Ok, well, I had to get those puppies (onions) into the ground today, so I just hoed a long vertical row and tried to get mostly earth on top instead of the big clumps (I buried those or at least turned them upside down), then laid down the black weed block fabric, used garden staples to nail it down, and then cut slits in it (I'm talking small slits, like 1-1.5 inches), and poked those little onion transplants into the ground and firmed the soil up around them, watered them in, and said a little prayer ;). It's supposed to rain here for the next few days, so I hope they make it. Obviously I'll have to make the holes in the fabric bigger as they grow, but as long as it keeps the grass down for the most part, I'm ok with that. I plan on using some straw mulch in between rows, what do you all think?

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

Hi I am interested in-- Poppy "Danish Flag -- Cosmos "Sensation Mixed Color" (2007) -- Parsley "Plain Italian" (2007) -- Basil "Lettuce Leaf" (2007) -- Wildflower mix (2011) -- Thyme "Winter" (2007) -- Cassia "Yellow Christmas Bush Senna bicapsularis (2009) -- Poppy mix -- Another Poppy mix from my garden (2010) -- Morning Glory mixed colors -- Amaranth "Love Lies Bleeding" (2006) -- Amaranthus NOID -- Cypress Vine, Red (2009) -- Love In A Mist, Blue (2010) -- Ageratina Ligustrina (2010) -- Moonflower (datura), lavender (2011) -- California Poppy -- Orlaya grandiflora (2010) -- Butterfly garden mix (2010) -- Cosmos "Bright Lights Mixed" -- Nasturtium "Tall Single Blend" (2010) -- Lantana, Orange/Gold Please check my list if you are interested in any seeds I have thank you olga

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. My father is fine to work with, although I don't think we'll actually be working much together, since he is home all day, which is when he likes to garden, and I won't be there until I get out of work. However, my 17 yo daughter is very keen to garden, as she is planning to major in Biology in college, with a focus on botany. So I have a helper who is voraciously reading up on gardening right now. We went to a local nursery this weekend and picked up seedlings: peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuce, onions, corn, watermelon, cantalope and strawberries, as well as some herbs: dill, tarragon, mint, rosemary, thyme and chives. We didn't bother with tomatoes because my father aleady has too many tomato plants, so there'll be plenty to share. I wasn't sure how big of a plot he tilled, so I didn't get many plants of each of these. We'll probably add some zucchini and pumpkin and some other kind of squash if we have space. We went to his house yesterday, but we didn't plant - there were 3 tilled areas, but I wasn't sure which one was mine, and he wasn't home to ask. Plus, it was raining. He definitely prepped the soil already - there was definitely manure in the mix. I'll keep you posted on the progress of our garden. I'll be interested to see if any of the cabbage and lettuce survive the rabbits - my father has tried various non-lethal methods to keep the critters away, and right now, he plants each of his cabbages in an individual cage of chicken wire.