An oak barrel - or even a faux oak barrel - Is perfect for blueberries. You can put 3 plants in one standard sized barrel. I see no reason to sink it into the ground. The change of level will add interest. You can plant herbs around the barrel, perhaps putting some stepping stones around the barrel so you can pick the berries without stepping on the other plants. The barrel should not be too close to the sidewalk for reasons mentioned above. At some point, you may have to net the berries, or birds may eat them before you get to them. The fence is quite low, so if you plan to espalier, you will have to add a trellis or something for support. Basil is an annual. Tarragon dies out in the winter, but regrows. parsley can last a few years, as can chives. Rosemary is a perennial shrub and can get large if not pruned regularly. Sage is drought tolerant and basil likes more water, so don't plant them next to each other. Good luck with you edible landscape. One of my neighbors has a pomegranate tree and artichokes in the strip next to the driveway. The tomatoes are farther back where they can't be seen from the street. Here is a link that might be useful: What's Growin' On?

Since blueberries mostly ripen in the latter part of summer, selling plants wouldn't really be an option - most people already have their gardens in by then. But if you have the time and space, plus the money to buy the seeds and starts, having vegetables or cut flowers to sell, although probably not u-pick, might work. You could have the flowers growing, and go out to pick as a customer wanted a bunch, with a posted price list such as "Bunch of 10 stems, $8.00 (or $12.00); Bunch of 15 stems, $10.00 (or $15.00), lilies $2.00 per stem, etc., etc." Your prices should be competitive with the ones in a decent florist and at the least match or exceed those in the local grocery store - after all, the customer is getting very fresh flowers, and just the ones they want! You probably should get a bucket of florist's preservative solution, and package it in small envelopes or small zip-locs, for the customer to add to their vases. Or buy a case of the small packets of it, already made up. Wrapping the whole bouquet in newspaper, and then damping the ends and putting that in a plastic bag would keep the flowers fresh while they were being taken home. For the veggies, having them picked and displayed at or near the cashier's area would probably generate sales. Just have them close enough to dicourage "grazing"! Having people pick their own would probably result in damaged plants - most people don't know how to pick ripe vegetables, nor how to recognize what is a ripe vegetable, unless they are experienced gardeners already, in which case, they probably HAVE a garden!

Sharon, Unfortunately you may have just missed blueberry season. WBarM Wool has had blueberries the last few weeks at the OKC-OSU Farmer's Market. They said Saturday, that what they were selling was the last of the blueberries. You could try and see if they have any today. They will be at 63rd and Western (across from Mamasita's on 63rd next to were the Varsity used to be) until 7:00PM. They have to bring the berries in from NE OK, since they don't grow well in central OK. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I LOVE blueberries also. However, I can vouch that the Blackberries from Sunberry Farms (from Sat farmer's market) are the best I have ever tasted. My co-worker called them melt in the mouth. They have a u-pick farm on Luther Road. So- not blueberries, but a taste of suummer?

HAPPY PART... Okay, the votes are in, and the judges have made their final decision! The winner of the picture contest is Joan, with her pictorial contribution of "LEGS"...lol!!! It was a tough decision, and all the pictures were great, but what really won it for Joan was our fear of what she was holding behind her back in the picture, and whether or not she'd use it on us! LOL!!! Joan, put the chainsaw down!!! Now all I need is Joan's address (can't find it anywhere here on this computer... Bump's been "organizing" files again!) and her prize will be on it's way! Thanks to Everyone who participated and came through with their trade! You all made this swap a great one! -Dan =========================================================== UNHAPPY PART, BUT SADLY NECESSARY We unfortunately had one person fail to follow through on her end of a trade, and yes, I'm talking about Leah/dancingrabbit. The last time she posted she said she'd be mailing out her boxes (she's in two RRs that I know of) this past week, so, I'm giving her this coming week to either post delivery confirmation numbers (so the boxes can be tracked) or for these two boxes to actually be delivered. If no proof of these boxes has surfaced at the end of this coming week, Leah will be banned from further trades within the MNF group, other groups will be alerted to her actions, and a VERY unsavory rating will be left for her in the rate and review forum, hopefully warning anyone else from including her in any trades or swaps. Leah, if you are reading this, and you wish to save your reputation, post the delivery confirmation numbers of those boxes, AND e-mail me right away.