Asking about transplanting to garden is only theoretical. I am working with seedlings of Coreopsis, Salvia, Purple Palace, Bellflower, Lewisia and PowWow. I live in zone 6a and I was late in sowing the seeds in time to transplant them outside; so I am going to grow these seedlings to a height where they are suitable for transplanting outdoors into the ground (next spring) and when they have reached that height, I am going to place the seedlings in my unheated garage to overwinter them and hope that they go into dormancy. And so when spring comes, I will bring them inside, and once growth resumes, I will transplant them outside. Please let me know if there is anything wrong with how I want to proceed with things. And also answer my prior question. Thank you.

Do you know your planting zone? If "405" is your area code, you are likely in zone 7a. But I'm just guessing without knowing for sure. Generally speaking, I set my plants out around April 15th, but I am a conservative gardener. You could probably plant them out around the 1st of April, but you may have to cover them if frost is in the forecast. In that event, I use anything from cardboard boxes to soda bottles with the bottom cut out. Be sure to remove them the next day so they don't cook. Canterbury Bells are biennials, meaning they form a rosette of foliage the first year, and send up blooms the second year when grown from seed. They prefer cooler temps, and may die back to the ground during our summer heat and come back in the fall. In our zone, they tend to stay evergreen during the winter and may need some supplemental watering then, too, if we don't get sufficient rainfall or other precip. Four o'clocks and Morning Glories are heat lovers so I wouldn't set them out until all danger of frost has passed. The peat pellets have a fine netting around the soil ball to hold the peat together. But, I would assume it's normal for some to slip thru the holes in the netting. When you plant them out, it is recommended that you cut the netting off, though, so the roots will continue to form and grow into the soil. I don't use the pellets, but some people swear by them. I know some worry that they stay too wet, which can lead to root rot and damping off. I'd wait at least a couple more weeks to put out the Canterbury Bells (Campanulas), and maybe a week or two longer to put out the 4 o'clocks and Morning Glories. That said, seedlings grown indoors need to be hardened off before being planted in the ground. It would be best to pot them up into a larger pot first, at least 4" and not too much bigger. Then after a couple days in the new pots, start by setting them outdoors in shade for an hour or two a day, and gradually work them up to a full day in full sun (part shade is probably best for your Bell Flowers) over a period of a week or more for the 4 o'clocks and Morning Glories. Remember that MGs like a very lean soil. If too rich, they will produce lots of foliage and few, if any, blooms. Watch your babies carefully so they don't totally dry out. Susan

Caveat 1: I have no idea what I am talking about. I am a casual back yard experimenter. Executive summary: Make the "soil" very light and fluffy with fair amounts of of P an K. Longer spew: This is a thread close to my heart. I planted Dec 22nd for transplant in mid may, early June. Not sure why but I believe awesome roots on starts = awesome plants and yields, but I do. Here is a similar thread with low information I started a while back. This year I started super cropping, per hautions thread. I noticed that many of the plants try to grow roots from exposed stem quite a bit more than is normal. I also believe the exposure to oxygen is a great factor in great roots. Take a look at 3 planting . The picture is somewhat deceptive due to my lack of photographic skills. The trenched tomato had far and away more roots than any other plant. 2 years running this as been true in my semi heavy soil. For growing roots on starts, last year I planted my plants in and very light "soil", adding a layer on top every so often. A pre trenching growth. Each plant had 1+ feet of awesome roots when I planted them in the grown. Here is a lesser example of results. This year I am using a fluffier home made "soil" of coconut coir, vermiculite, compost and other goodness. Does it work for yeilds? I dont know. Year 1, planted normal store bought plants only, a bad year weather wise. 3 ripe tomatoes. 6' tall Year 2 started 'way too early', a very bad year weather wise. Using top soil for starts. Plants 10-15' tall. had tomatoes every day, but not gangbusters. First tomato, ?late June? Store bought 'control' comparison plants started 'at the right time' topped out at 6-8 feet. Year 3 started 'way too early', a VERY VERY bad year weather wise. The milk carton year. Plants 10-15' tall. had tomatoes every day. First ripe tomato, early May. Gave quite a few tomatoes away. Store bought 'control' comparison plants started 'at the right time' topped at out 5-7 feet(exception, glacier). Year 4 Started 'way too early'. I am using burlap sacks and metal cages as 'pots' for maximal air exposure. Results at end of 2009. caveat 2: as noted above, you cannot easily beat weather. Not without precautions any way. Heat and cold will blast your flowers, so now matter how awesome your plants are, the results may be for naught. I would be very interested in your thoughts and experiments.

TT, I can't answer either of your questions but I will make a suggestion. If either/both or your plants do become established you may want to try grafting on some proper fruit-bearing scions to your root stock. There are plenty of people on these forums that would be willing to send you cuttings for postage or trade or if you know of anyone w/a nice tree you can ask for a few cuttings.