Don't know if this is true or not, but someone in Garden Web posted something like the following in the last few years about melons: Melons are desert plants that have very long and deep and wide root systems. They don't need a lot of supplemental water. He went on to say that he ONLY waters when the leaves start to droop. (I've seen that advice metioned by others in here too). I grow my melons on top of huge sheets of black plastic which heat the soil and also conserve water. Last year I only watered my melons once the entire season and that was in the first week after planting just to ensure they were properly established. To be fair, we got some nice rain fall all summer last year so I didn't need to do any extra to the melons. I did have to water all the other veggies however. Don't know if any of that helps, but my (limited) advice would be to not water at all unless the leaves start drooping. Bart

FoolishP - sorry you has such a bad experience with your seedlings. This is my 3rd year trying, the first two were not so good. This year with a better light set up I am amazed at the results.Two dozen, foot high heirloom tomato plants, 12 peppers that are flowering, 40 cucumbers that are bigger and healthier than any I have seen at the nursery, 8 healthy eggplant, Snap Peas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Lettuce and Arugula (that have all be in the ground for 3 weeks) 40 petunia plants that are starting to bloom. And at least a dozen other kinds of vegetables and flowers. I had a few things that didn't germinate well, but all of these plants would definitely cost more than I paid for the lights and seed - and I have loved taking care of them and watching them grow.

If you are going to grow tomatoes in a zone 5 winter, you're going to be a very good customer of the utility company. Clear greenhouse coverings make very poor insulators of heat, and heat is expensive. I would want some sort of an insulated blanket like a pool cover to throw over it at night or a system of insulated shutters that you can close. That's the only way to keep your expensive heat from floating up into the night sky. You have to be there every day to manage it, though, unless you spend a lot more money for an automated system. Those $20 "auto vent" openers don't take pool covers off and on. I'd also want hid lights as supplements to the winter sun. Digital 1000 watt HPS or Halide lights are about 400 bucks. Based on that crop list, you'd want one of each. You can get smaller hid lights, but they are not much cheaper. They are very hot, which is not so bad when it's cold outside, but you have to vent the air when you don't need the extra heat. Have I talked you out of it yet? It would be much easier to simply limit your winter growing to crops that tolerate cold weather.

What's sad is I have 2 other gardens amended ready to plant in !! But on the s. side of my yard in full, direct, all day sun.. ugh! dahlias won't survive here - they need afternoon shade in my heat :( My hubby said just dig the holes - I knew better!! but thought how I will be pulling weed & grass clumps out of the area for the next 2weeks before I dare to plant one tuber in :( even after digging up the top area of sod. I feel stuck :( I dont want my tubers to stay out of the ground another minute but also know what it's like to do something half @s$ in the beginning and regret it until I fix it ! Now that u have me thinking ab it !! It's harder work to go back n fix it verses doing it right in the first place. I have 47 tubers waiting to be planted - my fear is, if I go ahead & do the bed right, it might take a while. I dug individual holes bc I've been physically sick lately & haven't had the energy to do my normal gardening - I counted 4 bags of black cow & 3 bags of potting Mix - far from enough to amend this area. But I can use soil from one of my open gardens I only have some kelp & bone meal in it - I'm an avid gardener. I know amending a small area for a plant does nothing good for it - I honestly think it's better not to ammend at all unless enough area is amended to accommodate the root zone @ maturity. I was trying to convince myself it'll b ok this way & I'll fix it this winter. Do u have any ideas for a quick solution ?? I wish I had the money to hire help to get this done asap!! Ugh- So how far apart on center should the tubers b planted ?? and in between rows ? I went by online recommendations. I'm beyond upset with myself I didn't start this early march!! Grrr !!!! Very upsetting... Along the south side of my house there's a hillside that stretches out past the right side of my back yard & circles behind it. The hill dips into a valley, which is were my "immediate" backyard is. The lowest point of this " valley" is behind the area I picked for my dahlias 2b planted. My backyard is a little valley but the ground closer to my house is higher than the rest of this valley area. I chose to plant my dahlias in this area closer to my back lanai for afternoon shade & higher ground. Bc the dahlias are at a higher point than the rest of the " valley" if it rains & floods, my dahlias won't be sitting in it. My yard is weird & uneven. I'm upset I waited way too long to get this started!! Do u think I will have blooms this fall if I get them in within a week ? Sorry for flooding u with questions but Im not familiar with dahlias like I am Roses & other flowers :) thanks cici