We found a caterpillar! I was gone for the weekend, and went out this evening to see what had changed over the past few days. I was checking on a butterfly branch that had fallen over and wilted--and there was a tiny Monarch caterpillar! I don't know why it was on a sickly looking branch on the ground when it was surrounded by healthy, young, upright plants. But, now it is in my daughter's pop-up "Port-a-bug." I put some fresh butterflyweed branches in with it and hung it in the kitchen, out of reach of the cats (felines). Hopefully, we'll continue to find more as the season continues, and we'll be able to raise many to adulthood. Wish us luck! Martha

My naivete is showing, when I read tomncath's comment about the potgrowers, I actually thought s/he meant people that grow veggies in pots! LOL! I am thinking about a little greenhouse for this winter, or maybe just adding hoops made from cattle fence over my 4 x 8 raised beds. These can be covered with heavy plastic or freeze cloth during the winter and then shade cloth during the summer. They can also be used to grow vining crops. I'll post pictures on our site if we get to this project. Has anyone else tried this? Here is a link that might be useful: Cowlick Cottage Farm

Here is a good site to look at: http://www.andersonseedandgarden.com/ They will also send you a handout with all the dates if you ask. Some other seed stores might have the same. I am starting my perennials right now and will start some cold weather stuff shortly (broccoli, Spinach, and Lettuce). Sometime mid to end of Jan. I will do Delphs, Snaps and Statice. Mid to end of Feb. Tomatoes, Peppers, Grasses, Millets, Herbs, Campanula, Gomphrena. Mid to end Mar. Cuccumber, Squash, Melons, Pumpkins. Mid April Celosia. Direct seed: March spinach, lettuce, radish, onions, carrots, peas, larkspur, bells of ireland and nigella. April celery, more lettuce, carrots and glads. May beans, zinnas, sunflowers, amaranthus, safflower, calendula, cosmos, second round of cold weather stuff (see March above). I hope that helps. You may start a little sooner in SLC than I do here in Cache Valley. Good luck growing!! Bryan

They're all coming along quite nicely and you have picked some real good ones. I've grown all that you have, except Goliath. Most, I'm sure as you know, have "late" DTM's. KB, Mexico, and GG were very late for me, 100+ days, so I hope your's come a bit earlier. The Brandywine's have been a challenge for me,and many other people, but are always in my garden each year. I grow BW Sudduth and BW Red (RL) and they produce well since I began shaking all my plants early in the AM during the hot months of Summer. It's made a huge difference over the last 3 years. Paul Robeson should be the first to ripen and CP and Carbon will follow. I would guess that you might see something in the mid to end of Sept. The bulk of them ripenng in Oct. and hopefully beyond. I've given seedlings to a gal that lives in Clairemont and works with my wife. She told me this morning that she hasn't had much luck growing tom's in the Fall, but DON"T let that discourage you with what you have going. I would suggest that you put your seedlings out as soon as possible, starting in a week or so. OUT of the wind and in the shade to start and slowly introduce them to the sun. There's plenty of info. here and elsewhere. I learned alot here: http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com/nctomatomanWebPage.htm Drop me an email..it's available from "My Page" here at GW. Rob