Oh - I almost forgot to mention, Rhonda, there is your "butterfly" garden marker! When I put it out there were dozens of butterflies hanging around the Aster and Verbena, so it seemed very appropriate. :)

Looks beautiful, Connie! =) I have just started my indoor Winter garden which is half veggies & half succulents and other non-edibles, some of which I got from the swap. It's my first time doing true Winter Sowing, in a way, sowing veggie seeds for a Winter garden. Here are a few pictures. The veggies aren't much yet cuz I just sowed them yesterday.

- Steve

Awesome!

Steve,

I noticed you said you winter sowed your seeds, but in the picture it looks like they are inside, and, it's still fall. I'm still scratching my head on this one.

Speaking of winter and looking at your pictures, I'm wondering if you've ever grown tomatoes indoors during the winter. I bet that if you have, you've probably written about it somewhere on here, but I don't know how to easily find it with a search. Have you ever actually had tomatoes indoors in the winter? I have a hard enough time getting decent tomatoes in the summer, myself.

Brandon: Well, this is not true Winter Sowing. I believe the definition of that is starting seeds really early, in the Winter, indoors, for normal Spring though Fall growth outside(correct me if I am wrong on this). I guess what I meant by true Winter sowing was that I want to grow vegetables indoors over the Winter (starting them in the Fall as I have done), and hopefully have them produce in normal time, depending upon the veggie. I had a rough gardening year, so I figured i'd give this a try. My Winter Garden, of sorts. =) I'm reading up & looking for any & all pointers on growing peppers or tomatoes through the Winter, so if you have any, please share! =) I have talked a bit with aijoe from GardenWeb, whom I consider to be quite the pepper expert. He mentioned that once the peppers germinate, to keep them at 78 degrees, that they should grow normally. I'm hoping for the best, but won't be too disappointed if most of the peppers don't do well. I'm expecting to have a bit more luck with the maters though (all cherry or small varieties). I have a few heating pads and some small grow lights to help things slong, too.

- Steve

Winter sowing is plating seeds outdoors during winter and letting them come up naturally when they are ready (as opposed to stratifying them or planting them in spring). At least in some cases, it makes for hardier plants, gives better germination rates, etc. I usually only use winter sowing for seeds that require stratification (cold temperatures) to germinate, but many gardeners plant almost all their seeds this way. There's a winter sowing forum that can give more info on the technique.

I can't help you with the tomatoes or peppers. I bet you know a lot more about them than I do. I'm lucky to get enough tomatoes for us, even if I plant 6 or 8 plants. I don't think tomatoes like me.

I would bet you could get some great tomatoes with grow lights (like used for certain cash crops, if you know what I mean), but that would be expensive tomatoes if you had to pay for the electricity. Still, it might be an idea for a fresh-tomato-aholic.

Pretty garden Connie. :D

Steve - you keep that tomato warm all winter - be sure to keep it watered and well fed - you should have tomatoes coming out your ears well into the spring. I am so glad it got a baby growing on it before I brought it to you. :D Watch it in the direct sun from the window - I have had them cook a few times where it just gets TOO HOT through the window. I have had luck with a "baby shade" for cars - placed where your tomato gets good sun but not cooked to death. Good luck with your winter garden!

Brandon - you are a "by the books" kind of guy with your plants, and have a wealth of knowledge to offer on many plants. But over the many years I have had tomatoes, with buckets of them to give away...the more you neglect them, the better they are. The exception to this is wintering over cherry or grape tomatoes - they have to be babied. You are dropping them in a low humidity environment and expecting results like outdoors. If you still have a grape or cherry tomato plant holding on from summer - it's easy enough to clip it and place in a pot to bring in for the winter. You never know - you might get a few harvests over the winter for salads. :D

Tiffany

Tiff: That one wee baby the mater plant had on it fell off on the way home. :( Great thing is, it's now growing 3-4 more baby maters! I potted it up first thing when I got home. It's already 6 inches or so taller and starting to grow another buid set! It should give me some maters within a month or so, for sure. Also, my Sorrel has germinated (have about 10 of them right now) and one of my pepper plants (Cherry Bomb) has also germinated! Winter garden is doing great so far!!! =)

- Steve

P.S. - Here's a pic of the roots one of my Angel Trumpets was growing when I potted them up...Awesome, huh?! =)