I planted Burpees Double Choice Hybrid spinach last week and its just starting to come up. We're still a little warm here but are down in the high 80's this week. I also planted a mixture of lettuce seeds (also just starting to come up) and some super sugar snap peas (also coming up). I've planted brocolli in small paper cups and have them about an inch tall under my grow light with a small fan. Will plant them out when they get a little bigger. I'm in Mesa, Arizona so never know what the weather will do from here out. We might keep the cool 80's or go back up. I have a raised bed with pcv pipe over it so can throw up some plastic if we get a frost this winter but am hoping to have some fresh greens. Still planning on putting in some chives and garlic next weekend. I say go ahead and put the seed out where you want them to grow and water them well daily. Gemfire

I hear every word you are saying and feel your pain ms minnamouse! I too am thinking of by-passing planting this year. I also have them in my house. We killed hundreds and still kill at least one, almost daily. They walked right in through ac window units in upstairs bedrooms. Really gross creatures! Contrary to what other have said, dogs don't eat them. I have 2...neither eats them. In fact, they leave the room when one buzzes. NOTHING eats them, no matter what people try to tell you. I may mass plant marigold since I believe or HOPE they won't ATTRACT even more of what we already have. It's good to hear that research is being done but it won't help fast enough. I think they are predicting Millions upon Millions of them this year. (Gloucester County Times reported it.)We are planning to buy a case of caulking and sealing up what we could find AFTER whats left in our house leaves this spring. (We don't want to seal what's here...in) We are hoping they don't find a NEW way back in, after we caulk and seal every crevice and crack we can find. We will be installing central ac which will cost us a fortune -since we live in an old house with baseboard heat. :( We will seal carefully ourselves around the new install. We are dreading this coming autumn. There is a stink bug board out there where people are saying that a certain chemical works BUT it's poison to humans and all wildlife/insects. These wasps can't come fast enough but am wondering what the cost will be to our beneficials. No matter what...something needs to be done! I'm sure you know this but, I'll say it for those that don't..We found that dish washing liquid and water works best (it smothers them) but we can't spray our walls or ceiling with it so we use alcohol in spray bottles. It helps knock them off of the ceiling and works without damage to our paint or furniture. It doesn't kill them as fast as soap though. We also will just get them with a tissue and flush them. We used alcohol to kill the hundreds we found in our upstairs bedrooms. It won't stop them from coming though. We had to replace a window this winter and found about 100 of them huddled under our siding...in one little area! I have cedar siding so the soap solution is no good for us out there. The alcohol damages our stain so that's out too ...we feel so screwed and helpless against these disgusting creatures. I really don't want to use poison but I can't live with hoards of them in my house either. If I had hundreds this year, I'm going to get thousands next fall. We need help NOW...not in a few years. I'm getting the creepy crawlies just talking about it. If you find any answers, please post! Youtube shows a man having so many that he scrapes them off of his door to get into his house...poor guy! google it...there are many out there facing this plague. I really feel so sorry for those that are being over run and run out of their houses by these disgusting...

songbird, by all means do save your seeds. You have to begin somewhere. Why not try this summer, just so you can see how it goes? You can even try different methods to see what you like best: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_Seeds.html http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/A_Beginner%E2%80%99s_Guide_To_Saving_Tomato_Seeds_Using_Fermentation Then germinate some of the seeds, to see if you were successful. That way, when lightning strikes your only surviving plant of that super-rare variety you could only find three seeds of (because they're so popular, and they barely average a dozen seeds per tomato), and all you have left is one fruit ripening on the kitchen counter, you'll already know what you're doing, so you won't feel quite so pressured.

oh lazygardens - you have nailed my fear and outlined more than I want to tackle, I'm afraid. This has been sitting outside in pieces for almost 2 days now - bright sun both days so it's getting a good airing and drying. With a little work it may be good as a storage piece in the new garden shed we are planning. But I'm not going to tackle a re-make on this - my project list is already a mile long. If I can get it stabilized, the drawers all working properly and the odor contained with some shellac, I'll probably do a paint wash on it and call it done.