Maybe I am missing the point. I think that seedling exchange groups sound like a great idea. Doing nice things for people is wonderful. I hope we can give more to the people around us. Along with giving seedlings, letting people know that they can use some simple means to improve their own life is important. Maybe fresh tomatoes will not mean much, but they might make all the difference in the world. >>SKIP THIS BORING PARTFirst of all, there are always more tomato seedlings. 1. Tomato seedlings seldom die. 2. Tomoto seeds almost always germinate. Which means that if you save tomato seeds from three cherry tomatoes, you could have three hundred seedlings in three weeks. 3. You can plant tomato suckers with about 80% success. So even after your seedlings get bigger, you can get two or three more half grown plants from those. I do all of the things I mention above. Three weeks ago, I had no tomato plants. I first planted some leftover seeds. I went out the next day and bought four plants for about $2.50. I got leggy ones with lots of stems. I then cut the suckers and turned that into 10 more plants. So in just a few days and really, one hour of work, I set myself up for the season. 40 seedlings all came up from seed, plus 10 growing clone cuttings that are larger than the seedlings, and 4 growing strong. This is not to say HEY I AM GREAT! The obvious point is that anyone with egg trays or milk cartons could do this. >>END BORING PARTA person who is saying that they cannot afford a tomato seedling is saying much more than that. The person needs basic organization and planning skills, and basic knowledge that could be gained by reading and use of a library or, even more conveniently, the internet. Teach that person NOT to be lazy! That is a great public service. There are some people who could feed a family from a backyard garden and there are others who cannot afford a tomato seedling. The difference is not the garden. As gardeners, we know that. Showing compassion is what we can offer as humans free of charge. Showing knowledge and educating people is what we can offer as gardeners, teachers, and leaders. I always tell people how to grow things when I give them some plant or produce, is that just me? Or just the boring part of me?

I bet that sliding a 6 foot long root ball out of a straight sided pipe is an interesting proposition. I've used the Stuewe Treepots, in the 1,2 and 5 gallon sizes. The problem is keeping them upright. (the 5's aren't too bad.) The smallest ones, about 4x4x15 fit 9 to a milk crate quite nicely. The #2 will fit 4 to a milk crate. Note that serious production will get the local milk companies annoyed with you as too many crates vanish from behind 7/11s. You can get legal crates teh same size from Shippers Supply. The other way to support the #2 size is with concrete re-enforcing mesh. Make a 2x4 frame 1 foot high, and use fence staples to fasten the mesh. You can space the pots in various patterns to give them more room.

This looks a lot like you have, but the leaves are obviously different. I'm thinking that it may be Erigeron but I can't remember. Ideas?

No it doesn't need to be dedicated to just the tulip bulbs - in fact, it will look far better if it is not!! Ideally, more permanent things like perennials and shrubs should be planted first, then plant the tulips in cluster surrounding them or interspersed through the planting area. The later emerging foliage of the perennials or shrubs will help to disguise the old tulip foliage as you wait for it to brown and die back naturally. I recommend planting the tulips in clusters of at least 5, but more is even better......individual bulb planting doesn't carry much of an impact. Annuals you can fill in with anywhere, although most would look better if used as edging plants. The tulips will do best if in full sun and well drained soil. And where they don't get a lot of extra water in summer when they are dormant. And it is important to know that many tulips do not return well in following years, to the point where many treat them as annuals and replant with fresh bulbs every fall. Species tulips are the best at perennializing (returning) but many of the Darwin hybrids are very good about blooming in subsequent years as well.