DIRECT SEEDING OR STARTS? THAT IS A QUESTION...

So many things there are to consider when beginning your garden.
Through many years of experience in Julian's climate zone 9, I have learned not to plant until mid-May; even later in a year like this with so many cold days. So I can satisfy my spring fever itch by planting starts...
What plants do better as starts and which do better as direct seeding into the soil?
In my experience, most do better when they are directly seeded into the soil, yet to get ahead of the limited growing season, I start many hot weather lovers such as: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and basil in planters in my window seal. Laurel, my co-creator in the garden, has made a make-shift green house in her backyard with the use of plastic wrapped around shelves in order to keep wind and cold from destroying her babies. Some others I know create cold frames with the use of old windows propped up over their boxes to shield from the elements. Experiment! What resources you have available will help to determine your style. In my case, I have limited money resources, yet materials that I refuse to throw away can become useful in the garden.
At our last community garden meeting we agreed to begin a "needs" and "offerings" page to our website. In this way, resources can be shared among the group. Services will be included here as we have builders, massage therapists, artists and astrologers among us!
We also agreed to bring our abundance of certain herbs (mints, chamomile, oregano, etc.) to our medicine wheel in the Bearing Fruit community garden. With the use of pots we can more easily contain the herbs from taking over. The medicine wheel is in the shape of a spiral and will be the medicine chest for all members to use.
We have also created an arch of willow branches to serve as a threshold into the new view taking place in our midst! It is a view into a natural world of co-mingling natives and non-natives; medicinals and food sources; trees, flowers and herbaceous thriving life!
Long live the locavores!