Ahhh, I understand. Seeds aren't plants, but they will become plants. Garlic cloves aren't seeds, they are bulbils which grow and produce more bulbils. Some garlics will produce topsets which can be broken apart and planted like bulbils, and some produce genuine seed which you can germinate like any allium. Seed forming garlic can become pesky if you don't deadhead it. Your own garlic hasn't been treated with a sprouting inhibitor, that's why your own cloves produce bigger bulbs--they start their growth when they are planted. Garlic that you purchase for planting has been cleaned, sorted and stored. It is usually sprayed with a low-intensity (non-premanent) growth inhibitor to keep it from sprouting before it goes back into the ground. It can take several weeks with sufficient rain or watering to cycle the inhibitor from the garlic before it can start growing. You can use the Winter Sowing Method for starting your tomato seeds to provide natural, acclimated germination which will have them growing in tune to your local climate. I won't start my tom seeds any other way. T

Zone 4, add my count which is 57 Hi everyone! Wow, you guys are so far ahead! I meant to find this thread sooner but it's been a busy month!! I am very impressed with some of your individual counts as well, WOW where do you put it all!! I have lots more to go so I will be back to keep adding my count for you. Thanks for keep track!! (and sorry to be long winded) Amy http://getbusygardening.blogspot.com/

You didn't mention if your meal would be sitting out for any length of time, but here are some more ideas. Some include mayo, so use your own judgement on whther they will work for you or not. This one will serve 6 people, maybe more, and is easy to double or triple, if necessary. Tequilaberry's Salad Dressing: 1 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!) 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup milk 1 pound bacon-cooked until crisp and crumbled (can use real bacon bits) Salad Base: 2 pounds bagged Dole Salad Mix ( I use my own mixed greens) 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut in small pieces 11/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Mix dressing ingredients until they are the consistency of heavy cream. If needed, add extra milk or sugar to taste. Toss together the Salad ingredients and pour the dressing on. Toss until well coated. This one makes enought ot feed probably 8 people. Again, easily doubled. Caesar Pasta Salad From Cooking Light 3 c. cooked Penne pasta 2 c. chopped Romaine lettuce 1\-1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes 1/2c. chopped fresh basil 1/2 c. chopped green onion 1/3 c Caesar dressing 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley 4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese 1 garlic clove, minced 3 c. shredded cooked chicken breast I think it was Ruthanna who posted this one a few years ago. Sorry if I am mistaken. Simple but very good! GEORGIA PEACH POUND CAKE 3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 3 cups granulated sugar 6 eggs (at room temperature) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups chopped, peeled peaches Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time,mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the sour cream and peaches. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 75 to 85 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely. Icing 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 tablespoon milk 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar, sifted Cream the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add the milk and almond extract and mix well. Add the confectioners sugar gradually, beating until smooth. Frost cake. Store leftover cake covered in refrigerator. CREAMY DUTCH APPLE DESSERT 1/4 c. butter 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) 1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream 1 (3 oz.) cream cheese 1/4 c. Realemon lemon juice 1 can Comstock apple pie filling 1/4 c. chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish (10 x 6 inch) melt butter in oven. Sprinkle in crumbs; stir well. Press on bottom of dish. In medium bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and lemon juice and cream cheese. Spread evenly over crumbs. Spoon pie filling evenly over creamy layer. Sprinkle with walnuts that have been mixed with the cinnamon. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set. May be served warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers. Variations: Omit cinnamon, substitute blueberry, cherry or peach pie filling for apple pie filling. Linda

We're moved in!! Sort of. The painters promised they'd use every effort to a get two rooms painted in two days. Well, we thought that's what they said. What they really said, was, "Hey, even if we paint only one room, we'll make every effort to charge you for two." So we've been spending the last two days painting the master. Which means, we moved in our stuff but had to stay at a hotel because the house isn't actually habitable, which is something you kind of assume your house will be when you move in. Tonight's our first night here. And tomorrow, our first shower in a gutted bathroom. The tub is wrapped in big sheets of white plastic, like those basement bathrooms in the movies where victims get dismembered. At least our tiny fridge arrived. We were excited to see that it came with an ice maker, until we realized some random contractor had decided to remove the existing water supply for the fridge. Just because. No work was supposed to have started in the kitchen yet. But I don't know, perhaps some KD has submitted plans already to a strange contractor and they will simply come into my house and redo my kitchen without telling me. I'll just get a bill, appreciating payment in 10 days. Wouldn't surprise me. Today the floor guys came and sanded off all the finish on the only staircase in the house, which they just refinished a week ago. Just because. Then, of course, Friday is the hurricane.