Thanks for all of the input so far! I'm getting some ideas here... But first, what I'm hearing, I think, is that mulch will likely harbour slugs? Dave/Digdirt, I'm curious about what the 1" of mulch will do re:slugs. I don't live near the ocean, Cmdrzog, but we have a little camper in Chincoteague that we go to about once a month starting at the end of April, so seaweed collection is an option. Maybe a layer of seaweed under my chopped leaves left over from last fall? I also wish I lived in an area where I could have chickens to let into the garden! Stupid suburbia. *grumble* I'm not particularly enamored with the trap method or the slug bait. I have very limited room and don't know how I would fit the traps in. I use a little organic (so they tell me)slugbait now around my seedlings, but don't want to make a habit of using it all the time! I'll check out the link when the search engine is up and running again. Thanks again!

There are several ways of lowering soil pH. The problem is, what is the starting pH, and what is pH after an application? Soil testing labs use pH meters, but these cost between 50 and 500 dollars, and they must be calibrated with standard solutions before use. The best way I have found for measuring soil pH is indicator dye. A 2 dollar bottle of indicator dye solutions might do 100 tests. Since cranberries grow best with soil pH between 4.2 and 5.5, the appropriate indicator dye would be bromocresol-green, which turns yellow at pH=3.8, and blue at pH=5.4. How much sulfur to use depends on where you are starting from. If you have tap water from municipal water supply, there should be an annual water quality report available, and this will give the water pH. If there is limestone in your area, your native soil might have a starting pH over 7.

Hi, Lisa, First year, just buy plants, and enjoy them. Now, until next spring- each time you cut the grass, dump the clippings in one place. When you prepare vegetables and fruit, dump them in the same place. Cover this pile-very simply and cheaply- with a black plastic "yard" garbage bag. Pile on your autumn leaves, and get your neighbor's leaves, too- the key is to cover with the plastic. This composts your discards so fast that you won't believe it! If you have clay soil, go to your local home improvement store and buy a 10 pound bag of "contractors", or even "play" sand. Mix it in well with your clay soil, and especially your composted veg discards. Possibly, your community gives away composted leaves that they pick up each autumn. It's important to cover this with plastic and let it sit for a year- covering is EXTREMELY important, to kill the weed seeds. The manure thing is great- if you have access to straw to mix with it, (well "rotted") even better. The important thing is to mix organic material- and the sand if you have clay soil. Best thing is that the organic stuff is free- save all of the "vegetable refuse" you would normally throw away-potato peelings, vegetable "trimmings", the unattractive outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage- soft tomatoes, bad radishes, eggshells. Pretty much any vegetable discards will do. Just make sure that it hasn't been cooked, or contain salt or vinegar. And after many years, I learned that covering the "pile" is the key. If you have REALLY heavy clay soil, I have friends who did this- their soil wasn't only heavy clay, but marshy and wet- they collected old matresses- not with springs- tilled up, dug down about 3 feet, laid the matresses down and covered them back up with soil. This gave them incredibly good drainage, and they had one of the best vegetable gardens I've ever seen. I wish you luck, hope I've been of help. I live in Delaware, 3 miles from the beach, and have spent 8 years amending the soil here, making it so good! ( I be proud) Don't hesitate to contact me directly (shellywilley@juno.com)- I'd love to hear how you make out, and I have lots of agriculturally adept friends who will be more than happy to share with you. Hope to hear from you, Lisa- we'll all be happy to be made to feel knowledgeable and important by having the opportunity to share with you! Shelly ps- I meant to spell it all correctly....and did you get that covering it all with plastic is important?

Yes, rain or shine! (We'll figure out how to accommodate anything Mother Nature throws at us.) I'll bring an umbrella, plastic sheeting/tarp and maybe old blankets to keep things from making the car floor too wet, and maybe an extra pair of shoes if it's really heavy rain... And rag towels to help keep the house from getting wet tracked inside...