You'll want to cover the dark containers with something that reflects heat, rather than absorbs heat as black does. Otherwise the absorbed heat will cook the plants' roots. Some people use white garbage bags or silver space blankets; I haven't ever done that, but have read that the garbage bags, at least, will disintegrate due to UV damage. 7 gallons is too small a container for an indeterminate like Cherokee Purple (yes, it can be done: but it's too small -- and you may need to water more than once a day; mulching the top of the pot will help somewhat with the water issue). Also, you will need some major-league -- and much taller -- support: yes, you can prune suckers, but the plants will still grow to 8-10' in height (maybe longer in your zone). Whatever support you use for a tall and/or heavy (all that fruit weight!) tomato vine needs to be anchored firmly outside the container. I don't grow peppers, but the small rings you have for the tomatoes are often mentioned as appropriate for peppers. (I use them for dwarf tomato varieties.)

1. If there is sod, you need to remove it first since you are planning on planting this spring. (For areas that you think you might want to plant next year, cut the sod now and turn upside down, leaving it there for the whole year). Depending on the size of the area and the lay of the land (i.e. flat and smooth versus hilly and/or bumpy) you might consider renting a sod cutter. This will bring the sod up in strips. Otherwise, you are going to have to cut it out manually. Get a good, sharp, sharp, combination shovel or spade. Did I mention that it should be sharp? Yeah, like don't-run-your-finger-down-the-edge-of-it sharp. Whatever method you choose, get the sod out and pile it as a start of a compost pile. If you do not have sod, and you simply have bare soil with lots of weeds, then have at the weeds with a large mower or a weed-whacker, then a sharp hoe. Did I mention that it should be sharp? :-) If you do not have an aversion to using chemicals, you could use RoundUp. However, if you are going to be planting in a few weeks, I would avoid this route. After weeds and/or sod have been removed, you can do one of two things: rototill or hand work. If you rototill, you are going to be tilling the soil in progressive depths. If you are working more than a few hundred square feet, rent the rear tine self-propelled tiller. If it is a fairly small area, a front tine tiller will suffice. (However, if it is a small area, consider doing hand work). Depth on the initial pass should be superficial. Then, do a second pass, working down 2 to 3 inches. At this point, I would stop for the day, get a beer, and relax for the good work to come. Hand work (by itself or after tilling) isn't too bad, as long as you follow two rules: use good quality, properly sized and properly sharpened tools; don't try to do too much at once. 2. Ideally, you should have a soil test done to determine what, if any, ammendments should be used. A good soil test will tell you what you need and how much of it you will need. However, in lieu of a soil test, you usually can't go wrong with the following ammendments/fertilizers: 1/2" - 1" of good, quality compost, spread over the tops of the growing beds (but not the pathways) 4 parts (by volume, not weight) seed meal, like alfalfa, soybean, cottonseed, etc. or well composted chicken manure 1 part dolomitic lime 1 part bone meal 1 part kelp meal (if you can find it, and if it's not too expensive) You are aiming for about a gallon per 100 square feet of growing area. Broadcast the fertilizer at a ratio of about 1 gallon per 100 square feet. Then, using your sharp shovel, scrape about 2 or 3 inches of soil from the pathways in between the beds you have marked out (usually, beds are no wider than 4 foot, and as long as you want, but I pick between 25 and 50 feet) and scoop that soil onto the bed areas. Using your sharp shovel, hoe or fork, work the bed soil down a full shovel length. Pry it, swirl it, rock it, turn it, etc. etc. Work the soil a little bit at a time, always working the area you were just standing on, and in no time at all, you will have very nice, well tilthed soil (depending on your soil makeup to start with). Don't ever, ever walk on the beds again as long as they will be growing something. When you are ready to plant transplants or seeds, you need to rake out a nice seed bed. Using a hard rake, pull the stones and hard clods off the top of the bed and down into the pathways. 3. Mulch is a personal preference and depends largely on where you live. In NJ, general wisdom is that it is beneficial to mulch, but only after the soil has warmed up for things like tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash, etc. After the plants are up and running, you can start with newspaper (3 or 4 layers) and then top with (ideally) a well mixed and well chopped mixture of grass clippings, leaves, and straw. If you can't get straw, use grass clippings and leaves, but make sure they are well mixed and well chopped (otherwise they tend to mat and carpet the soil). 4a. Wait until seeds have come up before mulching. I know the permanent mulchers/Ruth-Stout'ers will tell you otherwise, but I find the thick mulch keeps the soil too cool during the crucial germination/transplant stages. Exceptions could be made for cold crops like peas, lettuce, spinach and brassicas. Well, I hope that helps. Michael

