Berlin is much warmer than anywhere in Maine, but if you are lucky enough to have unfrozen ground then get them in quick. Even if there is a frozen crust, you could break through it to plant down where the soil hasn't frozen yet. It might be a good idea to mulch them if nights are very cold, just to stop the bulbs freezing before they can establish. If you just can't get them in the ground, pot them up and keep them somewhere that is either frost-free (but below 50F) or constantly below freezing but protected from the worst cold. Repeated freeze-thaw can damage potted bulbs and they can be killed temperatures that would be OK if they were six inches down in the ground. In spring you can bring them out for a nice display wherevere you want, even bury the pots in a bed if you want.

If you sow 5x as many seed as you need plants, it will probably work out fine. There is plenty of time to do a quick germination test if you are so inclined. I keep my seed in a Tupperware in the back of the fridge, that keeps seed viable for considerably longer.

Tiffy and Vera, You know, when I look at last Spring and this Spring during the times the Lupines bloom, both of them were exceptionally cool for the season. That was when I saw aphids. So I'm thinking the weather was too cool for the aphid predators to be out and that was why the aphids were having a hey-day on the Lupines. Now that it's warmed up, I'm not seeing any aphids on the Lupines that are blooming now (but I am seeing wasps and ladybugs). I also found out that there is an aphid that specifically likes Tansy (and one bunch of my Lupines are sitting right between two Tansies). I grew the Tansy to draw beneficial bugs, but I guess it has its own predator (and it sure seems like the aphids aren't totally plant specific in my case, as they seem to on both the Lupines and the Tansy). One thing I feel I have to read up on is what part of the plant beneficial bugs are attracted to on a specific plant-- the bloom or the foliage...or the root, even. Because if a beneficial bug is drawn to the bloom, but its too early in the season for me to have blooms ON that beneficial plant, I'm going to need a second line of natural defense that can stand in until the "primary" beneficial plant starts blooming. Brandy, that is very cool about the birds and the tent catepillars. We have lots of black-capped chickadees. Maybe that's why I'm not seeing many at the feeder now-- they have lots of creepy-crawlies to eat off the plants and trees. L

Count me in on this question too. I was reading in the allium forum that there are long day and short day onions. I'm planting white bunching onions tomorrow, and was wondering. Josko, what did you use to seed them? Trays? Cells? Kim