I wish I had better ideas but just don't have enough room indoors to prestart bulbs every year. When I have I've used your newspaper lined nursery tray idea for caladiums and it worked well, and I've done the same with cannas and begonias , but nothing else. Is your problem finding pots? Mine is more finding enough potting soil.....

Yes, and some of those seeds will benefit from or need a period of cold to help break dormancy. So winter sowing will provide this in your zone. Most perennials won't bloom until next year anyway. So you really don't need to get them going as early as possible (or do you?). Do you have seeds of all of these already? Your list is so large. Can you narrow down to a few must-haves?

"I did the indoor seed thing one year, but don't want to deal with all that work and all that "equipment". So I plan to just put some seeds in the ground outside, once the danger of frost has passed, and see what happens. I mean, isn't that how nature works anyway?" That's the basic premise of wintersowing. As for tomatoes, melons, eggplant needing to be started indoors. Not with wintersowing. I wintersow mine in early April and have never had a problem, even growing my tomatoes in pots that way. You should check out the wintersowing forum and enjoy starting your seeds that way. No need to start them indoors. Fran

I do not advise you to try starting peanuts indoors. They have a relatively shallow root system and do not like to be transplanted, nor do they like their roots disturbed. Plant them when the soil really warms up and count 110 days or so to harvest. This is one of my favorite plants to grow because they make "pegs", unlike any other plant, except Goober Peas from Africa (I got some seeds for them to try this year!). You need a lot of room for them and the soil has to be fluffy all around so that the pegs aren't inhibited. This is very hard to do given that they don't like soil disturbance so rototilling is out. The growing area must be weed free. I'm trying shredded newspaper this year but a fluffy mulch should work too, but probably not leaves that mat down. Sesame takes 90 days of true hot tropical weather and full days of baking sun. The seeds will rot in cool or wet soils. I have not had success growing them. Our weather is too variable. But it may be fun to try again and will plant them in June. Let us know how you fared. You also might want to post this question on the Vegetable Forum. I'd be interested in what the guru's over there had as answers. And, please post when you've finished your experiments! Nancy the nancedar