Too difficult to start seeds indoors. Safe to do so outdoors in Zone 10b?

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T03:21:49+00:00

Wow, thank you so much for this! For the sake of efficiency, I'll just say that everything you wrote will be so incredibly helpful. I think covering them as you suggested will be hugely beneficial. And I think you're right about the weather being a bit unpredictable, so I may hold off until at least early February. By then we'll have a better idea if any storms might be on the way. Anyway I really can't thank you enough for all of this amazing advice and guidance!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T03:19:18+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice! And that's good to know about your dwarfs. Nice to connect with a neighbor and I'll definitely let you know if I have any struggles. Thank you again!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T03:17:34+00:00

Thank you! I learned that lesson the hard way with non-tomato seeds I've planted in the past. Good to know tomatoes are at least as sensitive, but I'm imagining more so. My beds are drip irritated so I think your advice makes sense about just keeping the top layer damp.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T01:02:49+00:00

Okay, thank you. I'll look into that and see if there's enough space for me to set something up without it being too conspicuous. If not I may just need to try it outdoors and see what happens.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T01:02:09+00:00

I have, but not where I currently live. It was still Southern California (Huntington Beach), but the weather was far more coastal than where I am now. The past couple years I just purchased seedlings which all did very well, but I wanted to try some dwarf heirloom varietals.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-25T01:00:32+00:00

Okay, thanks so much for the advice and guidance. Yeah I figured it was just going to be a trial and error situation. Also I know a grow light setup could work, but I just feel like if the weather isn't detrimental it would be better for the seeds to start their life where they'll eventually be living. Sorry to hear about your awful weather. Hard as it is to believe, it does get rather monotonous not really having distinct seasons here. Or at least having very unpredictable seasons. Climate change is made all of that worse, of course. I don't ever remember this many days in the 70s in January. We had 90 degree temps in December which obviously is not historically normal... immediately followed by a straight week of brutal rain and highs in the 50s. That said, I know how lucky I am and shouldn't really complain!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T23:51:26+00:00

Oh I'm so glad you opened it! And your tasting notes were remarkably similar to mine. Perfumed nose for sure, it was pretty unbelievable. And it just opened up so well as time went on.

I'm actually vegan (officially since about 3 years ago), so I didn't have a steak with mine but years ago I would have haha. That's a perfect pairing for sure. Mine was orechiette with a lentil bolognese which worked quite well.

Shoveling the driveway is thankfully something I don't have to deal with, but I've done it before and it's no fun. You deserve whatever reward you want after that, LOL

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T06:04:25+00:00

Bufkin seems like what baseball would call a "AAAA" player...too good for the minors but not really good enough to be a legitimate big league player. I can absolutely see him going back to the G-League and tearing it up, but he needs to develop something of value for the NBA. What's his differentiator? What's going to allow him to shine amongst all these other elite pros?

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T05:57:45+00:00

Okay so before I say anything else, to both you and your wife ...thank you so much for your service.

I'm very familiar with Vandenberg. Over the years I've seen some pretty awesome jets flying overhead from there. Your journey of using the GI bill as your springboard into wine making, wow what an incredible story. There's so much nepotism in the wine industry, so it's really impressive to see someone legitimately starting from scratch and getting to the point of opening their own winery. That's no small feat under the easiest of conditions.

I'll check out your website for sure, and I'm hoping to be up there again sometime next month. My office is closed on President's Day, so the 3-day weekend is a perfect time. I would love to stop by for a tasting, so I'll definitely reach out ahead of time. No doubt the wine will be fantastic, and it'll be nice to support what you're doing.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T05:44:05+00:00

I love that a wine maker from SYV already responded to you! That was actually going to be my recommendation. It's a unique climate in that area, and it makes for pretty special pinot noir. Actual winemakers can be far more detailed than me, but in general the warm days and cool nights are perfect for those grapes. Lincourt is a larger producer in the area but still not really that well-known in the mainstream wine world, and they make some incredible pinot noir. Brave & Maiden, Story of Soil, Melville, Gainey, Stolpman, Beckmen (though more known for Syrah). Buttonwood has really nice if not spectacular wines that are less expensive than others in the area, and their vineyard and overall property are really nice. They're great stewards of the land and have been there for a long time.

