Hi all, Well, the leaf curling started to happen when they were in a south facing kitchen window which gets really good sun for most of the day. The other advantage of that window is the humidity of the kitchen, which keeps off red spider mite. I certainly do know how hard it is to look after them indoors, which is why I started them off in my south facing bathroom window, which also gets great light and humidity. I moved them because I thought the leaf curling might be an objection to the fluctuating heat you get in both locations, and also because they were doing so well that they outgrew the window sills. Now the bathroom window is full of courgette and green bean seedlings and the kitchen is loaded up with tomatoes:-) In case you're wondering, sadly a greenhouse is not an option - but I do have some south facing patio doors, so I think I'll move them there. As for putting them outside, they will of course go out there as soon as possible. Karyn, we get plenty of sunny days here in London (although not this last week) but in March it's often only warm in the middle of the day so there's a lot of shifting in and out of doors to do. I've got to do that anyway, though, and it occurs to me that moving them to the patio doors would make that hardening off much easier, so I'll definitely go for that. As for outgrowing their pots, Tom, I mentioned before that I potted them on only a few weeks ago and I check their roots and water levels every day. They're certainly not drying out between waterings, but it's possible that the compost I potted them into is not free draining enough. I know they don't like to have waterlogged roots. I'm also a bit suspicious of that compost because the leaves started curling around the same time that they went into it. I don't think there's much I can do about that right now that wouldn't be even more stressful, though. If that's the problem then they're just going to have to tough it out for the moment - at least until it's time to pot them on again. I certainly hope you're both right, not least because if you are then they'll grow out of it and also because the alternative is looking like broad mite. I'm not entirely convinced of that though, because although the leaves are curling they're not discoloured or dropping off wood> - yet! Oops! I may have just jinxed myself. Thanks so much for your help, I'll let you know how things go. Sara

Hi Dawn, Below is a post from December 30 that I posted in the Perennial Forum. If you look into the tasmanian seed threads you will find further information and there is an old thread on growing from seed, I will try to locate it and drag it to the top. The general, popular excepted germination method is to plant fresh hellebore seed and allow 6 weeks of a warm moist planting, followed by a cool moist planting of 6 weeks. Warm being 50 to 70 degrees F and cool being 28 to 38 degrees F. Moist is a dampness that is damp but not wet and soggy. Elizabeth Town Hellebores are sent in damp sterile vermiculite and so are not dried stored. The only problem with this damp storing method is the seed will germinate in 8 to 12 weeks or rot. The problem with dry storage I believe is the amount of dryness the seed is exposed to. The hellebore has a very thin seed coat, so it does not tolerate low levels of humidity for long periods. I have heard reports of seed being stored of over a year at room temperature's and still have acceptable germination rate. My conclusion is, if the seed is stored at the right humidity and not dried too dry it will remain good for sometime. In the wild the seed matures and is dispersed in a very dry environment in the summer months before the weather turns favorable for germination. I would soak dry hellebore seed for a period of time, 3 or 4 days. John Dudley likes to soak dry seed in Hydrogen Peroxide, 3% H2O2, some claim this will hasten germination. After soaking the seed, the seed should swell and become plump. At this time the seed needs the 6 weeks warmth and then 6 weeks cool. I find that placing the seed in a damp soil-less mix in a plastic bag for these periods work fine. I also leave the seed in the crisper of the fridge until the seed starts to sprout, this may be longer than the required 6 weeks. They will sprout and grow at 38 degrees F., hellebores are a very cool weather plant. The above are my observations of hellebore seed culture and may change with the coming season. I do not find the seed culture that complex or difficult. The seedlings are very tough and grow fast. Bruce

You could check out the nice write-up on cilantro at the website below. Click on "Techniques", then on "Cilantro." Generally speaking, I would wait until the plants can germinate outside, then sow directly into the garden. They germinate over a period of three to four weeks, so keep them moist the whole time. Usually two seedlings grow from each seed, like beets, so you should thin to the strongest one as they begin to compete with each other. Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick

Bon, In a recent issue of Texas Gardener magazine, there was an article about Dixondale Farms and it said that DF grows onion plants for Bonnie Plants to sell. So, when a person buys Bonnie Plants'-labeled onions in a store, they may be buying onions raised at DF. (The article didn't say whether or not DF was the exclusive supplier for BP.) When I see BP plants in the big box stores, they often aren't labeled as far as variety goes, but whatever varieties they are, I am sure they'll grow well here if they are from DF. My only real complaint about the onions you buy at big box stores is that they often sit outdoors in the garden centers for weeks and weeks and can be incredibly dry by the time you buy them. So, if buying onion plants locally, it is best to buy them as soon as they arrive at the stores while they still are relatively fresh and green. You can hold them at home in a cool spot (I heel them in using either lava sand or plain sand in a shallow container) like down in the tornado shelter, and have held them that way before for at least 3 weeks before planting them. Growing onions from seed is not at all hard. It is just that they need to be started at a time when I am working on all the other projects that I tend to put off and ignore during the regular garden season, and I'm just not ready to start new gardening projects when I am catching up on all that stuff. I cannot spread myself too thin because when the winter fire season starts, if it is a bad year, there's not enough hours in the day. Dawn