I've been growing both moonflowers AND morning glory for three years. I've never had any problems with poisoning despite the fact that I foolishly refuse to use garden gloves, and I've had great success with growing them. Don't pamper moonflower seeds. Thats the problem a lot of people face. YES, they do take 10-20 days to emerge from the soil, yes, keeping them watered regularly is good (don't have them SWIMMING in thier own pot LITTERALLY), but you just need to give them TIME. Yes, they do well in good soil (not clay or gravel soil), but the reason they would rot is... 1. Its humid, hot, wet, moist, and the seeds are all forced to go through this condition... 2. You have maggots in your soil. I dare you to check and not freak out. (be careful when putting your seeds in soil. At least EXAMINE the dirt before you stick the seeds in them.) Another thing. Moonflowers, both the vine AND bush, are poisonous. Don't consume, and don't let your animals consume it either. Indoor animals shouldn't have a problem if you wash your hands after working in the garden. But if you have a neighbor's cat who comes to the back door like I have, and litterally has a police cat stake out on your porch, be careful about where and how you do your planting if you're starting seeds in a pot on your porch, or in your garden where the cat often roams. hope this is useful for those moonflower lovers out there... but you dont have to take my advice. I'm only 13. ^^

That is a lot of vines for that size planter. I would probably thin it down to 2-3 plants. You can try transplanting the others to different locations. You might also want to 'pinch' the vines to make them branch, and cover the gate better.

Suzie, Since it is likely Susan's link answered all your questions, I'll just add that I let my moonflower seed pods dry on the vine and then I harvest about half and leave the other half to self-sow. My moonflowers act just like Susan's in that they self sow lightly here and there but don't pop up all over the place like the more invasive morning glories. After the self-sown seedlings sprout in springtime, I have the collected seed to fill in any 'holes' in the fenceline where moonflowers didn't sprouts. We have ton of sphinx moths here all the time and they love the night-blooming daturas, four o'clocks and moonflowers. This week I've seen them out in late afternoon or early evening visiting the Laura Bush petunias and brugmansias. I'm glad I still have lots in bloom for the night moths, and we also still have hummers visiting the flowers and the feeders too. Dawn

Thanks for the information. I'll look into those sandals. I've been looking at clipped shoes with recessed cleats and there's one by Garneau that's more conducive to walking. They're just so expensive!!! I understand the concept of clipped shoes but the clumsiness in my far outweighs any benefits of power. I already bike at a solid clip (14+MPH avg on hills for extended rides) so I'm not really looking for the power. I know it helps in the long run. If I decide to pick up racing, I'll adjust my gear. For the time being, it's just for health reasons and endurance building. I've got a few pairs of shoes I can use that have firmer soles. I think that will help with the numbness. I tend to do one long ride per week because of farm equipment and general commuting traffic. My shorter rides are about 10 miles and the sneakers are fine for that.