Terene, Your columbine origami mixed color seeds will bloom the first year from seed. I planted mine a few years ago in mid March and they bloomed in June through the end of July. They have a long bloom period, rebloom actually and you don't need to dead head them. A friend of mine sowed some of my origami blue seeds last spring, in mid April and they bloomed for her all of the month of July. Since your's are mixed colors, you don't know what each plant will bloom in color till the bloom. You might want to plant each seedling as an individual until it blooms. Once you know which seedling is which color, when they finish blooming, you can move the plants into clumps of like colors to have larger plants for next year. If you don't care if they bloom mixed together than just plant them as clumps. I sowed mine, but they where all individual colors in cottage cheese containers, with about 15 seeds together in each container sort of scattered in the center of the container. then I planted the seedlings as one clump. If you purchase the plants in the nurseries, it is usually in a large container that has at least 10 plants in it. That's how a friend of mine that owns a farm and greenhouse in the area I live in sows seeds, and told me how to sow the seeds. They are worth the time to sow and the expense, they are a beautiful long term bloomer and stay nice and bushy, not to tall, not to short. Fran

Good suggestions. I don't cut my milk jug all the way around, leave a little hinge just under the handle. Then when I open them up, I peg them to the ground. If it gets cold again, it's easier to tape it shut again for late frosts and you probably don't have to tape it as thoroughly as initially. I save my containers and use them again, and the right kinds of tops are with the right jugs. What I'm wrestling with is that I decided I want to sow a lot of seeds in oversized cell packs. I have the trays that match but no holes in them. Anyway, I don't want to preset anything to hold plastic up and over them now, and the ground will be frozen when I set my jugs out in about Feb to poke anything down in. I've been looking around and the only thing I have to keep the plastic a couple inches off (or just an inch might be ok) the surface of the cell packs to keep from crushing the new growth would be some bricks, some old glass blocks. Can anybody think of what might work better that is easy/free/cheap? I think saran wrap would be too thin for those and have some clear plastic in a roll that is probably too heavy, maybe w/slits in it heavy would be ok. I can get something in between. The reason I want to sow in cell packs is for some of my seeds that resent transplanting to have a better chance and save me work later. I sometimes start in those trays you talked about w/covers (from McD's salads, KFC etc.) They work great. Sometimes I plant directly into the ground but some I like to transplant individually into cell packs so they can grow on, very tedious. Sowing directly into cell packs would save me that step. One trick I learned for spring sowing but should work equally well for winter sowing is to plant in the deli containers, then fill 16 oz plactic cups w/drainage holes punched in the bottom partway up with potting soil. Then use a spatula & dull knife and work a chunk of seedlings out of the tray and just set it on top of the soil, the roots will find it easy to work on down. Then I let grow on for awhile and plant with a bulb planter. That would work well for people whose gardens are crowded or whatever. I have to make things as easy on myself as possible or it won't all get done.

Seed trading is a wonderful hobby. It's an excellent way to acquire new garden seeds at a very economical cost, and friendships between traders are always rewarding. Seed trading can help you fill your seed box quickly with many different seeds, and your garden will be more beautiful than you can imagine because of all the new and exciting varieties you germinate and grow from those seeds. How do I start trading? You need to post that you have seeds available to trade. In your post you list your seeds or you ask people to look at your trade list on your GardenWeb member page. You may also add your "wish list" to your post, or add any special information that you would like your traders to know when they trade with you. How do I do it? By trading your own seeds for the seeds of another gardener. You offer a list of seeds to each other to choose from, you select what you want to trade for from the other gardener's list. The other gardener will make selections from your list. You both agree on the trade, then exchange mailing addresses. You mail your packs of seeds in protective wrapping. Use bubblewrap to encase the seed packets and place that in an envelope, or you use a padded mailer. The padding helps prevent the seeds from being crushed while in the mail. When the seed arrive you email the other trader to let them know that their seeds arrived and then your trade is complete. That's how you trade seeds....it's easy, it's fun, and it's a wonderful hobby. Trudi

"I don't know the botanical names of my seeds, what should I do?" Just make a well described list, that's all. Here's an example: Blue Bachelor Buttons Pink Cosmos Black-eyed Susans 3' annual plant with pink trumpet flowers, likes sun, very pretty! Yummy Cantaloupes from my Dad's garden Bush Tomato, meaty, sweet, not too acid ===================== That's a nice list!...I'd be happy to trade with you!