Pam, To request a Willhite catalog, just go to the homepage. At the right is an image of their catalog cover. It has a little girl holding a slice of watermelon. Above that is a banner that says something like Request A Free Copy of Our Catalog. If you click on that banner, it takes you to the catalog request page. What kind of melons do you want to grow? Big ones or little icebox sized ones? Let me know, and I'll suggest some varieties. As with pretty much everything else in gardening, there are some melons that the commercial growers don't grow because the rind is thin, making them poor candidates for shipping. Sometimes market growers will grow them if they are not having to transport them too far to their local Farmer's Markets. Home gardeners can grow those. I used to grow big melons, but with a small family, I tend to grow just the little small melons nowadays. My personal opinion is that a fresh-from-the-garden melon always tastes sweeter to me than store-bought melons. It isn't necessarily that the melons at the store are bad, it is just that the melons from home are better. I also like to have melons available in a variety of colors, so when growing our own, I'll usually grow melons that have yellow, orange, pink and/or red flesh. I like having the variety of different colors. I have a certain degree of concern about your high hurricane risk there. The worst thing in the world for watermelons (next to the coyotes who like to steal them!) is excessively heavy rainfall. It can make them crack and split and rot before they are ripe enough to eat. So, if it is more or less inevitable that you're going to get hit by torrential rainfall at some point during melon-growing season, you need to evaluate that risk and decide if you want to take the chance and devote space to melons. Even when torrential rainfall doesn't make melons crack and split, it can just kill their flavor by watering it down. Since my torrential rainfall is pretty much limited to any month prior to July (usually it falls in April and May, and only rarely in June), I normally don't have heavy rainfall at the time of year that it would harm the melons. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Willhite Seed Home Page

Jay, You and I are in the same class and you know it. hee hee And, if we were in a tomato class together at school, we'd be sitting in the front row, taking copious notes and challenging our instructor on arcane points. Outside of class, we'd be standing in the hallways handing out tomato seeds trying to get others addicted to growing too many. It isn't Burpee's quality that bothers me. It is the endless hype of varieties that just aren't that special compared to what else is out there and the continually increasing prices of seed packets that seem to contain fewer and fewer seeds each year, and I'm not specifically talking tomatoes. Their flower seeds have not performed well for me in recent years, and I don't usually have trouble raising flowers. I liked Porterhouse but think the Harris hybrids taste better to my tastebuds. And, do you remember the year Porterhouse was on the Burepee catalog cover? They showed a person's hands holding, I think, 3 Porterhouse tomatoes. The tomatoes looked huge in comparison to the hands holding them, and eventually (after we grew the plant and got much smaller fruit) we figured out that the person holding the Porterhouse tomatoes must have been a child because we normal gardeners didn't get huge tomatoes like that. I felt like it was a deceptive photo then and feel the same way now, even though I like Porterhouse and often grow it. I think it was Bill P. who first mentioned he thought it was a child holding the tomatoes on the cover, or at least it was in one of GoneFishin's threads....and he liked Porterhouse tomato too, but not the photographic trick. I've been really unhappy with Burpee's seeds as sold at Wal-Mart in recent years. When the 'Highlight Yellow' zinnia came out a few years ago, I ordered a packet from the catalog and it had maybe 25 or 30 seeds (their zinnias used to always have at least 50 seeds but this one didn't) but it cost about $4 or $5 for a packet. Before my seed packet even arrived, I saw the Highlight Yellow Zinnia on the Burpee seed rack when the rack first appeared at Wal-Mart and bought 4 packets for $1.07 or $1.37 each. For that price, the seed packets had either 7, 8 or 9 seeds in them. I expect more than 7, 8 or 9 seeds in a packet even if the packet is a low-priced one at Wal-Mart. And, to make it worse, germination was horrible, I had a lot of damping off, which is very rarely an issue for me, and the transplants that made it into the ground didn't live long. Last year I purchased transplants of Highlight Yellow Zinnia at a local store and they did a little better than the ones I raised from seed a couple of years ago, but not much better. I think I'm through trying to grow it. The flowers are a lovely bright yellow but the plants themselves have low vigor. I've been pretty disgusted with Burpee ever since. I used to order oodles of seeds from them and in recent years I have chosen to make my purchases from other companies that give you better value for your dollar. They sell some of the same varieties as other seed companies, but charge more for the same amount of seeds or for fewer seeds, and I'm not going to pay extra for the Burpee name. (Other than that, I like them just fine. LOL) Dawn

