Hi Ontnative: This is a discussion that has been going on for quite some time on the "mother Forum" - you may want to search for some of the threads. I am in Zone 5a (Canada) and I have tried just plain WSing and it was a failure - guess I got one seedling. Then a friend suggested what he did here - an improvised cold frame in his backyard: 2 feet deep with grass under the pots for bottom heat and a glass cover. He had great results. I was not able to replicate that, but I used an old cooler, lined with styrofoam, covered with glass and planted out on April 1. They all germinated in late April, but I found their development was slow and it seemed the plants never really thrived. I still ended up getting my ripe tomatoes in late August (one yellow cherry) and the others in September. So this year, I will be doing the 'under the lights' in the basement method. One thing your sister might want to look for: how many volunteers does she get every year in her garden? Over the years I have only had about two. Those varieties would probably winter sow quite well. She may also want to try some 'early' varieties. I have not looked into that because I know what I like right now. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

Thanks for letting me know your experience with tomato seeds. I think my sister should stick to her regular method of starting her tomatoes indoors, at least for her main crop. If she wanted to experiment with a few plants of an extra early variety and try starting them in a "cold frame" type set-up, that might be OK.

I live near Halifax too, but close to the Atlantic Ocean in the village of Prospect Bay. I have tried winter sowing tomatoes, but my summer is way too cool because of the ocean.

Now, if I was the same distance from Halifax, but more inland, I bet you I'd be telling you differently. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine in Sackville, which is a part of the Halifax Regional Municipality has winter sown tomatoes for the last couple of years. On a nice summer day it can be 30C at her home but 25C here and we only live 1/2 hour apart.

Your friend should try it with a few spare seeds. It would be interesting for her to find out whether or not her area will produce. :O)