All I can tell you is my experience. Caladiums will survive in the ground here -- some years -- so the teeny bulbs left behind when I dug the big ones will sprout out when conditions are right. Usually that's when the nighttime temperatures hover around 60 degrees. Last year I started mine early in pots in the unheated (but well above freezing by March) toolshed. Guess what? They didn't grow any faster than the ones in the ground -- they just kind of sat there until it was 'time' to sprout. Here's what I would do: since they're already planted, I would leave them. If the soil gets dry, I would give them a small drink of water rather than a good soaking. As soon as you see little leaves begin to unfurl, step up the watering. They still can't go outside in the ground until the nights are warm. Nell

you wouldn't believe how tall they are already ... i just measured them ... the tallest ones are 7 & 1/2" tall! ... not only that, but i dug them up last fall in their original containers; & just let them start up again in the same pots ... *sigh* i have no experience with bulbs; (can you tell!) & there are TEN sprouts in one little 4" sq. pot ... that can't be good, right? ... the 2nd pot has only 5 sprouts ... common sense is now telling me i should have taken them out of their original dirt & then ... idunno ... split them up; or something? ... why oh why didn't i come here & ask questions BEFORE i made this dumb mistake? i just tried to take a picture, but my batteries are dead ... so i will try again later ... thanks from phyl ... who is wondering if she could still separate them at this point without killing them???

caryltoo-if yours are fighting for space already, I would split them now. Dig up the batch, and separate by hand into smaller chunks. Last year I planted a similar mix of seeds . Something I grabbed from the dollar store, called "shade mix" of perennials, WS'd them, then transplanted at the end of the year into the flower bed. This year they are coming up gangbusters. I'm going to wait another couple of weeks to see how they're doing, but may split them this year, too, into more bunches and spread a few more feet apart. If they look too tight by the end of this year, I will probably split them in the spring next year again. I'm too impatient to wait for plants to get to full size, so I tend to plant close together to see a more full area, then separate later when they start crowding. I can't even remember what was in the mix, but I did save the label so I can check to see what to expect. That's part of the fun of it!

Parsley and chives are very easy to grow. You don't have to start them inside, just direct sow them in the garden when temp are in 30s. They will know when to grow. Of course if someone wants then to grow early, then she/he can start them inside. I started my parsleys outside in cold frame and transplanted them in the garden when they had couple of true leaves. Now they can be used (outer leaves). With the chives I just dired sowed then in the garden and they are about ready to get their first cut, in oder to grow flat leaves.(flat chives). I have also direct sowed diils and chervils. They are growing too.I have also direct sowed basils. They germinated and are growing but very slowly. With thyme, sage, oregano, matrjorem, I just bought and planted established ones from nursery. I figure, I only need one plant of each. Why bother growing from seeds. Of course, when it gets warmer I cann throw few seeds in the ground and let them grow.