Thanks for the trades and the help in our community garden. To ymaddox, Charlie60, NancyPlants, FarnerGreg, mrs.b_in_wy your seeds will be on their way today, roper2008 return postage is headed your way. God bless you all! We STILL have some trades available and STILL need more help. It takes a lot to plant 1� acres and a good variety of veggies. Be sure to check out our initial post and if you have a surplus of seed and would like to trade or can send for SASBE to help the community outreach, please take a moment and respond. We will start our Greenhouse efforts at the end of February/first of March time frame and plan our community garden�s planting locations to ensure good rotation efforts�.just gotta know what we will have available to plan properly. Thanks in advance, ~Arkseven

The garden center where I bought my plants said that I should water tomatoes and bell peppers 2x a week in the morning. I would water at 8 AM for 40 min with a super soaker hose turned on all the way, and I would discover some of my plants wilting in the sun by noon the following day. So I would water the plants again even though I was told not to water in the middle of the day. Also, my bell pepperÂs leaves were curling which I read is a sign of under watering. It developed 3 little bell peppers, but they were badly twisted and one fell off today. I just went back to the garden center today and they sold me a neat little gadget called a "Moisture meter" for $8. My bell pepper was an 8 out of 10 in terms of moisture or borderline "wet". My potted plants were 10+ or "wet". My avocado tree was 5 out of 10 or "moist". I had been watering my avocado tree and blueberry bush every 4 days and they were due for watering today. My blueberry bush was an 8 and I decided to water it according to schedule too. The man I talked to at the garden center said that it would be ok to water my plants every day if they are dry because it is very hot and dry right now. But I wonder if I should bump up the time from 40 min to say 60 min with the soaker hose. By the way, I donÂt have a lot of run off or any standing water after using the soaker hose. And my garden is heavily mulched. I am in Orange County California. Any advice?

I'd expect a mix up like that to be fairly rare, but you should know that it can happen even if you order your seeds on line or from a catalog. Many (most?) of us far prefer to order by mail order from a seed company because the variety is so tremendous and the seeds fresher. Whatever you decide to do next year, you can spare yourself several months of research by looking at and comparing pictures of seeds on line. For example, there's a huge difference between pumpkin and squash seeds. You'll see that when you buy the seeds next year.

This will be our first winter with a high tunnel but I expect only cold hardy plants will last all winter. Here are my comments on your list. Please keep in mind that I do NOT have experience with a sunroom. Tomato (heirloom?) Lettuce Spinach Bell peppers - I understand peppers are actually perennials Rosemary - popular tender perennial but a challenge to winter over indoors because of low humidity in homes Thyme - needs a winter dormancy Basil - should be a fun project Cilantro - I have trouble with cilantro. It always bolts in the spring. Right now, I have a nice little crop that has withstood a couple of 21 deg nights (I'm in NH) but it wasn't planted until late summer. I think it needs cooler temps. Other spices? - saw some ginger from a local farm at the food coop. You might also consider lemon grass if you cook with it. Oranges (dwarf) - I would check temperature requirements compared to other things you want to grow Banana (probably not! haha) - Ditto Carrot - Carrots are a biennial. I didn't plant any in my hight tunnel but probably should have. Celery - no experience at all with this. Chilis - same as peppers Broccoli - should work Garlic - I grow hardneck garlic. Plant in October for summer harvest. This may be another veg that needs a winter outdoors. You might look at garlic chives. Onion - I don't have very good luck with onions while neighbors say they are easy. Check light requirements for bulbing. Suspect these would be tricky if you don't have enough light. Asparagus - spring veggie. takes years to develop roots and needs to complete growing cycle as ferns to feed roots. Dont think it would be suitable as an indoor crop - would take up too much space. Peas - might work but can't take hot temps Edible flowers - calendulas are easy for me to grow. Strawberry - not sure I think basically you should group your list according to temperature and light requirements because right now I think it is too mixed. Keep in mind the low level of the sun in winter can cause it to get very warm near the glass but still wouldn't be enough daylight for some plants. I've read that my outdoor veggies in the high tunnel will go dormant when light levels are low in November - early March so I think you will have to have supplemental lighting. Wish you luck with your project.