Well, I've decided NOT to burn the debris. I don't want to burn up any of my good guys in my soil. So I'll do it the old fashioned way and put it into the bags for the garbage. There's a large composting company not far from me, and I assume they may purchase a lot of this yard waste. I was thinking of going and visiting that place this spring just to check it out. Our leave burning rules are very strict, and I confess I LOVE the smell of burning leaves. Takes me back to my childhood. But never having known anyone with asthma I simply did not know until your post Kimmsr, that it caused problems like that. I've got neighbors that would be like the ones you described, only in my case, it's just the fire hazard that upsets me. They pile their leaves in their yard, but in an area that is right next to my driveway. And they continually add charcoal starter to keep it roaring. I always keep an eye on it, and am ready to dial 911. They burn at times when it's not allowed, but they are the type that don't believe in city rules. They get cited for stuff all the time, and just complain and moan about neighbors who snitch on them. Fortunately, I get along with them, but their belief that rules don't apply to them does drive me crazy. Now I just have to wait for the rain to stop so this debris can dry out and I can rake it up. During winter months, they only collect it one day a month, so my timing has to be right. I once raked two bags of sticks, put them out by the curb and it wasn't the right day. It rained, and made a huge mess when the bags fell apart.

I loved hearing how many other older gardeners are still working away at their own gardens. I am "only" 66, and tend 4 acres with the help of my now retired husband. After fighting through many medical problems we are both enjoying good health and trying to catch up with the work that was left undone. I run an organic cut flower business where I sell flowers from my garden made up into bouquets at streetside stands. Every year I ask myself if I still want to do this and just can't imagine summer without sharing the beauty with my small community. I have around 200 roses, of all types, including a section of English roses, another of "Freelander" outdoor cutting roses purchased from Palatine, and my own personal front garden filled with roses and other flowers...no lawns, just flower beds with grass paths between. My other passion (And its growing by leaps and bounds!) is dahlias. I grow 190 different ones and sell both tubers and cut flowers. I do this all organically...only concession is a copper dormant spray to the roses in late winter IF I Can get hubby to do it. I have found the best solution for me is to purchase the right roses to begin with. Here on our very acid glacial till, and often chilly, gray weather, I have found that Kordes roses on multiflora rootstock, purchased from Palatine, keep the joy in gardening for me. Jackson and Perkins grafted (Dr Huey) roses never took well but these newer ones are nearly always healthy and sometimes incredibly wonderful! Still trying with some of the older ones but as they die off and are removed I am replacing them with these wonderful new and fragrant varieties that thrive here. And my Drs have all said, what ever you are doing, keep on doing it!

Like Kimmsr, I use compost for seed starting, and I also get lots of unplanned volunteers in the compost pile. As long as the compost is finished or mostly-finished, it shouldn't be a big problem. You certainly wouldn't want to use "hot" compost with your seeds. :-) As to the seeds themselves, as mentioned above a lot depends on the type of seed, soil temperature, and the age of the seeds. Many times older seeds take longer to germinate and have a less successful germination rate. It's my understanding that carrot seeds can normally take 2-3 weeks to germinate; longer if the soil is too cold and/or the seeds are old. This is based on info I've read, not on personal experience. Last fall I started a new compost area that was to be turned into a vegetable patch this spring. Having started it late in the autumn, there were only a few inches of organic material applied to the ground and it never got hot enough to fully finish. I turned it once or twice in April as the ground started thawing, and the grass clippings had very little deterioration; they were mostly intact and kind of mucky like grass clippings get when you pile them up. No additional material had been added to the area since last December. But that didn't stop the volunteers of cucumbers, lettuce, and, lastly, tomatoes from germinating -- thanks to those leftover, unpicked fruits that were thrown in from the garden last October. [I'm used to tomato volunteers, but the cukes and lettuce were surprises.] I can't really speak to experience with carrots (maybe I'll grow some next year), but there could be a number of factors that influenced low and slow germination. All the best.

This is one of my Favorite Topics! Left to right in my potting bench drawer: A tray with a spout on one corner, mechanics use it for sorting nuts, washers, bits that are sized and kept apart. I use it to process seeds from chaff and get them into small envelops. Paint brush and filters we've alread covered. When I repot I often score the roots on the 'four corners' of the compass. Sometimes I just hack things apart and make two. That rusty serrated knife is what I use! The two spoons I use to place top dressing when dressing plants for show. All the scoops and trowels are pretty self explanatory. The bigger scoops I use to mix my own soil in a mortar tub, and these are good for grabbing perlite, pumice, or Supersoil out of bins or bags. Next are a long skewer, a hanger from a hanging folder, and short skewer. When plants get terribly root bound, it is HARD to disengage them from their pot. This file hanger bit is flexible enough to slide down in alongside the pot and the dirt, but strong enough so that I can usually make my way around the entire pot, loosening the roots from the terra cotta pot. Especially my 15 y.o. bonsai jade in the azalea pot! Next is an old beat up comb, I have some picks stuck here and there around the yard where I de-pot. This is to help comb out roots and dislodge old soil. Just to show you about the roots and the file hanger. Thats it for my help. I handle other odd plants so the bits of carpet would really make sense unless you also have tried to move large cactus from one location of the yard to another... I'm sure you can figure out what the bits of panty hose are for in the other drawer, so you don't need to see those.