Steve, I have grafted/budded peaches and Japanese hybrid plums onto Nanking cherry rootstock(it's actually more closely related to plums than to true cherries). It's very dwarfing, in my experience, and to tell the truth, I just did it to be playing around. None of those grafts are still alive today, but neither are the Nanking understocks. I'm pretty sure the peach did bloom and produce a few fruits for my dad, but central AL must not have agreed with the P.tomentosa, 'cause they all died out after a number of years.

Dave is correct. Using canned tomatoes is not recommended if fresh are called for. They will not be the same in density, as they are already cooked and more dense. You should follow a safe, tested recipe for all homecanned foods. Using your own recipes is not an advised thing to do. You don't know the ph level of your recipe, nor the density. Both are important factors when canning. Elizabeth Andress from NCFHFP, who wrote the USDA guidelines has advised us from using previously canned tomatoes in canning sauces, unless the recipe specifically calls for doing so. Freezing your own sauce using canned tomatoes would be the safe way to go.

Carol, I agree. I would truly leave out that oil. Yes, you would still add the bottled lemon juice since you are adding other ingredients. I think that much garlic is too much, also. This one has 20 lb. of tomatoes and only 8 cloves of garlic. Plus, only 1 T. of oil. Canning your own recipes is not suggested due to safety issues, it can put you at a risk for botulism. I would not can what you are telling us, but freeze it instead. I think it is best if you stick with the recipe from Ball Blue book that has basil in it if you wish to can one . Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce Ingredients 20 pounds tomatoes 1 cup chopped onion 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup finely minced fresh basil Bottled lemon juice Instructions Prepare Ball® or Kerr® jars and closures according to instructions found in Canning Basics. Wash tomatoes; drain. Remove core and quarter tomatoes; set aside. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent. Add tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put tomato mixture through a food mill or strainer to remove seeds and peel. Combine tomato purée and basil in a large saucepot. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by one-half, stirring to prevent sticking. Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar. Carefully ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rim and threads of jar with a clean damp cloth. Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met-fingertip tight. Process 35 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 7 pints. For altitude adjustment increase processing as indicated below: 1,001-- 3,000 ft.....5 minutes 3,001-- 6,000 ft...10 minutes 6,001-- 8,000 ft...15 minutes 8,001- 10,000 ft...20 minutes Nutrition Information Per 1/2 Cup Serving: Calories 73 Protein 3g Carbohydrate 15g Fat 1.5g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 28mg Potassium 702mg % USRDA: Protein 6% Vitamin A 21% Vitamin C 102% Thiamin 12% Riboflavin 9% Niacin 10% Calcium 2% Iron 8%

Why can't I just start them in a the transplant container like the other seeds? As other have said you can if you wish and some do since they want to skip the transplanting work. But keep in mind the additional risk of too much soil in the container means too much water for a very young seedling. They do that mainly to save room under their grow light or on their window sill. Actually that is only one reason and not applicable to all growers. For professional growers and for many of us it is just the opposite - it allows us to germinate thousands of seeds in just 1 flat, hundreds in one small container. Then they get transplanted to growing containers for the lights or greenhouse. The primary reason for transplanting, for "potting up", is the benefit to the plant. It triggers a hormonal switch in the plant. The plant switches the type of roots it develops from tap root to fibrous feeder roots and slows top growth at the same time. End result is a plant with a much better developed root structure that is more adaptable to final transplanting to the garden and helps avoid the top-heavy transplants you often see. If you buy transplants many are surprised to discover that those 6 packs you often buy your plants in weren't where they started. That 6 pack is their 2nd or sometimes even their 3rd transplant. If you want to read more about "staged transplanting" or "potting-up" a search here should pull up the many previous discussions on it IF the recent server woes here didn't banish them all off to the cosmos. My suggestion to you is to try some both ways and note the results you get. That way you will know which works best for you. Dave