I thought that the design software would help us set limits on numbers of plants per area but since it has yet to arrive in the mail perhaps Martie is right we should continue on so we dont loose too much momentum. I still however would like to plug our choices into a digital design and will share my attempts and ask for guidance with that as we go along. Below is the list of chosen plants for the vegetable beds although still in the kitchen garden lets move on to herbs (again another area of gardening that I know nothing about). This game is a creation of mutual effort so if you feel strongly about one thing or another or have a different vision please let us know. Should we move the fennel, garlic, and onions to the herb garden or are they considered veggies? The herb garden is 30 x 30 which will allow for nice wide pathways and easy access to plants. Clematis 'Polish Spirit' - Vtskier Turnips - Cady Rhubarb - Mad Gal Spinach 'Prickly-seeded ' - kt Carrots 'Early (Scarlet) Horn' - Bug Tomato 'Early Cascade' - Nhbabs Peas 'Sugar Snap' Tee Pee - Cady Beans - green, yellow and purple with Dill - Mad Gal Basil 'Lettuce leaf' - nhbabs Fennel - Florence - kt Asparagus - Vtskiers Apple 'Golden Russet', espaliered - Martie Eggplant - Bug Swiss Chard 'Ruby Glow' - Cady Onions - Martie Cherry Tomatoes - Vtskier Garlic Nhbabs Globe Artichoke - kt half-dozen sweet bells if they have freezer space for winter use, 4 'Mexi-bells' if seed were still available (slightly warm, wonderful for salsa which I put up in dozens of pint jars each year), 2 Jalapeños, a 'Cayenne' and 3 'Thai' peppers for both heat and their beautiful, compact size. - Solana French Breakfast Radish - Bug Red Leaf Lettus - Mad Gal Cady its your turn to choose an herb.

Hi all. I'm a newbie to this forum but not to this topic. Bottom line in regards to the original posting: if you sign the forms and then violate those terms then you are legally responsible. Putting aside what I think about the chem congloms (I detect a stench strongly akin to that of Ma Bell), signing your name to a legal agreement is still binding. Say you decide to quietly save back some RoundUp Ready seed, or decide that non-GMO refuges are just a waste of time/money and put a field completely into a GMO crop...you are knowingly going against your contract and busted is busted. If the speed limit is 35 and you get clocked at 70 don't feign surprise when you get the ticket. We have been saving back seed from our best-performing variety of soybeans for the last seven-10 years (non-GMO of course). This year when we contacted the operation that we use for our cleaning and storage they informed us that they had totally discontinued this service due to ongoing litigation with several customes. You guessed it...people were caught saving back GMOs. And the same people who don't understand the concept behind a refuge system with GMOs are quite often the ones who have more and more weeds still nice and green after yet another year of ALS-herbicides and can't figure it out. They accept the technology as foolproof without ever fully understanding it. I am sure there are a few here who will immediately want a background check. Here's what you get: We are small farmers-- the dying breed, if you will. We farm less than 400 acres of the big three (a rotation of soybeans, corn, and milo), all conservation tillage. The only reason my husband and I stay with this is because his dad died this past September and we absolutely refuse to sell the family farm to the 5000 Acre-Big Names. If I had my way (and wishes were horses so that beggars could ride) I would put it ALL BACK into native hardwoods and prairie and tell the rest of these greed-driven big operators to keep their damn hands off...uh, sorry--need my Prozac fix, forgive the tangent. Did try Bt corn against my wishes...I don't feel secure around anything GMO but the decisions are not all mine to make. Objectively speaking, I did notice that the non-Bt had a higher mold occurrence in the ears due to caterpillar frass breaking down (Makes me think of the contaminated Diamond dog food in the news lately), but other than that, we didn't see much difference in yield or stalk quality between the GMO vs non. Of course, no two growing seasons are alike in terms of weather, pest stresses, etc.... Never used RoundUp Read...beans, corn, any of it. In fact three years ago we got a 30-cent PREMIUM for non GMO beans. Only money we EVER saw from RoundUp Ready was two years ago when a neighbor who does bow and scrape to The Roundups had an adjoining field custom sprayed... seems that operator skipped school the day they taught basic GPS and so we received a complimentary spraying and a bunch of dead beans. It isn't possible with bigger acreages, but some of us still do it the old-fashioned way: long-sleeves, a bottle of water and a cane hook. I admit I am losing ground to the water hemp and the cockleburrs in some places, but after the initial spring planting/spraying (yes, we DO use some chemicals) the majority of post emergent weed populations such as shattercane, ragweed and velvetleaf are up to me. I have yet to read of a knife-resistant strain of anything. Politicians, maybe?

