Maybe. First, bear in mind that a volunteer squash of any sort may not produce what you think it will. Depends on whether the parent was a hybrid, cross-pollinated, etc. Second, large vining squash sometimes seem to have a mind of their own. You *may* be able to coax it in a particular direction, especially when it gets larger. Too much pruning will probably be resented, however, and can open the way to disease and some insects. Third, is the alley paved? This is actually my chief concern. I don't think the vines will appreciate sitting on hot asphalt, no matter how much water is applied at the roots (and too much water will not be good either). Still, if you have the time and you want to try it, why not?

Todd, I always pinch out the first flowers on every kind of annual I can think of. I learned it from The Victory Gardener who said it will make the plant stonger, flower better, and be better shaped the entire rest of the season. So, whether I buy from a garden ceter or start the seed myself I pinch them. Have you ever heard of Messenger? It's a plant hormone you spray on your plants. They don't really say what it does except make your plants stronger, flower better, and be more resistant to disease. When I sprayed it on my Impatiens seedlings, I noticed some really strong lateral branching, so this year was the first year I didn't pinch those back. There was simply no place to pinch and they didn't need it. I'm not sure why I brought that up, it's just very weird. I was wondering if pinching makes the plant produce its own hormone. Ah, well, I am thinking aloud and mostly yammering, to boot! You see those long tall Impatiens seedlings sitting in flats sometimes at the garden center and I just want to go though and pinch them all before people buy them :) LIme

For your xmas lights, you are just keeping freezing temps away. Put around the pots will cause a warm rising air moving through your plants. So people build a rectangular 2 x 4 frame on the ground and put four poles up (one at each corner). Plants go inside frame. At about six inches above the plants they stretch a clear plastic sheet and clamp it to the four posts. If the plastic is several feet bigger you can clamp the extra at a lower place on the pole making the plastic like a box upside down. this holds warmth in and cold out but lets air circulate under so you don't fry your plants in the day. This is a spring/fall item and not recommended when temps go over 85. Xmas light heat is held in the box and forms a bubble around the plants. Do be aware that strong wind can be a big problem for this kind of set-up and it should be removed. Usually the spring loaded clamps make set up and take down very fast. Bill

Frankly, I think it all depends on your cooking style. I have an OTR micro and in my kitchen reno last summer I put the old one right back over the range. It's almost 10 years old, and still looks brand new and I do a LOT of cooking; however, I never do deep fat frying. Before the reno, it was not vented to the outside - it is now. It works fine for the type of cooking I do - both long term and short term stove top and oven-type cooking and baking. I have never - and I repeat NEVER - had more than a few spatters of grease which I clean up immediately after cooking as part of the clean-up process. If i would have put in a "real' hood (which by the way would have cost just about the same as the cabinets and trim for the OTR) the micro would have ended up in a very awkward location - not all of us have the luxury of a large kitchen area. Although my kitchen is considered large by my friends, in actuality the working kitchen is only 13x10, with several doorways. Just like in decorating, while vertical blinds might be 'dated', sometimes they're the best solution to a window/door problem. So...sometimes the best solution is an OTR - you go with what works for you. Helene