Hi Jools, Those seeds I started 3 weeks ago are doing pretty well. I took 10 seeds, gave them (2) cycles of freeze/thaw, then chipped them as I described earlier. Of the 10 seeds, 2 germinated within 72 hours, and by day 10 there was a total of 7 germinated. Maybe the others were duds, or maybe they weren't chipped right. Who knows? In answer to your question, I use a gritty mix for the seedlings too, and planted the germinated seeds 1/4" deep, including extra perlite to cover the seeds to help retain moisture, in a terra cotta community pot. A total of 6 finally made it (pictured). I put a maximum of 5 seedlings in a pot. In a few days these will go individually into 4" pots, and after a couple weeks of recovery, I'll start acclimating them to outdoors. From here on, I'll overpot, just to save time. Community pot==> 4" pot==> 8" pot==> ?? When my larger seedlings (4" -- 8") first went outdoors, I was more than a little concerned bc all the plants developed tiny brownish freckles, which I thought was either fungal or bacterial, and I was all set to treat these when they spontaneously cleared up, with no damage to the leaves. So far, the temperature here has stayed below 85ðF, and I have each terra cotta pot sitting in a dish which serves as a water reservoir, with that whole setup sitting in a larger container to shade the clay pot from direct sun. Remember, if the roots hit 85ð, the plant is toast. So far, this setup creates evaporative cooling, and I'm pretty compulsive about checking the pot temps, especially on the warmer days. I don't have a good spot to plunge these in the ground. As long as there's water in the dish, the unglazed pot will provide root cooling, and the plant can have its full sun. If the local temperature ever gets too high though, I won't hesitate to put the plants in the basement for a few days. I hope this helps. These are methods that seem to work so far for me, but I'm still experimenting.... Rick in coastal Connecticut

Well, for goodness sake! Some folks have nerve don't they? I'm so glad I live in the country with no really close neighbors. I have 3 acres so that kind of puts a good distance between me and my nearest. There are lots of folks that live down the road from me who pass by everyday. Some stop to comment on my gardens, but they are always nice comments. Some probably think I'm crazy cause I'm out there from daylight till dark and sometimes even later if we're having dry weather and everything needs a drink. :) And during bloom season, I'm always running around with my camera and a notebook snapping photos of everything. There's no telling what folks think, but you know what, who cares what others think. Like others said, just keep doing what you love as I do, and let folks have their opinions. If gardening makes you happy as it does me, then don't let critics wilt your blooms!!! :) Hope you get lots of pretty blooms and the neighbor turns green with envy! Jan

If you take a look at photos I have posted on Cottage Garden-gallery (see "Things are starting to fill in") you will understand that I know from what I speak (my whole garden is a slope). When we bought this property many years ago, it was covered with maple trees which provided slightly less than total darkness under which nothing would grow (except weeds). I tackled this mess one area at a time. As my knowlege grew--so did the number and size of the beds. Try to do only what you can reasonably do well at the moment. You will have the time, however limited , to monitor your beds and watch for problems, happy accidents (like a volunteer seedling having planted itself). You will also learn if the plant choices you have made like the home you have provided them. This alone could save you a lot of frustration, time and financial investment. Having tried landscape fabric-difficult to keep in place,mulch tends to slide off (particularly in a hard rain). I prefer to use the 'lasagna method'. Lay down 8 layers of wet newspaper overlapping edges so weeds can't find a way through and cover with several inches of mulch (I find shredded bark works best because it will knit together and prevent sliding. Many local landfills provide this to the community at little to no cost.). Leave to overwinter. This method will not only help to control the weed problem, but will also add beneficial elements to the quality of the clay soil. Ask your friends and relatives if they would help you by saving their old newspapers for you (you will need quite a bit). I don't know the ages of your little ones, but if they are anything like my two kids were at toddler stage and up, there is nothing they would like more than helping mom and dad. Especially if it involves the opportunity to "play" in the water and get soaking wet outside. You could try this project on a hot summer day In the spring you can plant. What plants will depend on your light conditions. I hope this is helpful.

LOL! I am always surprised when I check an Aloe for repot. Looks like quite a job if you intend to separate any of them! I was meticulously unwinding these roots to remove the old potting soil. I gave up, whacked off a bunch of roots, put it in a nice pot of gritty mix and called it a day! Of course, I have much different weather than you, so my plant was outside. Have fun and stay warm!