Look on the bright side--you have plants, you have ground, and that's enough to get started with. Pick a spot that is diggable. Plant everything. Let the cucumbers run up a trellis if possible, if not, let them sprawl with leaves, dry grass clippings, whatever is handy under them. Stake the tomatoes with whatever is handy (those tree limbs do have a use!) Plant the zucchini and start lining up friends to take the excess. Put the perennial herbs where they can stay a couple of years, preferable near your kitchen so they can be used easily. Annual herbs like basil, parsley (too late for that, but if you've got, give it a try) can be stuck in the vegetable garden. The perennials will do fine where you put them for this year, and will probably propagate themselves so you can easily move smaller plants next year. We all get in this predicament--too many plants, too little time. Don't worry, just enjoy. And until you find out what your soil needs (a soil test before next year's garden) don't worry about amendments. If the plants look sickly, give them a balanced fertilizer. Otherwise, just enjoy your harvest!

Thanks everybody for all the nice things you said! I sure appreciate it. I owe an awful lot to all the nice folks here in the forums of GardenWeb. I've spent a lot of time in the last couple years in the lawn care, lawn mowers, and organic lawn care forums. Steffie, You asked "On your lawn, what did you use to get it so lush?" The real trick to lawn care is to know the basics. It's the basic cultural practices which are way too often overlooked and we tend to look for that special bag of something we can put in the spreader or the bottle of something we can put in the hose end sprayer (at least I know that's what I originally did!) Here are the lawn care basics: 1) Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch of irrigation in every zone, all at once. The goal is to get moisture down 8 or 10 inches into the soil. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. 2) Mow frequently at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Personally I mow my bermuda @ .625" with a reel mower every three days. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. You should not remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade when you mow. So, if you have a tall grass like fescue, you would mow when the grass reaches 6 inches and mow it down to 4 inches. If you have a short grass like bermuda, well, I mow when it gets to around 7/8" to 1" & cut it down to 5/8". You also should always mulch mow, leaving the clippings (don't bag 'em.) Why? ** Grass clippings are 80% water and decompose quickly releasing nutrients into your soil. ** Mulching provides up to 1/3rd of the lawns yearly fertilizer needs providing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace amounts of micronutients. ** Mulching reduces the amount of time you spend bagging and fertilizing. ** Grass clippings donÂt cause thatch. (over watering and over fertilizing do) ** Mulching reduces yard waste by 20-40%. ** Mulching reduces the amount of water your lawn needs. 3) Fertilize regularly. I fertilize several times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. But if you have bermuda, I'd suggest soybean meal if you want to stay on the organic side. It's got the most "bang for your buck" due to the high protein content. Personally I apply soybean meal approx once a month during the growing season @ 15lbs/1000sqft. As far as the 13-13-13 that you have already applied, you really don't need all that P & K for your lawn but maybe once every year or two. Fertilizers with that much P & K typically are used for veggie/flower gardens or shrubs. Turfgrass is a real nitrogen hog, so if you want to use synthetics, use something like 34-0-0, or 46-0-0 for the rest of the year. It really isn't any more complicated than that. Following these simple cultural practices will make your lawn look better than most all the lawns in your neighborhood. It's what I do & mine is the best in my neighborhood. face> Ilene I couldn't agree more! I stumbled across those cages as I was browsing in the tomato growing forum! One of the really best parts is that they break down & hardly take up any space in the garage! While I still have a few more crossover connectors to buy (they didn't have enuf in stock when I bought 'em.) This is my stuff for 5 of those cages: Happy gardening everyone! Good day, Dan