A couple of notes because the rest is going to be rather long and involved: Lynda, I have the Vitex marked for you and in your baggie! And thank you for the marigolds! They will be very interesting with my others! Dessie I would be more than happy to receive your little helper's seed packets! I think it's great! Wendy Try some Chai Spice tea, it works wonders in helping clear up colds and flu. I always add a dollop of honey to help sooth the throat. It's a staple in our house and really does help. Alright, here is my take on this.. I can understand how many were hoping that the two swaps would not coincide, but, we all knew there was a fair chance of that happening. For myself, I know that I continued to update my list, even well after Patty's swap's mailing deadline. I did my updates using the same method we did for Patty's swap- using an updated date. Even had I not, I knew there was a good chance the two swaps would overlap. I joined this one knowing full well- according to the guidelines posted for it- that I may NOT receive as many as I sent in. That I would receive as many as were sent in FOR me, up to five packets of the SAME item. I recall there being some issue with this and a member who became very rude in their comments about this fact. Yes, my package from the What's Left swap is in the second batch to go out. No, I did not keep strict record of what I sent to those who were in the What's Left swap. I did keep better records of what I'm sending for this swap. I also know that a lot of people will be sending in baggies of seeds marked as extras- not dedicated for anyone, but to add in when it's seen those items are on someone's list. No, these may not be some of the rarer or more exclusively wanted items on someone's list. But if someone has some of those rarer or more specific items to share, I'm sure they would have put them into your baggie before they mailed. So, I don't see that anyone would be missing out on anything. The only way I could see having updated one's list further as complicating Patty's swap would be if someone had removed things from their list. Updating and adding items would not have conflicted. Because if there were any extras of what you were wanting, Patty would have included them. So, I guess I'm not really understanding how there is such a need to update the lists just because one is in both swaps. If I receive duplicates, wonderful! Because the things on my list are things I want! If I don't receive something on my list, then no one had it to share. If I receive so many of something that I can't plant it all, then I can bless someone else by offering it up for a trade. So, perhaps I'm being dense here, but how would one not receive something sent in specifically for them (up to FIVE packets of the same item!) that was on their wants list in this swap? Everyone has the chance to see your wants as posted and you have had the option to add to that list, as many including myself have this whole time. The only thing I could really see the two swaps happening almost simultaneously possibly affecting would be one's have's list. I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset or offend anyone. I'm just honestly trying to understand why this is such an issue. So please don't take this as meaning to offend or as pointed to anyone in particular. This is just me trying to understand why so many are upset about this. If you prefer to email me privately and help me understand it, I would be pleased with that and please do! Perhaps there are aspects and issues with this that I'm not readily seeing and should consider. I don't want to keep the thread off track by my question becoming a debate here. Perhaps there can be some adjustments of dates if this swap happens in the late summer or again next winter, but for this year it is as it is and personally, I'm really enjoying it! Nancy, I hope you don't decide to drop out, because I know that I should have at least a couple of things from your list, perhaps more. But I'll respect your choice and be your Garden Buddy either way :) Fran, you have a real job ahead of you and I don't know how those like you and Patty do it! Leave me hosting my "pair em up and let em go" or true RR type swaps! I think those of you that host this kind of swap are awesome! Angela, you have been a wonderful help to Fran and all of us in this swap! I know the time it can take to code pages like that, though updates are easier once the initial work is done, and I want to say THANK YOU for the time and work you are putting in on this swap for everyone's benefit! Kathy~ heading off to stuff more little baggies and envelopes.

