I have no experience growing in your zone and have never grown corn, so I can't give you any advice there either, altho I understand corn is a heavy feeder(?). However, just because the soil "looks" good, doesn't mean it IS good. After many years of this elderly couple gardening, they may have exhausted the soil. Fertilizing will help, but imo, nothing beats amending the soil with compost, manure, etc. In my area we're having a bizarre season with much, much cooler than normal temps and tons of rain so that's playing havoc with my garden - don't know the conditions of your area, but it could just be a fluke as well. Don't get discouraged tho!! You're young and have years of wonderful gardening experiences ahead of you! We all have years where some things just don't work and you can't always explain it. It is frustrating, however, but again, try to not get discouraged. Best of luck to you in your new home and garden!! :) Lisa

I've been lurking in this forum getting ideas for a school garden where I volunteer. You all have great ideas. Very inspiring. Our local garden shop had some great signs in recently, but they are a bit pricey. Here are my favorites: On plant marker type signs: Weedum invasium Twigga mortis Gardenitis uncontrollius Plantus unknownus Bloomis notimus (Duh, it took me several visits before I realized this one was funny) On signs and rocks: Tickle the Earth with a hoe, She laughs with a harvest If friends were flowers, I'd pick you This place is for the birds (decorate with bird or two and place it near the bird feeder or birdhouse) To Weed or Not to Weed That is the Garden Wishing you Butterfly Mornings Wildflower Afternoons How Lovely is the Silence of Growing Things To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow A beautiful garden is a work of heart Peace to all who enter here Bless this garden Angels help my garden grow I hope to make a few of these into signs myself. I found a large flat bright yellow plastic platter at a thrift store that may be the "canvas" for my first attempt.

Try adding soil amendments with organic manures such as chicken/cow/horse manure and digging it into the soil before you plant and then mulching the bare soil. Adding organic amendments will help greatly with regulating soil moisture, which is the greatest problem with starting new plants from seed. A simple trap for earwigs is to leave rolled up newspaper in the garden, and the earwigs will gravitate to hide in them, you can then toss into the trash or shake them out and stomp them. The Bananas, Brugmansia and Calla Lilies are all likely to do better in a sheltered spot with mostly shade, unless you are in an area with direct coastal fog influence, and all will want to stay moist in the warmer/drier months. Brugmansia in particular will look better if you give it some time release fertilizer such as Osmocote or feed with fish emulsion regularly. The Zantedeschia aethiopica is more of a winter grower in southern California/northern Baja California, and is inclined to go dormant once the temperatures get warmer. If it gets winter rains and is planted in a spot with shade or only morning sun, it will likely burst into full growth again next rainy season. If you want Calla Lilies, the summer blooming hybrids with yellow/orange or pink flowers are probably better for Tijuana conditions, just keep them well watered and fed. Nasturtiums are probably also going to do better for you as a fall planted seedling growing through the winter, and declining as it gets warm, unless grown with sufficient shade and water. I'd suggest sticking with flowers that really prefer heat and can take a bit of drought, and African and French Marigolds should thrive for you, as should most Verbena species and hybrids such as V. rigida, V. bonariensis, and V. hybrida. If you have room for some rampant vines, I'd bet that common Morning Glory would do well, as would Bougainvillea, Thunbergia alata or T. gregorii. Succulents such as Cotyledon orbiculata, Sedum dendroideum, Euphorbia xantii and E. tirucallii 'Sticks on Fire', Echeveria agavoides and E. imbricata, Agaves such as A. parryi, A. bracteosa, A. attenuata, Aloes, etc. Now that it has finally warmed up, it is safer to be overwatering new plants, and they won't rot/drown from too cold/wet soil conditions. It may have been mostly a problem of too cool conditions for new warm season seedlings, in combination with soil with insufficient organic content to hold onto to soil nutrients and water. Aged chicken manure or rabbit manure and/or liquid fertilizers such as fish emulsion on a periodic basis should turn your luck around immensely. Don't give up, enjoy your garden, and good luck on the employment aspect!

HI Sandra, I've tried all 4 of his blogs. He just simple disappeared into thin air and it's not like him to do that. He's a very dedicated blogger and he and I were pretty good 'virtual ' friends that were to meet up last year for a plant swap. He mentioned that he knows some of the locals on Gardenweb and I was hoping someone knew how to contact him personally to see if he was okay. Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Home and Garden Chicago