Wow - that's a much wider spacing than I guessed. I may need to replant some tomorrow. For some reason, I thought they could be placed close together. Maybe that was onions. Well, this year is an experiment. Next year, I want to save good quality seed to share. mauirose - unfortunately, they are only purple on the outside. The inside is more yellow orange. bsntech - I had carrots over winter under shredded leaves, but I didn't try it with this variety this year. Glad to see more people seed-saving! Just FYI - carrots cross easily with Queen Ann's Lace and broccoli can be tricky. Do you have "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth? Great book on seed saving! Bellatrix

Blaferby, I have seen improvement in yield, etc. when saving and using seed from my own garden. But I don't know how much of that is because of selection and how much is because I learn how to better grow the given variety. I've been seriously saving seeds since 1984. Here's what I would suggest. You can go ahead and use your extra seeds, for as long as you desire. But make a practice of producing some new seed every year that you can. Save each batch separately, and label it accurately. Eventually your original seed will give out. It's always possible that you might get an unintentional cross in a batch of seed. By saving several batches, you better ensure the survival of the original variety. If you really want to go the extra mile, save some of your seed in a sealed jar, in the freezer. This essentially halts the aging process of the seed. I once grew out a squash from seen which had been 25 years in a freezer. It germinated as if it were only a year old, and... I was amazed how my more recent seed stock had morphed over the years. I had essentially narrowed the gene pool, changing the mix of characteristics in the variety. George Tahlequah, OK

I have successfully grown yarrow from seed. Salvia and Sage are the same thing, so if you have a specific plant in mind we would need a bit more info. Generally you are better off with small plants for Gaura, salvias, penstemon, anemones and chinese foxgloves. Obedient Plant does not grow here, and delphiniums are best purchased already huge and blooming at the nursery. I have never had one last more than two weeks though- it's just too hot for them here. I know it's not the same, but larkspur is a much better bet for Southern California. They grow best sown directly into the soil. Poppies- Oriental poppies do poorly in SoCal. Try Breadseed poppies (papaver somniferum) or Shirley poppies. These grow best direct sown. Other easy to grow from seed flowers are Feverfew, Paludosum daisies, red flax, blue flax, California poppies, elegant clarkia, godetia, linaria, nigella, annual coreopsis, Mexican Hat, nasturtium. Blue flax and Mexican Hat are perennial, and benefit from being started in a seed tray. Renee

Well, zinnias are my first choice, but you already have them. For next year, you can direct sow the following seeds from early winter to early spring and have cool-season flowers begin blooming between mid-March and mid-April: poppies, larkspur, Texas bluebonnets, chamomile (an herb with tiny white daisy-type flowers), and snapdragons. Right now (or in the next couple of weeks) you can direct sow the following for blooms this year: nasturtiums, hollyhock, verbena bonariensis (tall verbena), sunflowers, globe amaranth (gomphrena), celosia, marigolds, salvia farinacea, Texas hummingbird sage (red flowers), veronica (purplish-blue, pink or white flowers), cosmos (won't bloom until later in the summer), morning glories if you have a fence or trellis for them to climb, and coneflowers. In my zone 7B garden, many of the above reseed themselves and come back most years with little, if any, assistance from me. Good luck, Dawn