You really have to take those packet days to maturity with a grain of salt. It's a guideline only and really only useful to compare maturation times with other varieties. The reality in the garden is that sooo many things affect days to maturation that there's no way a seed packet could cover every situation. I also doubt it was your soil. We have a very heavy, silty soil here that acts much like clay - super heavy, crusts easily, drains poorly - and we grow carrots with no trouble at all. Carrots are low-demand, root vegetables, so unless you were dealing with severely terrible soil, nutrition shouldn't have been an issue either (especially since clay tends to hold on to nutrients). Carrots are really slow to germinate when the conditions are anything less than ideal. If it's too dry/wet/cold/crusty, they just sit and wait... and wait and wait and wait. They also need to be weeded diligently. If you were lax in the weeding department, that will have delayed them as well. I've gotten behind myself this year and you can distinctly tell which carrots in my rows had thistle competition and which did not. Four or five hours of sun a day probably isn't enough for quick growth either, though I'm sure they would get there eventually. Except for the weeding, I really don't think you did anything particularly wrong except not wait long enough. The variety you chose looks like it would have pushed through clay nicely (unlike an imperator type, for example). I'd almost bet money that if you'd left them alone for another month or two, you'd have had some nice carrots there. If you're interested in some sort of reference, I grow varieties of nantes carrots that range from 55 to 75 days to maturity, according to the packet. I plant mid to late May and dig up the main harvest (for winter storage) usually mid to late September, depending on when our first frosts show up. That's roughly four months (at least) from seeding to harvest, regardless of the variety.

Well I do have 30 gallon containers. Would this container be big enough to grow squash in? The varieties of squash I grew WERE bush types, unfortunately their vines still sprawled over the place. Also regarding the poor pollination problem, do you have to worry about this sort of thing with tomatoes (romas, slicers, cherry, grape) bell peppers (just sweet bell peppers), beans (any kind), and melons too? The reason I ask is because all of these things produce flowers and their fruit comes from the flowers. Would eggplant be susectible to this as well? I don't know if it flowers or not because I've never grown it before. With cukes, I know there are all female varieties, so would poor pollination be something to worry about since I'm assuming it would essentially take care of pollination itself? Also a really dumb question, but how do you distinguish between male and female flowers on squash (any kind), melons (again any kind) and bell peppers (if this poor pollination issue applies). How do you self-pollinate? I don't really know how to do so, because I've never done so before. Do the male blossoms have to be open before you can pollinate the female blossoms with the male blossoms?

Thanks tempusflits, for the suggested amounts of herbs. Apparently you can use any number of combinations if herbs. This what P Allen Smith had to say about herbes de Provence: "Herbes de Provence is an essential ingredient in my summer kitchen. The flavor is a natural fit with so many of the dishes of the season. Mixed with olive oil, Herbes de Provence is perfect for roasted chicken or potatoes. I love to sprinkle it over homegrown tomatoes with salt, pepper and a little feta cheese. This herb blend originates in Provence, France, down in the southwest near Italy. It is an assortment of herbs that reflect the traditional, native herbs commonly used by cooks from this region. Common herbs are thyme, fennel, sage, summer savory, rosemary, coriander, basil, anise, mint and tarragon. Lavender is sometimes added to the blend, especially here in the U.S. Traditional cooks in the region don't have a "mix". Instead they use the herbs as needed to suit their tastes. Spice wholesalers are responsible for the dried blends commonly found in stores. You can easily prepare Herbes de Provence with the herbs growing in your garden. During the summer months use them fresh as a bouquet garni for soup or stew. The traditional French bouquet garni is a small "bundle" of herbs tied together with cotton string or put into a sachet or tea strainer and added to the recipe. This method makes the removal of the herbs much easier before serving the dish. It is usually comprised of parsley, thyme and a bay leaf but you won't stray from tradition if you just use what you prefer. Herbes de Provence are also delicious chopped and sprinkled over any number of fresh veggies. Be sure to prepare a dried blend at the end of the growing season to use during fall and winter. My Herbes de Provence recipe includes sweet marjoram, thyme, sweet basil, rosemary and lavender. In addition to tasting great, these herbs are some of the easiest to grow." I hope this information is helpful to those who have not used herbes de Provence. jude

The adult moth overwinters in garden debris so the usual start to control is to be meticulus in garden cleanup. But that also destroys the habitat that the beneficial insects that can help control the Squash Vine Borer and many other pests so they have no place to overwinter. The strategies used to combat squash pests is to plant earlier, or later, cover the plants with floating row covers, put an impervious material on the ground or the plants stem near the ground (wrap the stem in aluminum foil) that will keep any larva from boring into the stem, and if the borers still get in search and destroy them and bury the stem beyond the damage so it can root and keep growing.