Looking great -- again :). And I was very interested to (finally) read your account of the garden "dynamics" (somehow missed it when you first posted it.) Some brainstorming (which may have nothing to do with reality, but here goes): You said you save your own seed (and that you're relatively new at this) so just wanted to mention -- you didn't save squash seed that was just left out in the open to be pollinated, did you? Just a thought (they always hybridize and usually turn out crummy -- best to use store bought seed). Really like your idea about a kid's section -- yet I'll add that I've been able to garden with my grand kids, ages 2 and 3, just with plenty of guidance. They're great at planting large seeds like peas, or root crops like onion sets, gently placing starts into holes, watering. And about the fact that folks don't pick and eat the food -- would a simple sign that says something along the lines of "Like what you see? Wish you could have some? Come work with us Saturday at 9, and take home the bounty!" And/or a sheet with a recipe on it -- used to do that for a CSA. Thanks for the update and pics! And so glad to hear you're off to a great start.

These plants have fat carrot-like roots that are water-storage organs. Soil that stays moist, soil devoid of air (all tiny particles like peat or sand,) and/or having tons of these 'carrots' filling the pot, smushing each other are conditions spider plant doesn't like. I've had an experimental plant that I kept when I dug up an infestation of this plant from my ground at my Mom's house last November. It had been there for a few years and some of the roots were a foot under the surface. One especially nice-looking plant got literally dropped in a pot and placed under some shrubs, where it still sits 9 months later. Oak leaves have fallen in there, but nobody has ever added 'dirt' or watered this plant. It gets a drink when it rains. I put it on the driveway to take a (pretty crappy) pic with my phone a few weeks ago. The babies have tons of roots (they were under the leaves/mulch in the under-the-shrubs area) but there's no brown tips or issues besides a few nibbles on leaves. These plants would rather have no soil at all if it's not chunky, porous, airy, no standing water in the bottom of a hanging basket that doesn't have a hole at the bottom surface (just a recessed hole in the middle, about 1/2 inch above the bottom) although also it's really humid here, so this "don't try this at home" without taking that into account. A pot big needs to be big enough for the carrots. The classic plastic hanging basket pot really isn't deep enough for one of these to be happy/look good for long at all, though the less water-retentive the mix, the better the results would be. If not using tap water, or there is rain used during summer, a bigger/deeper pot, one could spider looking great as long as possible. A wire thing with coir liner might work a lot better. This is interesting to hear also, I think. I kept all of the material I dug up in a plastic storage tub and brought it here to compost. It stayed in there for 7 months until I dumped the contents into compost area since it took that long for it to look dead. Last weekend I was pitchforking around in there, and encountered the roots, not at all yet decomposing, just storing water. I'm not (too) worried they'll grow because I've buried and done everything I could think of before with the 'carrots' to see if they could grow new plants but have never gotten one to do it. Not convinced it's impossible though. Has anybody? If/when repotting, the carrots can be cut to make room to put it back in the same pot with new soil. The more you cut the roots, the more effects you'll see after in the foliage, but it will be offset with new growth once new roots start growing. Whatever roots/carrots are left on should be spread/fanned out when put back in the pot, so each has as much room as possible to spread, and starts as high up in the pot as possible, using the space most effectively. After repotting, many times I've just sheared everything off just above the...

Welcome to Gardenweb & congrats on your new house! Agreed, Cannas. You can move them any time, if desired. They have probably not been there very long, a year or two, or the barrel would be completely packed with them, they spread very quickly. For that reason, if you do move them, don't put them in a bed with other plants. The Cannas will run into, through, over the other plants. This is why they're so often seen alone, in the middle of mowed grass (and may be why they were put in the barrel.) It does look like there's space at the front where you could add something to trail over the front. Hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers, so please keep that in mind if you get involved with any garden chemicals. The little clover looks like it may be Oxalis stricta, which is a cute plant with cheery little yellow flowers, but makes massive amounts of seeds. So next year you will have massive amounts of that plant if you leave that growing, I'd pull it. There are other Oxalis that grow from bulbs that don't behave that way. If you can take a closer pic of it, someone might be able to tell for sure.

Peppers, off the top of my head and without getting off the couch to check notes New Ace, King Arthur, Pinot Noir have produced well for me and we like the flavor. Carmen is a bulls horn type that is very tasty, ripens to red. Look for varieties suited to a short growing season. The last two years Beauregard has done well for me, a raised bed will be helpful in getting the soil warmed up for them. Most varieties will cover a lot of ground once they get going. I believe it's Vardaman (sp) that is more of a bush type but have never grown them so don't know about flavor or productivity. Don't forget you will need to cure them in a warm humid place for 7-10 days. Curing helps them keep in storage and converts the starches to sugars, developing the flavors. Onions, starting with plants will get you off to a good start. Copra is an excellent storage onion, Walla Walla's do well but are best used within approx a month of harvest. Big Daddy produces very large onions that will store for 3 or 4 months. Again onions that you plan to store need to be cured. As much as possible your garlic should be rotated to a different bed each year, you might want to put your onions an garlic in the same bed and move them each year to a different bed, Rotating crops is always a good idea if possible.