I grow mainly indoors, and I grow mainly bulbs... I also grow mainly in a rendition of the Gritty Mix. I have found that before I mix a batch, I need to soak the bark a bit so it's moist. If I do this, and I make sure I'm in keeping with the concept of the medium with regard to particle size, screening, etc... I have no issues following a re-pot. Also, aftercare is very important... ensuring that the plant has a good opportunity to adjust to it's new medium out of direct sunlight and winds. But if I fail to pre-wet the bark, or keep in mind the concept of the medium and aftercare, I'm doomed to failure. I found that there's no cheating when it comes to good preparation of the ingredients, using the right ingredients, proper aftercare, and that my habits in watering and fertilizing would change. I'd be watering more often, and feeding on a more consistent basis. One other thing I found is that not every plant will enjoy the Gritty Mix. There are a few that are happier in more moisture retentive circumstances... so I adjust for this using medium that more closely resembles the 511, or by adjusting the ingredient ratios or using different ingredients, creating a custom medium for the plant in question. Ambient temperature is a consideration in certain climates, too. Growing indoors, I keep pot edges from touching the window glass, and keep leaves off the glass, too. My preference is unglazed clay, though I do use a few plastic pots for certain plants more sensitive to temperature or moisture retention. One of the biggest mistakes I made in the beginning was not watering enough, and not ensuring the bark was pre-soaked prior to mixing batches of medium. But if I'm honestly doing everything exactly as directed, I have no issues, whatsoever. I think the keys are in understanding the concept, not taking any short cuts, adjusting my care habits, and understanding the limitations of my unique environment and those of the particular plant I'm trying to grow.

Our temps have been jumping around so much it was hard to tell what to do - so I planted the kale and spinach I had started, didn't bother with the broccoli that had been in starter cells too long. Never did get lettuce, etc. in earlier this week but going to do it today (was potting up tomatoes and started hardening off yesterday). Getting some rain this week but don't exactly know how much/when yet, figured it might be a good time to seed. Might do the beans this weekend too since the soil out back(pen sunny area) is warmer than the soil (shaded) near the house where I put the kale. SlmiyOkra - so sorry no spring crops for you. I just have to see what happens with mine. Temps here look like they're going to keep swinging from one extreme to the next, not even sure about putting out tomatoes next weekend, peppers definitely waiting til June. What are your lows (and lower highs) going to be? And have you moved yet?

The only companies that I've seen notices like that for are ones that don't grow the plants themselves. Who did you order from? I had the same thing happen from K.Van Bourgondien. Don't know what you're interested in but the Tree Peony Garden is still accepting orders and has a nice selection. The lady I talked to is Pam, has been incredibly helpful and the roots I received were much more mature than I paid for. I ordered 3-2 yr old trees and received roots that were probably 18 inches- 2 feet long with no sign of the herbaceous feeder root and with 3 stems each. I didn't take pictures, sorry! Pam said they'd be accepting orders into November if the weather allows. If you decided to try their site, look at the 5-7 yr old and a few special section, too. They had some smaller plants for $10-39 there. If you decide to go with a larger peony from them, especially if you order from their Collections page, call and make sure they have them available. Sounded like everything on that page were grown from seed and are one of a kind. Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Peony Gardens

Is failure possible? I would say, honestly, that the answer is yes. I've been doing this for a few years now and there has always been a few flats that haven't germinated. And it's not always because of choice of seeds. Let me see if I can come up with the most common causes..... I do trade for my seeds and once in a while I am trying to grow something that I later on find out is genetically sterile...or the seeds weren't gather properly. I'm very forgiving as I was a new trader too at one time and I have no doubt that I may have traded seeds that weren't 100%. I learned by example and got better as I went along. Another reason could be that the flat has dried out at a crucial point due to my negligence....it's easy to tell when a flat needs water because you don't see condensation under the lid...if I'm away for a few days during Spring and I am not home to check on the moisture then a flat could perish. I've solved that problem by now nestling my flats down into a kiddie pool with about an inch of water in it....it's also placed in the shade. The flats soak up the moisture and they're fine while they're in the pool....I don't have to worry. When I get back I take out the flats and dump the kiddie pool. I store it upside down when I'm not using it as I don't want it to become a breeding ground for skeeters. A flat has overheated. I lost several flats last year because of a freak heat wave in early Spring. I was in NYC and unable to get home for several hours. If I had been home I could have increased the ventilation slits and that would have allowed the overly-warmed air to vent away. I've pushed the envelope and tried to germinate a tropical plant. I ALWAYS try a few tropical varieties each year. Winter Sowing is best for plants that originate in a temperate climate (a temperate climate is a region that has four distinctly separate seasons.) Sometimes I am quite surprised by my successes and sometimes I am not surprised by my failure. It's yin and yang and I take the failure whimsically....I don't get hung-up or depressed about it. I've been delighted to germinate a beautiful crop of annual yellow hibiscus that are regional to South East Asia. My success with coleus has been minimal...I had just a few seeds germinate...I loved what did germinate but I wished I had gotten more. A flat simply doesn't germinate despite having all the criteria for germination. Mother Nature is in control....was there some inferiority to their genetics that didn't allow them to germinate? Anything is possible....and again I don't get frustrated over it. Usually we can expect very high germination percentages across the board....a large amount of the flats will germinate (my own percentage of success has been routinely about 90%...this could go higher if I stuck with only temperate climate seeds) and also, among the individual flats the germination inside the flat is super-high too. The flats protect the seeds from the elements, critters, wash-outs from downpours, and desiccation from wind...so there is a higher germination count simply because more seeds survive the winter to germinate when the weather warms. This is the main reason why Winter Sowing is superior to direct sowing (IMHO). I hope everyone will have tremendous success and I do expect it as well....but it is important to realize that some failure, minor though it is, should be expected. Winter Sowing is only as perfect as Mother Nature.....we must take the bitter with the sweet, but that sweet is VERY SWEET! Trudi