Oregano can be grown from seed. However, much of what is available in the trade is not the good stuff ie it turns out to smell good but taste bland (also true of some of them sold as plants). The "best" culinary varieties have a somewhat acrid aroma, are very "spicy" and provide your tongue with a pleasant burning sensation. To be safe, buy the plant so you can judge the flavor yourself-don't rely on aroma alone as the bland ones smell good too. Be sure to ask the nursery owner if you can taste a leaf first! I agree with teryaki, it doesn't matter if it is "right" or not, just that you like it. One of the most rewarding parts of gardening is discovering the subtle differences between different cultivars and varieties. I find it almost addictive. Those of you who have gotten hold of good stock of oregano seed, please share your source. I am always looking for something to add to my collection. See the discussion regarding Mint seeds posted earlier regarding the problem with growing mint from seed http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0112010418987.html?6 Francesco

I have been following the thread here and I thought I would chime in and add a little of what I think is missing.In a feeble attempt to save some of you some time money and heartache. So here goes. The issue isn't what you can clone in a machine the issue is why you would use one. I have a ez clone and have used it off and on for over 7 years and it works great. I also propagate cuttings in glass of water in my kitchen window.In my garden outside (weather permitting) and in soil inside,and peat pots I love them all. The reason I would use the clone machine is to do ALOT of clones quickly. Make no mistake about it anytime you automate what mother nature does on her own its MORE work,not less. Clone machines will work inside your residence or out. They are messy.wet expensive and the solution needs to be changed regularly. Plants root quickly in a machine usually 7-10 days under the right conditions.That means every two weeks you can have numerous copies of your favorite softwood cutting. Fill in the blank for what ever plant you choose to propagate. Having said that I have also rooted Ipomoea Batatas (*sweet potato vine) in two days in a glass of water in my south facing kitchen window effortlessly. Pot growers (you know who you are) Love them because they can clone plants quickly. Gardeners love them because they can share plants with others and commercial growers like them because they can mass produce and replicate new cultivars. I bought mine because I thought the science was cool. The keys for those who are interested to getting those wonderful cuttings are simple but laborious.If you choose to use your machine indoors. You need to provide the following: Light - fluorescent light works best indoors use a 6500k bulb in your fixture plants love florescent light. Its hard to burn them using flo's and it has the proper wavelength for best results. Put the fixture uber close to the cuttings for best results say 6 inches away on a 18 hour a day cycle to mimic summer sun. Oxygen- Good old o2 is supplied in vast amounts using a clone machine.Delivered via H2O your water source delivers everything the plant needs to set roots.Keep in mind these are water roots and not the same fine hairs formed during soil propagation. hey its only 10 days to soil.(but i digress) PH - or should I say proper PH. usually 6-6.5 depending on the cultivar. PH is the potential of Hydrogen in the medium for the curious minded and in the case of a clone machine its water. The rest of what people use just keeps problems at bay. I use a rooting hormone called Clonex in water simply because its a gel and it sticks to the open end of the plant and keeps air from entering the plant stem and causing an embolism. I leave it on for 15 minutes it has some b vitamins and such but I could just as easily place cuttings in water to avoid the same issue.I have it so I use it. I change the water in my machine weekly,and set the ph to 6 - 6.5 and let it rip on a timer for 15 min on 15 min off to help keep water temps in check.(since the pump is actually in the well of the machine) and I dont mess with it except to check the ph levels once during mid week. That's about it.I can go into more detail on why you do certain steps or reasons why the plants want you to do something or not but I mainly wanted to give an overview for those who have a machine are building one or for someone that is just curious about them...Hope this helps ! Millions saw the apple fall but Newton asked why!

I like the shelves posted but that is definitely not a project for a beginner. You can make a shelf easily though. I figure my measurements and have Lowes cut the wood for me. as for face frame I do not do that. I am no expert but my stuff looks good. I use the thin ridged trim and edge the shelves with that. I do like to use crown trim but I need dh to help me with that. I have also done what others suggested by cutting shelves to meet my needs and also trimed out the store brought shelves but it never beats starting from scratch and having everything just the size you want. I tried building a shelf myself because the ones you buy in the store are basically straight pieces of wood. I thought what a rip off. So I tried it myself. I do use shelf ledges and I have painted my shelf. I started with something small. I removed all those horrid wire shelves out of my closet and replaced with wood shelves. My closte was testing ground for a lot of stuff including laying a wood floor. Anyway I like to caulk anywhere wood meets wall and wood meets wood so there is not even a hairline gap. You make a very small slanted hole in the caulk and smooth with a wet finger. Have to be neat with this or it looks like crap. The most fun of the whole thing is using a nail gun (one with a compressor). Man I love it. I will post a photo tomorrow of some of my shelves if I can remember.

One plant = one color!! Like too many nurseries today, the did't know what they were talking about. Individual plants do not produce a mix of colors. That only happens if you buy a 4-pak of plants and even then you may get two or more of the same or slightly different colors. Same with the seeds - you may get a range of colors or many multiples of the same color with just a few assorteds. And blue does tend to be the predominate color.