Image by: gardenweed_z6a Milk jug containers How to Winter Sow Seeds Outdoors It really is very easy to do. First, let me give you a little background as to why I sowed the seeds during the Winter. I live in a very small house, a cottage actually and I simply do not have room for a light set up, also any window space I have must be fought from the cat and "Prinny" likes to look out on the street and watch the world go by, so I have to give her a windowsill. She's a good cat and deserves her place in the sun. I got hooked on seed trading, and as you all know seed trading is like Pokeman......you gotta have 'em all. I had tons of seeds, I had them all. Though I am not a novice at gardening I am a novice at growing seeds, this was my second season doing so. Because of my lack of experience with growing seeds, and not having a light set up, I always traded for "easy to grow" seeds: I had to start them in the windowsill or out on the patio in flats during Spring and Summer which I did the previous year with good success too. I was thinking a lot last Winter about how I was going to start all these seeds, I needed an easy way out. I knew that many seeds needed to be pre-chilled, and I knew that many plants reseed and germinate outdoors without our intervention. I thought about this for a few days and put 2+2 together. I would sow them into flats, and take them outside for the Winter, if all went well then they would germinate in Spring. I am a true believer in "recycle and reuse". I had been saving my take-out containers from the Chinese restaurant (not those typical white boxes that have a metal handle and white rice inside), I was saving the foil pans that have a separate clear plastic lid, they're usually round or rectangular. These containers were just perfect.....plus I didn't have to go to a store and open up my wallet (hmm, look at all the moths fly out), if I can get away without having to lay down a buck I will. I did need soil though and so I went to Walmart and got their brand which was the cheapest I could find. Seed selection: Take a look at a seed catalogue, most will have some sort of notation about a seed's germination requirements, or you'll pick up a few clue-in phrases. Look for these terms: Needs Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of day or weeks) Needs Stratification Will Colonize Self Sows Sow outdoors in early Autumn Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool Sow outdoors in early Spring while frosts may still occur Hardy Seeds Seedlings can withstand frost Can be direct sown early Wildflower Weed (such as butterfly weed, joe pye weed, jewel weed) Look for Common Names indicating a natural environment: Plains Prairie Desert Mountain Swamp Field River Look for names that might indicate an origin in a temperate climate: Siberian Chinensis Polar Alpine Orientale Canadensis Andean Russ (indicating Russian origin) Think about your own garden, and your neighbors' gardens too. Do you find plants that have volunteered each spring and shown up as seedlings that you didn't sow? These are very good choices. (let's say that your orange marigolds have returned in Spring as volunteer seedlings.......you can then be pretty well assured that gold, or lemon, or African or French varieties will reseed for you too, when it comes down to it a marigold is a marigold is a marigold). I like Park's Seed catalogue, it has a great germination table right in the middle of the catalogue. They have a numbered guide indicating the best germination requirements for seeds. I took a yellow highlighter and went down that numbered list and highlighted all the numbers that would be appropriate for Winter Sowing, then I carefully went through their list of seeds and highlighted the varieties that corresponded to the correct numbers. This is how I chose which varieties I would Winter Sow. A lot of catalogues, not just Parks, will have a germination table, or some information about germination, look at them, study them, and learn. To make a flat you take the foil container (of course it's clean, washed in hot soapy water) and a paring knife. Stab a few slits in the bottom of the pan, this is for drainage. Now fill the pan with soil to about a half inch from the top. Give it a real good drink and let it drain. I do this in my kitchen. (I have a sprayer on a hose at the sink and I use this for the watering, works well and doesn't gouge out holes in the soil). After the pan has drained sow your seeds and pat them down. Cover them with more soil to the correct depth if necessary. I like growing plants with tiny, tiny seeds, they're really just the very most easiest to sow. Sprinkle them on top of the soil, pat them down, and that's that. Now you need to put the lid on BUT FIRST.........and this is the very most important step.......take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. You've baked them to death. Okay, put the lid on secure by folding down the foil rim. Now the seeds are sown. Uh oh.......back it up, I forgot a step that you may wish to use: labeling. I didn't label mine as I like surprises, however this concept may pop the heads of gardeners who enjoy having everything "just so". Get some freezer tape, or any tape that you know will work well after being frozen. Pull off a piece and stick it to the bottom of the flat. Write the variety name on it with a laundry marker (or a sharpie). You can do this before or after sowing, if you do it afterwards make sure you wipe the bottom of the flat well as freezer tape doesn't really adhere as good as you'd like to a damp surface. Label the tape before sticking it the bottom of the flat. The label is on the bottom of the flat because the sun can't bleach it down there. I haven't yet found a marker that won't bleach out in my strong Long Island sun. All right, the flat is now sown and covered (with little slits in the top, yes? don't forget!!). Now take it outside to somewhere it will be safe for the