You're right, the mulch won't know a good seed from a bad one and inhibiting weed seeds from germinating is a function of mulch. Pull it back in the areas where you want to direct sow your annuals, then when they are large enough, push the mulch back into place around them. Or if the mulch has decomposed enough from when you placed it, you could turn it under just in the planting spots you want to use, then replace/refresh that when your annuals have gained a little size.

Don: If your cable ties aren't specificlally UV-reisstant, they won't last very long. Probably to the end of the season, but I can't remember how quickly they'd give out on us, when we used them all the time at work. A bamboo tripod or trellis sounds really nice. I think about starting a bamboo grove, but I don't want it to tak eover the world! Instead, I'm building some trellises out of what I call "paint-stick"--the leftovers from ripping wood, that is just the right size to make paint-stirrers out of. I'll be growing MGs and hyacinth bean on them, too.

For what it's worth, my records show that I usually WS marigolds in mid to late March, although one year I did them in mid-February. I say "for what it's worth" because I don't have much rhyme or reason to my WSing. I don't usually start till late January, even early February, and while I do WS my perennials first, after that, it's just a kind of looking in the seed box on any particular day and thinking, hmm, what do I feel like sowing? I do WS first things that are known to be good reseeders, so I will take that into account. But except for vegetables, which I do in late March to April, I don't usually intentionally hold off on things. I just sow what I feel like sowing that day. The great thing is that it still works for me. The funny thing is that in most areas of my life I tend to overthink things. Never really did that with WSing, and that's been a wonderful thing for me (both the actual WSing and the results, and the fact that it works without thinking too much, lol!) Good luck and have fun! :) Dee

Kelley Farm between Elk River and Ramsey will have the annual seed exchange on Sunday 2-4. Great place to get free seeds.http://events.mnhs.org/calendar/Results.cfm?EventID=1661&bhcp=1