The Sun finally broke through the high fog today after many damp, dreary days. It's a good day to start my garden blog.

One of the reasons for my blog is to critique vegetables and flowers I've started from seeds to help Zone 9 gardeners choose plant varieties that do well under our weather conditions.

The plants are all grown in raised cinderblock beds (2 bricks high) and I compost directly into the beds at least 2 months before planting (more on that coming up).

All of my seeds are started in 6-paks that I'm reusing from nursery plants, then I transfer them to 4" pots once they've grown large enough to transplant.

I've been working on seed starting times based on harvest times and weather conditions. All seeds are started outside, with the 6-paks fully exposed to the weather conditions.

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So, here are my first plant notes for my winter-spring vegetables, all planted today in one bed where the soil is loose and moist from our past rains:

• Brussels Sprouts 'Long Island Improved' --started 8/23/10. Transplanted 4 4-inch pots. The roots were good but not excessive. Plants are 7-8" tall with light leaf chewing.

• Cabbage 'Late Flat Dutch' --started 8/27/10. Transplanted 4 4-inch pots. Roots light. Plants 8" tall with leaf spread 8-10". The stems are bare the first 3". A little bit of chewing on the leaves.

• Kale 'Dwarf Essex Rape' --started 8/26/10. Transplanted 2 4-inch pots. These plants are very healthy compared to last years. Roots are very heavy and thick. The leaf spread is over 18" and there is very little chewing on the leaves.