubbing on it during strong winds) Neoregelia 'Skotak's Sheba' (Close-up the plant in the middle of the clump above) All the best, Nev

Hi mama, all is well! The SQs are all chugging along in their abusive life. Still no repairs on the machines we use in business. Hope you are enjoying your summer. Ifofco, if you like your 4 year old FL SQ, I don't see why you wouldn't like the new one. As mamapinkey says, the main thing people have against them is that they have no internal heater. ".We're seeing the death of SQ for consumers" They sure seem to be shifting. They are opening a new factory in Thailand too, to serve the regional area. I guess the consumer business is the red headed step child. I looked for numbers on what percentage of their business is commercial but could not find it in a quick search.

I'd plant them now. Apples are perfectly hardy down to some very cold zones and they are much happier and easier to care for in the ground than in a container. I would provide some protection against any predators.....deer, bunnies, voles, etc......that might like an easy-to-reach midwinter snack. You do realize that apples grown from seed could turn out to be anything and will not be the same as the apple variety the seeds were obtained from. They might taste good but they could just as well be small fruits and rather tasteless or even quite sour. You just never know........