YOU"RE WELCOME...Oldpea Like I said...it has been awhile since I set the garden out. I forgot how exciting the winter gets prior to starting seeds (planning, drawing the garden, looking for seed). My wife loves the garden...but she doesn't get nearly excited as me at this time. The only drawback is I am relying on her to get the plants started. Don't get me wrong...she is more than willing and capable; it is just she is the practical / frugal one in the family. My gardens always seem to be enough to feed our little town...and it drives her nuts. But she is a trooper. I just hope she starts all the seed I am buying. I could see her only getting 25-tomatoes started instead of the whole lot! Example: I have a total of 110-tomatoes, 150-peppers, 15-zucchini, 10-butterboy squash, 12-spaghetti squash, etc, etc. This year I am planning on doing a veggie stand or truck the excess to the local farmers market 20-miles away instead of giving everything away. We will still keep the family & our church stocked...also I also want to try and balance out the expense. I have 3-kids (2-teenagaers and an 11-yr old) that could always use some money. One started driving in September and he likes the freedom. With gas over $3...I think he will be especially excited about the thought of earning money. I should have my most "weed free" garden yet. Oh...I forgot to mention...I am also making my wife a raised bed around the house and loading it with herbs (1st time). She seams to be excited about that. I will probably start posting some stupid questions here over the next 4-months. My memory is a little rusty and I am sure all the answers can be found right here. Thanks...Brian

Well, I am quite thrilled to read these great responses! I live in Zone 7, but our Winter is still long. The zones just refer to the extremes in temperature, not how long it lasts. I have noticed volunteer tomatoes come out earlier than I would choose to plant out. So, I can watch for that as a sign. I do not have any trouble with legginess of my tomato seedlings. I have a picture window that faces full-South, and shelves there (for seedling starting in Winter) outfitted with shop-lights. I read somewhere that it is important to use fresh bulbs (fluorescent tubes) as the light diminishes over time. I do not get new ones every year, but if one seems to put out less (judging by the plants), I use that on my alpine strawberry seedlings or something else that doesn't mind. I want to start even earlier because I'd like to keep tomato strains true when I grow them out. I plan to grow out severl this year, and if one flowers first for a week, then they are in the clear, and I can mark those fruits, and then not really worry about the rest. I guess what I mean is that an early & staggered start will allow me to focus on each plant as it comes into bloom, selecting from that, and moving on to the next one. I do have some limitations (medically), so it would be easier to focus on them staggered rather then so many at one time. It may not work out the way I hope, but I figure it is a good experiment for this year. By choosing good varieties for this (my un-familiarity with varieties hurts my experiment here) I can better insure success. The funny thing is that I don't really eat tomatoes--except in spaghetti sauce. BUT, everyone else loves them, and I find there is a group involved with tomatoes that have a zeal for the plant like no other vegetable/fruit. A great deal of home-breeding is going on, and I find it the most fascinating thing. Tomatoes provide a great opportunity to study genetics at home, and to look very intensely at varietal development in plants. I guess I am hooked for a reason not common to most, but I am hooked. So, I will try my experiment this year, and see how it works for me. I am thankful at the varieties/categories I see mentioned. When mentioning "use determinate or dwarf" plants, how can I find out which is which? I have consulted some websites, but is there a thorough tomato base out there? Keep the posts coming! Happy Holidays, Robin

OBL has been around for awhile, at least 15 years or more I think. I got my first one two years ago. My guess was also FW or OBL but then I noticed that the OP's leaves appear rounder, which OBL is known for. FW's leaves are longer and bigger (based on looking at my own mature pics of FW). There is a bit of desiccation on a few leaves which FW is so susceptible to, but the beautiful OBL can also get it...just not as bad. They did not make a fool-proof FW look-alike after all. But I bought one anyway...as my first was a Mother's Day present so I had to replace it, right? Posierosie, love your hosta row! So much room for hostas, you lucky girl! If you want to know more about FW and OBL, check out the hosta Library, look to the left of the first pic, go to the debase and read the details on both. I'll link you to the compare page, where you can call them up them side by side too to tell the difference. Home page-compare Study your plants after that, come back and let us know what you've arrived at, ok?

If the grasses are hardy for your zone, it makes no difference to cut them while the soil is frozen or to wait until it thaws. It is the activity of the grass and when it starts to grow that will determine the timing. And cutting back or not cutting back has no impact on whether the grass will increase in size (spread). Grasses growing wild have no one to cut them back and they will develop properly. Cutting back just improves the appearance in the garden and reduces self seeding on those so inclined. The Calamagrostis (Karl Foerster, Avalanche) are cool season grasses and will start growing soon so cutting back now before they are in active growth is advised. The flame grass is a warm season grass and won't start growing until temperatures warm up in mid to late spring so you can wait longer for those if you like.