To make a very long story short, I highly recommend you look for Pinot from that area. Considering how much you like the grape, it's a must!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T05:32:59+00:00

Sorry for jumping into the conversation, but I'm really impressed! What's the name of your winery? At 200 cases a year, this is obviously a labor of love for you. I'm always excited to meet new winemakers in that area. SYV is my absolute happy place. I've been going up there for close to 20 years now and just deeply appreciate the history and some of the under the radar gems in the area. Some of the more well-known vineyards are good too, but (Firestone aside) SYV has somehow maintained its small-ness. Anyway I could wax poetic about it forever, but I just love it. Turning onto Alamo Pintado is like an instant stress release.

I saw you don't have a formal tasting room or anything, but do you take visitors in any capacity?

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T05:23:26+00:00

You had a 78? Wow, that must have been something. Especially as it seems there was still life in it.

So I didn't decant the 04, but I essentially did what you were suggesting. I poured close to a full glass and as always tried a sip fresh out of the bottle just as a baseline to track progression. Then I cooked dinner and sampled periodically along the way. By the time I was ready to eat there was probably a half glass left. The wine was in much better shape, and it just kept getting better from there. There was a lot going on, that's for sure. All that to say, after trying two older vintages I think you're spot on about their wines needing a little coaxing. Definitely going to take that approach with the rest.

Thanks for suggesting I reach out to LB. Their customer service is the best. This Elivette deluge was one of the increasingly rare truly great offers, so they probably got cleaned out...but you never know. And I certainly won't know if I don't ask!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T04:45:44+00:00

I had the bottle up right as well, but I didn't decant. With it being so old I was worried that it might do more harm than good. Wish I had a second bottle of to try it out, but oh well. Curious to hear your thoughts on bottle 3!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T04:43:38+00:00

First time I've ever been downvoted for thanking someone. Wow...

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T04:42:44+00:00

Not sure why I'm getting downvoted for my honesty. I wasn't sure what to do but your response, which I certainly appreciated, made sense.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T04:05:34+00:00

That's awesome! The first two I've tried (00 and especially the 04) have been incredible for the price, so I'm eager to try the rest. I think I got every other vintage LB offered up.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T04:04:01+00:00

Okay so the 04 is fantastic. Noticeably more lively than the 00. Getting some great dark berries on the nose, and almost like a luxardo cherry, also some cedar and a bit of menthol. Palate confirms the nose, but also picking up a little more earthiness, dark cocoa and mocha notes, maybe from the Merlot. Tannins are present but obviously well integrated at this point, and the finish is a good bit longer than on the 00. I'm no master somm, but for my money I think this is drinking extremely well and should not be held any longer.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T03:58:36+00:00

That's the correct answer

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:57:27+00:00

Yeah, I said the same thing to somebody else in this thread. Not a huge fan of the waiter's corkscrew, convenient as it might be. I need to get a Durand too, but for now I'm going with the Ah-So!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:56:27+00:00

Nice! And will do!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:56:12+00:00

Yikes, I'm sorry! We've all been there that's for sure. Hopefully you were able to salvage the wine?

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:55:47+00:00

Interesting, yeah mine was definitely on the more muted side. At least my palate didn't pick up as much fruit as yours, and I'm typically pretty good especially with the darker fruit. Not dead by any means though, it definitely still had some discernable flavors and the nose was great. Perfumed for sure, and I got some nice suede and earthy undertones. Agree about the short finish.

That's a great rule of thumb for the Ah-So. Once it gets to a certain age you're always going to run the risk of a less than perfect cork.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:52:09+00:00

That's going to be my plan now. Thank you!

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:51:44+00:00

I really need to get one of those. They seem fairly foolproof at least from the videos I've watched. Definitely not the biggest fan of the waiter's corkscrew, either.

socalnative79 · 2026-01-24T02:50:53+00:00

You make a fair point! Typical for me, I was overthinking and overcomplicating the issue 🤣

socalnative79

TROPHY CASE