Apply the dolomitic lime now and work that in. You may want to do these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. which can help determine what more you need to do. You could plant a winter cover crop (more spring preparation), or heavily mulch the garden which will mean the soil is then ready for planting when it is appropriate.

Yep, a long JB season here too. They came a little later this year, sometime after the 4th of July, and I was foolish enough to hope for a good season. But here we are in October and I still found 2 more last night. Possibly due to the extremely mild weather were having. It's more like the beginning of Sept. here. I put down grub control twice this year. Once right after they first appeared, and once again in late August. From what I've read, It only takes about two weeks for the eggs to hatch. So you put down the grub control as soon as you see the adults. Hopefully the larva eat the grub control before they burrow underground in search of turf roots to eat, and make their home for the winter. I re-applied about 6 weeks later because there were still a lot of beetles breeding, and I doubt the initial application would still be effective, especially after all the flooding we had in late August. Spraying Cyfluthrin or Permethrin and the like will do nothing to prevent them from coming back, and kills everything else in sight as well. Last year I used to take a lot of satisfaction in squishing them one one by one as I found them in the flowers. Then I worried about releasing a scent that would attract others. So now instead of torturing them, I take them for a nice swim with some of their friends in a bucket of soapy water. Very effective. What I've discovered in doing this is, their main strategy of escape when disturbed is instead of flying off, they tend to drop to the ground. So all you have to do is hold your bucket under the bloom, and say BOO!. They are so stupid! And it's fun to watch them swim. Mike

Here is a link to my picasa photo albums where you can see my WSing containers on shelves. Most of these orginail shelves are metal, which turned out to NOT be a great idea because they became rusty. I've been using heavy duty plastic shelving this year (from Lowes and from thrift shops)and have not had a problem with them blowing over but they are quite weighed down with jugs and containers. I think some of you are in areas with much more wind than we get though. Here is a link that might be useful: Nancy's garden and WS set up

I have advice for you, but must also ask, why would you want ivy (assuming you mean hedera helix?) It is classified as an invasive nuisance plant in your area. It's your yard to enjoy as you wish, but purposely growing a plant most would consider a noxious weed may be very undesirable even for you later, like if you ever want to sell your property, or decide you no longer want the ivy. It's hard to get rid of and can damage your house if it gets its' grips on it. I'm sure you did a great job pulling the weeds. Many only need a small piece of root to start growing again, though. And many new seeds have probably sprouted. Weeds never rest. Do you know what kind they are? The instructions below will work for MOST weeds, especially yours: recently stressed by "beheading" and facing extreme heat and drought. If you have some of the real heavy-hitters like full-grown pokeweed, bindweed, shrubby honeysuckle, (hedera helix would be in this category, btw,) you may need to put a shovel to those, and may have a battle on your hands for years to come. No matter what you eventually decide to grow, lasagna gardening techniques sound perfect for you. Cover your area with newspaper, use entire sections, 7-10 pages thickness. Overlap at least 9" so the weeds can't find the cracks and come through. Cover with about 4-6" of mulch. If you have some compost to put between the newspaper and mulch, that would be excellent. Weeding again beforehand shouldn't be necessary, except maybe to stomp them down so the paper can lay on them. You want the paper to lay as flat to the ground as possible. The mulch keeps as much moisture in the area as possible, and holds the paper down, preventing light from getting to the weeds, and physically pushing on them so they can't get up. By next spring, the weeds should be dead and you can dig down through whatever paper is left to plant flowers. If you moisten it occasionally this summer, it will help the paper decompose, but it's not necessary if you don't want to. Some new weed seeds will probably be blown in or dropped by birds and sprout in the mulch, but if you pull them while small, they should come right up. There are many discussions about lasagna gardening throughout these forums. If you do a search of them, you'll find enough to read for days. And never use plastic except maybe under a walkway or patio. Why? That's all been said. Do a search if you want another days' reading on THAT subject.