Hi Flora uk, No, I don't always have to till it and some years I do lightly cultivate it as you suggested if the ground hasn't baked too hard over the previous season. The problem is more or less room because of the width of the bed. The morning glories are large and quickly climb the wall and take over the bed width-wise during their growing season. They perform beautifully until the first good freeze so I don't want to rip them out prematurely to plant winter crops in September/October. And planting cool weather seedlings there around February to harvest in Spring and Early summer would overlap with the planting of the morning glory seeds in late march/early April. The MGs would have to be planted in the same spot those would be growing in and they take off so fast. It was just a thought. I had always heard the terms "cool weather crops" and "winter sowing" and thought MAYBE there were things I could plant, grow and harvest during that 4, maybe 5 month downtime for the morning glories. I must admit....I don't even know what a fava is lol. I've always been meat and potatoes and my husband is the veggie lover. I only started learning to grow veggies for him. Farmerdill mentioned European radishes might be possible if I can germinate them. Maybe I'll look into something like that further. Thanks all for the education!

Most every body started the same way, Cliff, I've walked your path this year... and I couldn't agree more with you about Bambooplantation, I emailed and called about a dozen of mail order bamboo vendors all over the country, and Bambooplantation was by far the best, they sell good quality bamboos, you wouldn't beleive how tall those plants they sent! forget bidding on ebay, go with some place you can call on the phone who can give you the best answer and service right away... Do a lot of research on the Net before you spend a lot of money for bamboos, to know what kind of bamboo you want and what kind will survive the winter weather in your area, learn how to care for them... Follow this forum whenever you can, sometimes there will be some bamboo lovers like you and me will post a msg here with their surplus bamboo for trade... you can write to them and offer what you have for trade, and if you don't have plants to trade, you can offer them some fee and see if they can mail you some for a reasonable fee... don't just offer postage, put in consideration these people have to use lots of tape, they are not doing this for living, they have go find boxes, especially nowaday gasline price is so high, and people need to drive to the post office to mail them to you... My best kept secret source is Fred :-) he would help you what he can, and he takes pride for his bamboos, there are lots of people who reading this forum has been his fans :) Hope this helps Roger

The poles aren't as strong as you might think (native cane). The plants are very sensitive to the occasional droughts. I had a good stand behind my back yard in a forest and during the drought they died off . Later I found it growing in a low spot that normally floods. Ground water is going to be the key issue and rain runoff ditches are probably the best site for establishing a stand. Still, they spread underground and re-establish where there is adequate and continuous moisture so I have no idea how you would contain them. I don't find them attractive at all. A summertime short visual barrier if there's enough moisture but the rest of the year and in dry periods they do look ratty and the dead,dying leaves do persist. Are you trying to hide a view? As I mentioned, they aren't a permanent barrier. In the riverine (drainage/creek overflow) forest they would pop up in a different location every few years.

As some one indicated on your previous thread, there are several varieties bred just for growing in small spaces, and the site below has several listed. In particular; Micro-Tom #6536 'World's smallest tomato variety,'. Grows 5 to 8 inches tall in a 4 inch pot bearing flavorful miniature tomatoes about the size of salad croutons. Plants are truly diminutive and wonderful for patios, windowsills or garden borders. Patio F Hybrid #6334 This dwarf variety is one of America's most popular varieties ever for growing on patios, decks, courtyards, or wherever garden space is limited. Plants ... only become about 2 ft. tall, but produce large harvests of bright red, 3 to 4 oz. flavorful tomatoes. Outstanding for growing in containers -- one that measures at least 12 inches wide works best. Red Robin This popular dwarf variety of cherry tomato thrives in relatively small pots or hanging baskets set on sunny windowsills or outdoor patios. Plants only become 8 to 12 in. tall and bear masses of 1-1/4 inch full-flavored tomatoes with a touch of sweetness. It is a very rewarding harvest from a small tomato plant that can be grown in an 8-inch pot Tiny Tim Just perfect for container growing or smaller gardens. Plants grow no more than 18 inches tall and can be grown in a 6-inch pot Totem #5804 Perfect for container growing, this dwarf tomato plant only becomes 10 to 12 inches tall, but produces lots of flavorful, small red tomatoes. Tumbling Tom Hybrid Perfect for hanging baskets and containers, this plant cascades 18 inches over the container's edge, bearing lots of bright red 1 to 2-inch cherry tomatoes that are deliciously sweet. Plants grow about 6 inches wide, so you can place several in a 10 or 12-inch pot for a very attractive display. This is a great variety for gardeners with limited space. Other smaller varieties Elfin, Sweet Olive, Yellow canary In looking at your pictures, I see room for some 3 gallon containers. In addition, hanging, or vertical gardening, adds available space. Your temperate location can certainly work to your advantage, some of us in Colorado only get 5 months of growing season. Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato growers small plants