Hmmm, I also have been having slow progress with my Thyme seeds this year. Last year I didn't plant thyme until the middle of summer, and it did very well, so maybe it's a temperature thing. But perhaps I'm also covering them with too much soil, like someone mentioned above. I think I will try again, with just pressing them into the soil like Mandolls described. I have given up too early on some seeds. Usually, I plant several different types at once, and when the others have sprouted and I still have a few lifeless pots, that's when I "recycle", I plant in new seeds, or empty the pots and put in fresh soil. I have a habit of reusing my soil too (which I've learned is not a good idea, as the soil might not be sterile and could destroy my plants) -- and this has led to some surprise seedlings from the seeds I "gave up" on. One example: this past winter I planted some quince seeds that I saved from fruit, but they never grew and I assumed I did something wrong; so I forgot about them, and casually left the pot on the sill. But one day there was a sprout! It was kind of like that thing with water, it won't boil if you watch it. I've learned to be a little more patient, and also to have faith that, even when I mess up in gardening, nature will find it's own way. :)

I would certainly expect gaillardia and some of the other daisies to have germinated now. My mother brought me a bad batch of seeds from NM for hummingbird flowers and she did visit HCG - maybe they don't have good seeds?

1. When you say "truckload of soil" I assume you mean ordinary soil which would be a very bad idea, it would become compacted and won't drain well. The roots would drown for lack of oxygen. You need to use an appropriate well draining 'non soil' organic potting mix. This rule is part of the ABC's of basic seed sowing in containers. 2. "Months watering" sounds like you intend to keep seedlings in trays a very long time, later you mention leaving them in there for an entire year and even worse, counting on them surviving summer in trays. This is also very bad. Trays might serve in a pinch to germinate seeds but certainly not for growing them on, crowded together in such shallow soil as a seed tray would provide. What you want is good root growth and trays would not provide this, that is not what a seed tray is designed for. It is meant for holding pots or cells. 3. Scaling back on water to keep plant growth in check to control size doesn't even make sense. 4. Growing seedlings in a container that has no drainage holes is simply not done. That would result in a stagnant mess, damping off, drowning plants etc. This is a sure way to kill plants even if they are water loving plants. I suggest you get online or find a book on basic seed sowing methods. It appears you are over analyzing and making things difficult along with a lack of understanding of how to sow seeds. Seeds have simple basic needs for good success and your proposal doesn't sound practical or promising at all. Check the seed sowing forum or even the winter sowing forum. Either place will give you better ideas than what you have proposed above.

Dawn will certainly leave a void in our lives. Even those of us who never actually met her feel we knew Dawn and her family. I think we all felt if we had a question that Dawn would always know the answer. It’s a hard reminder that none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow and we need to live each day to the fullest. Although my first response was we can’t do GW without her I also feel she would want us to continue.