Debbie, tender annuals tend to sprout quickly in warm weather. I haven't done any of my tenders yet, I never do them until around the beginning of April. Too much danger of a killing frost in my zone. Now I have a few days off work so I might do a few jugs of things like zinnias and marigolds in the next few days. If they sprout and we have a freeze I'll just throw a sheet over them for the night. Our 10 and 15 day weather forecasts show just one night with temps near freezing.
I used to direct sow things like zinnias, and would conceivably still do that if I had tons of seeds. But I know that if sown in a jug, they're less likely to be eaten by critters, washed away in monsoon rain, sprout better due to increased heat and humidity in the jug- overall the success rate is just better.
Karen