winter. I put them on a picnic table top away from my curious puppy. I learned my lesson, I lost a flat of daylilies (the first I sowed this way) because I put them on the ground under a bush and the puppy found them and thought the flat was a toy, and she promptly killed it by shaking it to death. After that all the flats went up on the table out of her reach. Sad loss, but an excellent lesson. Now you just wait it out. When the weather warms the flats will freeze and thaw repeatedly as winter gives way to spring. This action of freezing and thawing out helps loosen the seed coat. You'll often see the term "nick or file seeds prior to sowing" in germination databases: this is to duplicate Mother Nature's work (now you won't have to do that anymore). Amazingly, just when winter is about to break, and you're still getting nightly freezes, the first of your flats will begin to germinate. When I saw this I thought that the seedlings were goners, but they thrived. The seeds know when it's safe to come up, it's part of their genetics. Now is the time to check the moisture in the flats, on an above freezing day open them up and if they look like they need a drink give them one. The excess water will drain away. Don't forget to replace the lids tightly. As your seedlings grow start widening the slits in the covers, once a week or so make the slits a little bit bigger, eventually you'll have more open areas than covered and you'll be able to transplant the seedlings into the garden because they are completely hardened off. I have put in seedlings that barely had their first set of true leaves and they thrived in the ground. After transplant care is typically the same as for indoor sown seedlings. They need a drink and just a little bit of food: 10% strength after their first week in the ground, then increase slowly as the season progresses. After about eight weeks and a few feedings your seedlings will be able to take a full strength feeding. Alternative seed flats: I have used plastic milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles too, just cut around the middle almost all the way through. Make the drainage slits. Fill with dirt, water, drain, sow, cover with more dirt (the same procedure as above). Tape the cut edges together and simply remove the cap for air transpiration. Cardboard orange juice or milk containers can be used with a baggie. Cut them in half, horizontally or vertically, make the drainage slits and sow your seeds by the same method above. Slip the flat into a baggie, tie it closed with a twist tie or a knot and use the knife to make a few slits for air transpiration, put a few slits in the bottom of the baggie for drainage. Coolwhip tubs: Make the drainage slits, sow your seeds as above. Take a scissors and cut out the center of the lid, leaving about an inch around the inside of the rim. Put a piece of saran wrap over the tub, put on the lid. This holds the saran wrap "window" snugly. Take the knife and make some slits in the saran wrap for air transpiration. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ So that's how to do it, if I remember something that I have forgotten I'll post an addendum, but I think I have it all covered. The major principles of outdoor Winter Sowing are selecting the appropriate seeds for your plant zone, and providing adequate drainage and adequate air transpiration. Do all these and you'll have a success. Did all my flats germinate? NO! I had about eighty or so of these made and I had eight not germinate. Was it the seeds? Was it the method? Was it me? I don't know. But I did have around seventy flats that did germinate. Outside! I forgot to mention that I also used four kiddie pools. These were used the summer before as container gardens (lots of soil, lots of big slits for drainage). I simply direct sowed these and left them uncovered. They got snowed on, the snow melted, it rained while the base of the kiddie pools were still frozen and the rain didn't drain. They all were frozen with ice at least an inch thick.......aarrgghh, panic Panic PANIC....I couldn't do anything about it. When the warmer weather finally came the pools thawed and drained and the seeds came up! YEAH! That's it. As you see it's not hard to do at all and I sowed these flats at my leisure throughout the Winter. Everyone talks about going bonkers in January and February because they can't get out and do any meaningful gardening, and there are only only a few varieties of seeds which can be successfully sown this early indoors....frustration and gardening fever sets in. While all the other gardeners were chomping at the bit I was being self indulgent and playing with dirt and mud and seeds at my own lazy bones pace. I took a leap of faith doing this, I kept the faith, and I was rewarded. I believe in this method, it works, it really truly works. Too much emphasis has been made on indoor sowing under lights. It takes up time, it takes up space, white flies take to the air, damp off kills your effort, your seedlings, your spirit. Did I forget to mention that there was NO EVIL DAMP-OFF? The freezing action killed whatever nasties that are in the soil that cause young innocent seedlings to perish so tragically and so sadly. And it is sad, you take a lot of time and care in your efforts, the seedlings are sometimes almost like our "plant" children. It really is depressing when a flat of seedlings doesn't make it. I encourage everyone to try this Winter Sowing method, if you want to hold back some seeds the first time you try it that's great. Save some seeds to sow indoors of a variety you have placed in a Winter Sown flat, compare the differences in the seedlings, and then compare plants when they mature. Learn from what you observe. Make your life and garden easy, let it flourish with flowers, grasses, vines, bushes, trees, and vegetables, you thought you couldn't even consider trying before now. Good luck to you all! Trudi Davidoff (copyright 2000)