This year I have been experimenting with letting my vegetables self-seed! Can you believe how lazy I am? I figured if I like mustards on this patch, I will like it again next year. So far I have had volunteer lettuces, radishes, mustards, cilantro, shiso, chard, even beans! In a few weeks there will be squash volunteers. See how much money I save not buying seed? Seriously, this has several advantages, since the flowers from some of these crops attract pollinators, other beneficials, and also look pretty cool. I pick them (lets say radishes) but let one of the specimens flower, seed, and even though I collect the seed that I can collect, most of it has gone on the ground, ready to sprout next year at this time and place! Other winter crops I seed directly: carrots, all brassicas, all beets and chard, lettuces (if I do not have enough sprouting on their own), artichokes I both seed directly or start in small pots. I also seed directly beans, peas, all legumes actually, and all squash. All cucumbers too. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are the only vegetables I start in small pots inside. I use the same plastic pots that come with nursery purchased plants, start them by a window, then transfer them to the front porch to harden. As far as what mixes, I use whatever I have at the time. But no peat! I have had good luck with either my regular garden soil, or potting soil, or a mix. I also sprout my tomato seeds that I saved without fermentation. I tried fermenting last year and it spoiled the seeds, I have gotten better results without fermenting, but don't tell anyone in the tomato forum or I might get kicked out of it. Oh yes, if there is a spacial brassica I would like to 'baby' like cauliflowers for example, I do start them in pots in the early fall, mostly just to keep the varieties from getting mixed up, and to be able to bring the seedlings inside if the sun gets too brutal. But I still think the self seeding method is the best! let the garden go feral!

I'm not familiar with 'Erba Cipollina' but have had no probs starting regular chives or garlic chives from seed. I've never direct sown but started them indoors in containers covered with plastic and or dome until germination (about 7-10 days). I just throw a handfull in and plant whole thing as a single 'plug'. Have also had good luck winter-sowing garlic chives. Maybe they sent you old seed? I'm betting if the dome didn't work for you either that may be the reason :( Vera

Oh, I see. What actually happened is we had a whole bunch of tomato plants pop up in the yard of a house we bought as a foreclosure. Just all over like someone threw seeds all over, I assume the birds or something were the actual "planters" but who knows? So I just transplanted some of them since the neighbors dog had dug in our garden and destroyed all the ones we had planted previously. One of the plants produced two tomatoes that I brought in and set on the table. I have a then 4 year old, 2.5 and 1.5, they went to sneak tomatoes like they tend to do and began screaming hysterically, I assumed a chemical had been sprayed on them so I tasted it (the one they bit into) and it was spicy inside not outside. When my husband got home he tasted both tomatoes agreed they were very spicy- like peppers and we didn't have any peppers inside, they hadn't produced yet and that is why we saved the seeds, also is why there were not many, dh accidentally ate some. The plant was destroyed soon after that by the neighbors dogs because they couldn't seem to keep them on their property and they could easily climb the 6 ft fence(large black labs). Thats okay though, I am putting up an 8 ft privacy fence this time :) I am sorry you all thought it was a joke, there is already a green tomato that is spicy though from what I was told by a neighbor though I have no idea on what its name is. These are red though and had a hint of an orange streaky cast to them.

Well the only "brand" of plants available around here is Bonnie's Plants as they are the biggest plant grower/supplier in the south. Otherwise you have to buy your plants from a local grower who sells at the farmer's market or one of the few local nurseries who grow their own. So when it comes to plant brands there are few choices. Varieties of tomato plants is also somewhat limited as the growers usually only grow the common varieties or what was a big seller the previous year or years. So any unusual varieties or heirloom varieties will be hard to find as plants. That's why so many now grow from seed. Around here you can almost always find Beefsteak, Juliet, Sweet Million Cherry, Bradley, Better Boy, Big Boy, Celebrity, Early Girl, Patio, Lemon Boy, Arkansas Travelers, maybe Jet Star, Rutgers, a few Brandywine, and a few selected others. Of those, the only ones I would be personally interested in growing are the AR Travelers, Brandywine, Rutgers, and Jet Star. But many others seem to like Early Girl, Celebrity and Better Boy because they sure sell alot of those plants. Dave