-Lettuce soup. -If you have a juicer you can use it there. -Dehydrate. (Source: Making and Using Dried Foods) Shred or cut into quarters. Blanch until wilted, about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes in steam or 1-1/2 minutes in boiling water. Drain. Chill in cold water. Drain. Pat dry. (I give it a quick spin in the salad spinner.) Spread shreds or quarters thinly over trays. Dry at 120-degrees until crisp, about 8 to 12 hours, stirring or turning pieces occasionally and rotating trays once. When dry, cooled pieces should crumble easily when crushed in the hands. To use: While refreshed lettuce does NOT have the crispness desirable for salads, it is an excellent cooked vegetable and a valuable addition to soups. Pour one cup boiling water over one cup dried lettuce, cover and cook for 20-25-minutes. One cup yields about 1-1/2 c. cooked vegetable. SWEET AND SOUR DRIED LETTUCE 3 c. dried lettuce shreds 1 c. dried apple slices 4 c. boiling water 2 T. vegetable oil 2 T. all-purpose flour 3 T. white vinegar 4 T. brown sugar salt and pepper to taste Cover dried lettuce and dried apple slices with boiling water. Cook for 10-minutes in a covered saucepan. Add oil and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, vinegar, and sugar. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serves 6. BRAISED DRIED LETTUCE 4 dried lettuce quarters 2 c. boiling water 2 T. butter salt and pepper to taste dash ground nutmeg 1 T. lemon juice Cook dried lettuce quarters in boiling water for 30-35 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid for soups. Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add lettuce and cook slowly for 10 to 15 minutes. Add seasonings and lemon juice and stir quickly to blend. Serves 4. -It keeps longer if you can vacuum-seal it in a jar or canister using a FoodSaver. -Probably similar to "Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps" - ASIAN CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS 1 can (12.5 oz.) chicken breast (drained) 2 medium carrots - shredded (about 1-cup) 3/4 c. diced red bell pepper 4 green onions, chopped (about 1/2-cup) 1/4 c. Asian-Style Sesame Salad Dressing 6 large Bibb or Iceberg lettuce leaves Mix ingredients, except lettuce leaves, and serve packaged in the lettuce leaves. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SALAD-TOPPED PITA PIZZA (source: "Hungry Girl To The MAX!" by Lisa Lillien 1 stick light string cheese 1 high-fiber pita Dash Italian seasoning 2 c. finely chopped romaine lettuce 1/4 c. chopped tomato 1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion 2 T. fat free or low-fat balsamic or red wine vinaigrette 1 t. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Break string cheese into thirds and place in a blender or food processor -- blend at high speed until shredded. (Or pull into shreds and roughly chop.) Lay pita on the baking sheet, and sprinkle with shredded string cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake until hot and lightly browned, 8-10-minutes. To make the salad, mix rommaine, tomato, and onion in a large bowl. Toss with finaigrette. Top pita with salad and Parm-style topping. -Grainlady

Hi everyone! Thank you! Jane, Oooooh, don't get me started on squirrels. I wish I could contract eagle hitmen to deal with them.... they've ruined many an orange with one bite, chewed up many succulent leaves, then spit out the leaf in disgust and do it again the next day. The bigger hoodlums are raccoons that decided the center of all my bromeliads have hidden treats. The carnage! Plant parts everywhere and, yes. Orchids and succulents thrown down to the ground. Haven't figured out how to deter these furry gangsters..... My trees....there are 3 trees sort of fighting for canopy space. A guava above the Mary Eliz B bench. A large Australian Umbrella tree that blocks the afternoon Western sun somewhat and a 20 year old Chinese Elm I am annoyed with. They have leafed out and the shelter in heat waves is appreciated, but, they all need taming. Saving pennies for arborist..... I enjoy seeing how simply growing spaces are organized, including yours'. Love how your phalie is happy in the tree! I used to have a few laelias growing on an apricot tree, now long gone. Ariel, how humid is your climate? Seems the orchids would be happy year round.