Everything you have listed, with the exception of the peppers, are vegetables I normally direct seed in my garden, so I would sow them right in the pot they are to grow in. The peppers I would start in smaller containers and then transplant them when they have developed a couple sets of true leaves. If you are really counting on these I might invest in a small bag of seed starting mix. Asparagus, good luck with that. Strawberries may or may not produce any fruit for you this year, however they are pretty plants in containers, just know you'll need a lot of them if you have visions of big bowls full of ripe berries. And you are right about the season. I'm not sure where you are in NC but you could be 'pushing' the season on warm growing vegetables and a little 'late' on the cool season ones. Growing in containers though allows you more flexibility, so have at it! Jim

Hi: I have tons of gathered columbine seeds (unknown colors--my bf doesn't remember what his mom grows!), oodles of medium-leaf dark green hosta seeds, and plenty of commercial lobelia and digitalis from trade. I also have some astilbe from trade. From your list, I'm interested in: Miribilis Jalapa: Metallic Red, or Red Magic. Miribilis Jalapa: Penstemon Digitalis: Penstemon Smallii: Semiaquilegia Elcarta. Styrax Japonica And feel free to browse my trade list. Let me know! stage_rat

I'm afraid that's nowhere near enough sunlight for any food plant. You could grow some shade loving flowers or ornamentals, but not vegetables. Also gongura is a shrub that gets at least 5' tall, so it isn't something you can grow in a pot on a balcony. You can buy okra in the grocery stores in season so I wouldn't worry to much about trying to grow Okra. You could grow eggplant and peppers and tomatoes inside in containers with a LOT of light (you'd need to set up an area with a lot of fluorescent shoplights). This can be done but it's not something I would suggest to a novice gardener. The National Gardening Association sells some 4 light fluorescent plant stands but they are quite expensive (4 fluorescent bulbs per shelf, the MINIMUM to even try indoor gardening). http://nga-gardenshop.stores.yahoo.net/ Also a good source for information about gardening in general, they have an online tutorial about container gardening up right now. It's really oriented towards growing outside in containers though. http://www.garden.org/home Have you looked into the possibility of community garden plots? Many cities have community garden plots you can rent, or they should know of any gardening societies that provide this service. I'm afraid none of the things you want to grow will grow well on a shady balcony. Also the beans are vines and require a lot of space in full sun to grow and bear, you couldn't grow those indoors at all. If you want to try indoor gardening I would start with a small fluorescent light setup with cilantro, mint, or other small plants so that your learning curve isn't too horrendous. You could set these plants out on the balcony for the 1 or 2 hours of light they could get there but they need more light, you would have to bring them back indoors and keep them under lights for at least 12 hours a day. Check the following forums on this site for information about growing indoors: Growing Under Lights Hydroponics Container Gardening Also check out Gardenguides.com's container gardening forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Guide Forums

Berfy--As one very familiar with growing herbs, with that little direct sun you are limited on the most well known culinary ones. Basil, while it may not like full Texas midsummer sun, does require more than dappled shade for less than 4 hours per day. You may get some small plants if there's enough reflective light, but they'll probably not thrive. On the other hand, it's easy and cheap to seed so may be worth trying spring or fall when the tree isn't fully shading. Otherwise, cilantro or mints (inc lemon balm), chives, parsley may be worth a try. The arid Mediterranean types like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc need more sun. Lots of trial and error in your future--don't give up! Try the leafy greens and peas for starters (this year I'll be trying a dwarf container pea called half pint). On the secondary topic of zones, they do have usefulness for basic info. Yes, there is a lot of variation in climate between different locations zoned the same, but they do provide some good basic starting point info. The more of that type we have, the more useful our answers can be--that's why we ask, and those who seem to know the most will continue to ask and have found the way to include that in their name.