1. For all practical purposes it is too late for potatoes. Seed potatoes have been off the shelf for a couple of months now. You might get a few if you planted some store bought ones but it would be best IMO to pass on the potatoes for this year. In your zone potatoes are normally planted in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked - say late Feb. to early Mar. 2. Also too late for peas. They are an early spring crop and won't tolerate the heat but green beans (pole beans) can be planted on a trellis on one end of your tomato/pepper patch. Whether or not you can plant anything in with the tomatoes and peppers depends on the # of tomato and pepper plants you plant. Tomatoes and peppers get along fine but you don't want to alternate them as the tomatoes will shade the peppers. Using standard spacing in 25 feet you can do 8 or 9 plants (ie: 5 tomatoes and 4 peppers or 6 tomatoes and 3 peppers or 4 tomatoes, 4 peppers and one stand of pole beans, etc.). The pepper and tomato plants will shade out anything you plant in between them so only shade tolerant things would work. Low-growing herbs in front of them would work as long as you can still get to the plants to pick. 3. No way to know if they will get enough sun without seeing the area. Ideal is 8 hours of full sun. Quality and quantity decline as the number of hours of sun falls below 8 hours. Trim whatever you have to to get them as much sun as possible. New gardens are never ideal. Patience is required. They are always an experiment in progress. Problems will develop and you learn from them as you go along. The second and third year is always better and by year #4 you will be on a roll. :) Good luck. Dave

Bravo...a 19 YEAR OLD GARDENER...bravo to you. Although I never heard of the maxipad idea for sprouting..it seems like a good idea. It reminds me of how folks start avocado seeds by sticking them with toothpicks and suspending the seed in water 1/2 way. I am sure mango's would grow in the warm climate of Colton since they are a tropical fruit. Did the video tell you want to do after they start to sprout? A tree in general will take some time to get big enough to produce an abundant amount of fruit. I found this information on another website 1 Purchase a large healthy mango at the grocery store. Keep in mind that a healthy fruit will often produce the healthiest seeds. Resist the temptation to purchase a shriveled mango for a discounted price just to get the seed. Step 2 Slice and eat the mango. Be careful not to cut into the husky seed in the center. Step 3 Remove the seed husk and wash any remaining mango meat from the husk. Scrub lightly with a scouring brush to remove any residue. Set aside to dry for a few days. Step 4 Pry the husk open with a butter knife once it begins to crack slightly. You can also cut a thin slice around the rim of the husk until you see a tiny opening to the inside. Crack the entire husk open and remove the giant lima bean-shaped seed. Step 5 Use care when handling the seed as it may have a large root that has begun to grow. If the root is present, do not remove it. Don't worry if there isn't any root, yet. There is plenty of time for your seed to grow. Step 6 Fill a 6-inch pot with a regular potting soil. One with extended release fertilizer is a good choice. Be sure the soil is fully moistened before planting your mango seed. Step 7 Make a small indentation in the center of the pot. Plant your mango seed with the curved edges down and the rounded hump just above the surface of the soil. Cover the seed, leaving the very tip of the hump visible. Step 8 Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Place the seed in a sunny location where the temperature will remain as close to 80 degrees as possible for the next week. Cover loosely with a clear plastic bag to increase the temperature and humidity level. The seed should germinate within a week. Step 9 Try sprouting your mango seed in a layer of moist paper towels. Insert the seed and paper towels in a plastic storage bag and set it in a warm location. The top of a TV or water heater works great. Once roots have developed, plant the seed in potting soil and place in a sunny location. Here is a link that might be useful: grow a mango tree

Jeanne, I don't like using chemicals either, so most of my major plantings are in ground cover cloth with bark laid over the top, including 800 or more lavender plants which were planted from plugs and holes cut in the cloth, my hillside herb garden planted from 3 inch pots and my garden roses planted bareroot and then cloth laid around them, front yard shrubs with cloth laid round them after they were planted, fruit trees and lawn trees have a circle of ground cover cloth around them. The cloth really helps minimize weeds especially if there is drip to each plant - except the bermuda will travel over the top and root anywhere it can. Trish, I don't use herbicide in my herbs or lavender - these are all hand weeded - I have tried Roundup this year along fence lines and other areas because my property is too large to hand weed everything - I did try not using ground cover cloth in one bed of bulbs set in variegated ground cover and the bermuda took over so I will have to redo this section this spring but I have three very large upright rosemary right in the middle of this bed so I will have to hand weed those when they are dug up and then spray what remains. I had heard from someone that Roundup and Post mixed together will kill anything and someone else said Weed X will work - Roundup hasn't been all that effective and is expensive - so I am going to try and experiment with other herbicides. Linda

Hi Creek, I just stopped by to lurk and try to catch up on my friends. Haven't been here in sooo long. I'm glad I saw this. Your post brought back so many memories of trying to help Daddy take care of Mama who had alzheimers. He had a major stroke after my 6 siblings refused to help him and gave him no choice but insisted he put her in a nursing home. I was working full-time (had to- ex had left me DEEPLY in debt), had just married a man with 6 kids still at home, and spent the first 2 years of my new marriage running from work to 2 separate nursing homes trying to see that they each at least got fed ONE meal a day. Daddy had swallowing issues after his stroke. My heart broke DAILY. DH said, "Go- I will be here when you get back and I'm supporting you in any way I can." I've walked a mile in your shoes. I prayed for you before I started typing and will keep praying for you. Forget about the siblings. They will only add to your stress. Act like an only child and don't count on any help from them. Mamma and Daddy died within 18 months of each other and I still miss them terribly after 12 years. But, they are in a better place and I will see them again. The most important advice I can give you in hindsight is: Spend as much time with your parents as you can right now while you still have them. You won't regret it. And pray for strength and endurance. God Bless you, Betty PS- After reading everyone's encouragement, I was reminded why I love y'all so much even when I don't get to come by often. Karen, I'm painting that on my kitchen wall!