I'm hoping to retry growing some butternut(autumn glow) and triple treat pumpkin. I tried getting a late crop of autumn glow butternut this year by seeding 4 plants mid august but only one plant bore fruit. They are about 3 inches long in a container and wont probably make it by the time the first freeze come along. I'd also like to plant some netted pumpkin again this year. Melonette Jaspee de Vendee and some winter luxury pie pumpkin. Anyone know if those two pumpkins are related? But they are C. pepo and thus susceptible to vine borers. I won't be planting any C. maximas again because they take too much space and are prone to insect attacks. The Seminole pumpkin squash sound very interesting but might not have enough time to mature in the northeast US. Has any one tried the delicata types "Honey boat and Sugar loaf" varieties and can give me comparisons on their tastes as compared to each other and the common butternut(sweetness, texture, firmness)? All my honey boat squash plants wilted under mildew pressure this year. The delicatas I've tried from the supermarket were bland and probably grown with too much water. So, so far C. moschatas are my surest bet. Around here the supermarkets sell kabocha squash for 80 cents a pound and they are super sweet. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't just plant flowers instead of squash. One more question: The Autumn glow butternut I planted that grew large enough to bear fruit bore male flowers first. However, the female flowers that came about a week after opened up before any of the male flowers. Could this be due to the shorter days of Autumn? The plants are incredibly compact, no more than 40 inches long with very short tendrils. And the male flowers are very different from regular squash flowers. The flowers are very fleshy and heavy. Sorry for going off topic, but thanks for any answers.

Wow Claire...that before photo is amazing. You can really see where everything has changed. I can see that retaining wall so differently. The hoop and the pathway make such a difference. It looks like a different property! I guess that was before you put a shed in too? You get a lot of bloom on that rose bush. Very pretty. It is a pretty shade of red too. I really like your front yard. I like the large front window on your house and it looks like you have shaker shingles? One of my favorites...very Cape Cod too. Is that Miscanthus Morning light? What are the pink flowers? I have a rock border like that along a few beds in my back yard, because I really do like a casual rock edge. No it is not confusing. I can see the path and the hoop and now it all makes sense to where everything is placed. So why is your backyard so different? I have a large pile of broken pavers that I am going to use inside my borders for access and that will be one of my first projects in the spring, too. I will be moving a lot of plant material around then so it will be the right time to do it. LOL....that is funny about the cat. We don't have a cat so I was just guessing. I didn't realize catnip meant catnap..lol. I can see your photos perfectly and had no trouble viewing them at all. As for the stone company...I forgot you were on the cape. I probably won't be going down there for stone. [g] Thanks for sharing all your photos! Paige...I am always amazed when someone takes down a tree. I assume it had to come down. I say that because I have a large Norway Maple that I hate but I just don't have the courage to take it down. It is also a pretty expensive project from what I have heard. I would love more sun. Do you have any photos of your new beds? Anyone else have some of their projects done?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Forecasts for my area (northern Marin just south of the Sonoma county line) show lows around 28-29 degrees. That is nothing compared to December of 2013 when we had a week of night time temperatures below 27 degrees with an absolute low of 20 flat. In that respect, this looks more like a 3-5 year freeze, not a 10 year freeze. Even with those extreme temperatures all of my in-ground oranges and mandarins with at least 2 years in the ground all did fine with only mild damage. The younger trees, lemons and pummelo hybrids took some major damage with about half surviving. It should be interesting, but I'm not sweating it too much. -Brett

First, It is not practical or even efficient to water on any sort of schedule. Climate, current weather conditions and local soils will make that almost impossible to predict. Generally, one should allow at least 2 years for the root system of newly planted woody plants - trees and shrubs - to become established. Larger trees may need a another season. During this period of establishment, the recommendation is at least 1" of water per inch of trunk diameter per week. And that is best applied all at once but slowly (hose on low trickle). Take into account any rainfall as that will reduce what you need to apply manually. If in doubt as to water needs, check the soil moisture as close to the rootball as possible....if dry past the top few inches, water. Applying a decently thick layer of mulch will help to conserve soil moisture during hot or dry weather. And be sure to take into consideration those woodies that will never be very drought tolerant.....hydrangeas, most ericaceous plants (the rhodies), dogwoods, Japanese maples. They will need more frequent watering during hot or dry periods.