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.

Hello jolj, I guess it must look like a hard sell thing, but in reality, I'm just an appliance repair guy in Florida. I was raised on figs and at last, I have a collection of 6 varieties, so this is really exciting to me. My etiquette might be lacking, but my interest and desire to encourage others are genuine. I have nothing to sell, and in fact, have long ago offered free cuttings from my trees to any and all. Three people have taken me up on that offer. I even pay the shipping. Right now, I need to let the trees get settled, but once they start really branching out, I will again extend this offer of free cuttings, and now, from a wider variety. Perhaps I am becoming an internet fig troll. If so, do please put me in my place. All I wish to do is to get people who love figs and fig tree growing to never give up and to never stop experimenting, and to please remain in the forums and share their triumphs. Read the forums and you will see how many people struggle and need encouragement and kudos and such. They are not kids, and I do not talk down to anybody, but they are human and sometimes need suggestions and to know that others are rooting for them. In brief, here are things I encourage: 1. Pruning to stimulate fruit production and 'bushing'. 2. Mulch and lots of it, because it helps so much in so many ways. (Yes, I do promote that back-to-eden guy's video. No, I don't know him, but yes, he has great ideas with simple, affordable applications. 3. Posting photos and links. What's a picture worth? 4. Networking. What good is it to withhold good techniques and tips? 5. Clever techniques for container growers. I recently stumbled online upon Larry Hall up in Michigan. His container gardening system's self watering technology is very interesting. When I ever lose a fig, it's because I am too busy fixing appliances to remember to water adequately. Larry has that problem fixed right. 6. Encouraging new members and first time growers. Nobody just decides one day to grow a fig tree. Each of us has a background tale which brought us here. Without prying, it's cool to hear from others about their long trek to this point. 7. Making fig growning fun and exciting. It should not be so much work and worry. ==================================== In your second message, you offered some very good advice. I am hardly a know-it-all regarding gardening. I can use all the good, sound advice out there. Guys like Frank in the Bronx is a constant source of new info for me. Every poster out there has a different list of tricks and tips. I'm here to encourage, but mostly, I am here to learn from smarter people. I am originally from New Orleans. We're a bit louder and less polished than the good folks in other places. I do not mean to offend, and apologize to you if I annoyed or upset you. I shall attempt to mind my manners in the future.

Wish I were in your shoes! Red peppers are so expensive here. Here are the recipes I would can if I could find cheap bell peppers: Shirley's taste-alike of Harry & David pepper and onion relish Linda Lou's roasted red pepper spread Just think it over. :-) Melissa Recipes: Pepper and Onion Relish, Harry & David style recipe by Shirley (shirleywny5) My last batch today is the last try at my H&D pepper,onion relish taste alike. I've made 4 batches of this already this season and I think I have got it about where I want it. If anyone is interested or even gives a dang, here is my recipe. I used my Cuisinart to chop all the peppers. Tomatoes were peeled, seeded and diced very small. The onion was diced using the Julienne blade of my V-slicer. 12 med Red bell peppers 10 jalapenos 5 assorted green, yellow or red hot peppers 5 large plum tomatoes 1 large onion. Any kind will do. 2 cups white vinegar 3 cups granulated sugar Remove seeds and white membrane from red peppers Remove HALF the seeds from the jalapenos Remove half the seeds from the other hots. Chop peppers in food processor Place in bowl with prepared tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle with 1 Tbls. canning salt. Let stand about 1 hour. Drain off liquid. I use my quart capacity strainer with a handle. The holes are smaller than my colander. You don't want any of the small pepper pieces falling through. Place peppers, onions and tomatoes in cooking pot and add sugar and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until thick as you like. Usually 30 or 45 minutes is plenty. You can almost tell by the texture. Ladle into jam jars and seal. Process 20 minutes in Hot water bath. Note: There was more discussion on this thread so if you have any questions let me know. For example, the red pepper skins stay on. Roasted Red Pepper Spread 6 lb. large red sweet peppers 1 lb. Roma tomatoes 2 large garlic cloves 1 small white onion 2 Tbsp. minced basil 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. coarse salt 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Roast peppers under broiler or on a grill at 425 degrees until skin wrinkles and chars in spots. Turn over and roast other side. Remove from heat.Place in a paper bag, secure opening, cool 15 minutes. Roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic under broiler or grill 10 - 15 minutes. Place tomatoes in a paper bag. Peel onion and garlic. Finely mince onion and garlic. Measure 1/4 cup and set aside. Peel and seed tomatoes and peppers. Puree in food processor or blender. Combine in a large pan.Bring to a boil over med.high heat, stir to prevent sticking. Reduce heat, simmer until spread thickens. Ladle hot spread into hot jars, leave 1/4 inch headspace. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. For healthy vegetable pizzas, use this spread as the sauce on a whole wheat crust. Add whatever veg you like and sprinkle with feta instead of a thick layer of mozzarella.

Thank you for the guidance. The bait cup simply said "red worms" on the label, so who knows what kind of worms I really have. But it sounds like I may have gotten the European nightcrawlers. They seem to be about 3 inches long. This is something akin to a science experiement for me. Don't want to invest a lot of money until I am sure it is going to be workable. I made my bin from two old kitty litter tubs, the kind with a hindged lid. On the bottom one (for catching the drainage) I removed the lid and drilled several holes in the sides (about 3 inches from the bootom). On the other tub, I drilled lots of holes in the lid, along the upper sides and smaller holes in the bottom (for drainage). From what I have read, surface area seems to be an important thing, and since the kitty litter tub is deeper than it is wide, I am only using less than half of the depth. I put damp newspapers, some soil with a bit of sand, the worms (only about 60 so far), a small amount of food, and more damp shredded newspaper on top. So it is a very small set up. I was pleased to find this morning that no worms seemed to have been able to escape (none were even trying - probably too deep) but they had eaten much of the overly ripe 1/2 banana and the centers (seeds) out of a few cucumber slices. So they seem to be happy enough so far. If I can keep these guys alive and producing those wonderful castings for at least a few weeks, then I think I will order some Eisenia foetida and get a bigger tub. Thanks again for the advice. I do hope this works.