m_lorne, I've built my own plastic bin composters out of garbage cans, and I get quite good compost. Speaking of fashionable, it seems very fashionable to bash the bin composters...but they really can work, and depending on your circumstances, they may be a very good option indeed. As for me, I live in the city. I'll never get a cubic yard of compostable material all at one time, even if I have a place to put a traditional pile (which I'm not sure I do). As I proceed with the development of my yard and landscaping, I can move my bins around to suit my current whims -- they spent last Summer near the kitchen door, and over the Winter they were moved to a sunnier location. They thawed out well before the traditional piles that my more rural friends have. I get aeration from holes I've drilled in the sides, and drainage (not to mention earthworm entry) via holes in the bottom. I "turn" my bin by dumping it out and shoveling the contents back in with a pitchfork, and the commercial plastic bins can be turned similarly. It's pretty easy. When all is said & done, I get dark, rich, beautiful compost, just as surely as those with traditional piles do.

Well, I've only lived here for about 3 years (I'm a zone 7-8 transplant!) I'm confused on what you mean for frost "how will I recognize it?" statement. Surely you know frost living in No. IL. To save your canna, frost or not, you are just going to want to make sure that they are not in frozen ground because they are made up of mostly water and, hence, freeze and destroy the rhizones. Frost, for me, is just my wake up call to pay attention and get busy. They won't be growing anyway once it gets colder like that. If you tire of them before frost, you can dig them whenever convenient and should do so if you don't like working in the cold. A little frost seems to melt the foliage a little and it is easier to lop that off is why I do it - plus I dread the whole "summer is over" process. Also, in warmer climates they just melt down with frost, but if the ground doesn't freeze, they are good to go through the winter (like zone 8). Iowa usually has a first killing FREEZE somewhere around Oct. 15 for most stuff, is my understanding; however, it can occur earlier. Last year I think we had one such freeze in Sept, but then followed with warm weather. OK. I ignore big box store guys - unless they are the nursery supplier people - though he told you probably correctly. Now, here is how it goes. Floral mums usually aren't hardy is my understanding. However, the mums that go to Home Depot, etc, in Spring and Fall are. Now, here is the catch. Yes, in our 5a winter, if you want that mum to be perennial, you need to plant it in the spring so it has as much time as possible to develop roots. I get about a 60-75% return rate on ones planted last spring if I leave them undisturbed over winter until about May 15. The ones which do come back, though, seem to keep coming back from then on. Mums planted in our zone in fall just don't have adequate time to get established. About 2 years ago in March when we had 2 weeks of Indian summer followed by horrific cold, everybody I knew lost all their mums. But this is not typical for the area. I usually plant a zillion $1 size (my goal is not to spend any more than $1.25) in the Spring. The earlier I plant, the better and bigger they are by fall. The ones I found and got out in late April, despite cold weather after that, are HUGE now! I simply use my cut-off date for "pinching" to be about father's day here - (I used to halt pinching on July 4 for warmer zones). That gives a nice shape, less flop. I try not to pinch too late because I need to get these puppies bloomed before temps get too cold cause I want to enjoy as long as possible. Mums will withstand freezing temps, and the flowers are undisturbed down to about 27 degrees, I believe. You'll find different types and colors weather frosts better (not showing discoloration as readily). I had some burgandy ones that stayed stunning until the end of the season last year. Hope this helps! Tess

Hi beanz - these are all Vegetable Gardening issues rather than food preservation - the focus of this forum - so I hope you don't mind if I refer you to that forum. I put a direct link for you below. When you post there please be sure to include your zone or location in the box provided as you are clearly far ahead of most of us here in garden time. Dave PS: as to the corn stalks, yes you just pull them Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable Gardening forum

My corn area is quite a bit bigger so once they are standing fully dry I tractor till them in, scatter sow a high N cover crop on top, and let it all decompose over the winter for soil improvement and then till again in the spring. In your size bed I like gumby's suggestion. Just cut them off at the soil line to leave the roots, chop them up some if you can, and lay them out on top of the bed to rot in place and keep down the weeds. You'll have stalk pieces to remove come spring but much of the leaves will have rotted. Or you can just fork-turn it all into the bed come spring. If you can get some fresh manure to pile on top of them so much the better. Dave