Susan, thank you for your input. So this is not "damping off"? I have always understood it as that affecting stems but I did see one photo of damping off via Google that showed dark/black leaves instead of the stem buckling over. Not sure what to think but I guess I'll keep them growing to see if they live or die. If something is wrong, I suspect it's too late to cure them. And I have too many seeds to spend time curing ones that don't want to live, right? Or maybe it's the soil mix I used. It was a really gritty variation and perhaps it was just a combo not much liked by seeds though the speed of germination said otherwise, Thanks!

Have to warn you, this actually started as a container plant! I had gotten the seeds in a "Round Robin" swap and the gardener was considerate enough to put a warning on it.....best in pots, reseeds like crazy in beds. So I put the WS'd sprouts in a planter (where frankly I put my "least favorites" - - come on - you know what I am talking about. don't we all sort our plants for containers very carefully? Best plants on the front steps, etc. Well this got put in the planter sort of out of the way on the deck. When I saw it grow and that the foliage was so great, I moved some to other containers around the yard. The rest is history. Seeds easily blew out of the containers and rolled into beds. But it has been "in beds" reseeding for about 4 years now and As long as I pull it where I don't want it early in the spring (when I am in there anyway, weeding..) it's great. I kind of think that it depends on the kind of beds you have. My gardens are a mish mash, planted tight, no mulch (cause no ground..) I've got a patchwork of little bits of everything in every bed. It's a tossed salad. I like it, but it is not for the conservative. If you have 4.5 inches between each carefully mulched with dyed black pine bark beds, it's not the plant for you!!!!!

Also Austral herbs have an excellent webpage for online ordering. I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them and it always arrives swiftly and in good nick. Here is a link that might be useful: Austral herbs webpage

You might be better off trying to get a plant from a herb nursery, then starting again with your own very fresh seeds. The following information might help with the germination of bought seeds. You could try Eden Seeds in Queensland - their seeds are usually reliable, and they stock a lot of unusual and heritage seeds - herbs, vegetables, etc. Sorry, I don't have a contact address, but they should have their own site. Note: the plants are VERY attractive to grasshoppers! Sow seeds in warm soil in early spring. Seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover seeds at all, and a temperature of 20-22C is required. Germination occurs in about 11-30 days. Plant grows rapidly. Cooler temperatures or dry conditions will adversely affect germination. Grow in rich, well-drained soil. Prefers full sun, but will tolerate light shade. Once established, it will self-seed, so pinch out flower spikes as they develop. Grows best in warm temperatures. Long days and plenty of moisture produce best vegetative growth, shorter days are required for flower production. It does not tolerate crowding, so give it plenty of space. Harvest leaves as required for culinary use, best in summer once the plants are 10cm high and the leaves are 10cm long. Harvest seeds in late summer to autumn. Seeds are ready when they rattle inside the seed pod. For sprouts, harvest once the first true leaves have started to form. Flowerheads, cut on stalks 15cm from the tip, are harvested with 5-6 of the flowers have opened. Leaves rapidly lose flavour and aroma when dried.