I also live in an urban area in MA, and I've also noticed that I just don't see the pest problems that I used to see where I grew up (about an hour west/south of the city). I haven't even seen any tomato hornworms (thank goodness!), and I've never seen a Squash Vine Borer. Slugs are often a problem (beer traps are my best friend), and like you, I get aphids occasionally. My neighbor has Japanese beetle traps, so I assume he's had problems in the past, but I haven't seen any beetles myself. I did have some powdery mildew problems on my curcurbits last year, as did my next door neighbor (I assume it spread), and I handled it with a diluted milk spray. I actually have seen a groundhog in the city, but he was just sitting on my front walk and alarming the cat, and hadn't made an appearance in the garden. The squirrels, skunks, and raccoons don't seem to bother the garden. I expect that I would have bird problems if I ever got any berries established, but that's still my plan. Mostly, I'd say that you should plant what you want, and deal with the problems if and when they arise.

weirdtrev; thx much for rply. I am growing pie size pumpkins (a little smaller than the typical jack-o-lantern") so I guess I am doing OK. I see fields with waaaaay more pumpkins than I'm getting but that must be simply because they're planting a lot more vines. my vines grow very vigorously (easily 10' or more) so I was expecting more pumpkins particularly with the number of flowers on each vine. Question: should the vine be trimmed at some point during the season? I will try your suggestion of burying the vines. I am growing the pumpkins in the area between young fruit trees so it's not grass; just whatever weeds are there. I am mulching the mound with the same wood chip mulch I use around my fruit trees. again thx for help. Mark in MN

Also read Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening"; it's basic common sense for home veg gardens and excellent for beginners. Search in this forum for 'lasagna' since soil is the first and most important component of any garden. Also search for 'new beds'; there has been quite a lot of information already posted. Read the FAQs (click the tab at the top of this page). Believe the tip that says "start small." Gardening can be like walking into a Chef's Expo - you won't get overstuffed (or overwhelmed) if you take your gardening in very small bites. Plan. You don't have to follow the plan, but the act of thinking out what you want and what steps will be required to get what you want, will help prepare you for the reality of accomplishing those steps. If you like formality, you probably won't like cottage gardens [and vice versa], so think about what you are comfortable with when you plan. Don't fib to yourself. If you can't comfortably lift a 25 pound bag of groceries, don't try to lift a 30 lb rock. If you only have Saturday mornings free to play in the garden, don't attempt to do a full day's work in that one morning -- first, it can't be done; and second, it's frustrating to fail. Gardens provide lots of other opportunities for frustration, you don't need to invent any. You will find almost everything takes two to ten times longer than you expect; and until you've built up the appropriate muscles, most gardening activities are going to be physically tiring, so go easy on yourself. Dream. We all do, and some of us actually manage to make our dreams reality. Most of us don't, and that's okay because sometimes the dream is just a guideline, and the detours we take make the result even more interesting. Enjoy. Make a point of walking your area every day or two; just to look (altho as you age, jotting notes in a small notebook is darned helpful to remember what you saw; in fact it's helpful even to young'uns -- it's shocking how fast you will forget just which plant looked good when). Make another point to sit back and do nothing but look around for at least a half-hour every week. You'll find those weeds or mis-placed plants which irritate you when viewed up close often blend in very nicely when viewed from a distance - and if they don't, you'll be rested and ready to move them. Sitting time is also a good time to dream, maybe about putting in paths, or a birdbath, or a shrub that blooms in a particular season, or a way to use vegs in the floral border. Whatever, gardening is meant to be enjoyed.

I made these Vanilla Pistachio Crescents at Christmas where you scrape vanilla beans and then process the bean scrapings with sugar in a food processor. The texture does become finer, but not like powdered sugar. The recipe originally called for processing for 5 min. If I do it that long, the powder starts wafting out of the processor and inhaling it makes you cough! Grocery stores here in northern Virginia carry Domino's superfine, or bar, sugar. Sometimes, it's with the drink mixes and such.