Hman, I almost didn't write about the short life of fruit trees because I figured there would be posts splitting hairs with examples of old trees. I too have seen very old fruit trees, but I restricted my comment to trees in towns (not farmsteads or abandoned orchards) and used language that allowed for exceptions. Maybe it's different in NY, but here in KS there are very few 100 year old trees in town. I'm sure it would be much less than one in a hundred houses. It's not that apples or pears can't survive that long here, it's that new owners cut them down.

Susannah The idea about raised beds is that you can control what you put in the soil, also is easier to work with the crops for rotating and solarization. Very important in Florida. You can also group the plants with others with similar needs of water and nutrients. Pots work great for vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers. Remember the garden is always a work in progress... Sumala The grass is for my dogs to play, my guests for outdoors parties and the septic tank. We still have some projects to add like pathways and others. Few years down the road is going to look different, especially once the fruit trees grow. Tom I will start my okra like Christine advice me, around March. Christine Your garden is different but beautiful in its own way. We all do what we can with the space that we have and problems that we may encounter. There are a lot of sources for ground cherries; Southern Exposure, Bakers Creek an others. I have a few varieties now that I have not tried yet. I am looking for a particular taste. The one in the picture is Cossack pineapple from Southern Exposure, is good but not the one I am looking for. Ideally they should start like tomatoes, and planted at the same time. They are perennials in other countries. Mine were started around middle of September and they are taking the cold pretty well. Thanks for the tip on the okra. Willy

"Does anyone have insight into germination problems with ground cherries?" Years ago, I started these from seed I'd saved from one plant I'd bought as a transplant (before I learned they reseed like crazy), and I was quite successful ~ I think dang near every one sprouted for me. I don't remember about specifics on how I started them, but I do remember I fermented them when I saved them like you do tomato seed. Maybe that is getting in your way? Here's a good tutorial on how to do it. I'd bet you could grind up a store-bought tomato that you've removed the seeds from, add the ground cherry seeds to that and proceed as normal. A couple tips to make it easier (now and if you do this in the future on other tomatoes/tomatillos) ~ 1. Whir the entire tomato/tomatillo in a blender with a few cups of water for just a second or two (literally a second or two or you'll pulverize all the seeds instead of just a few ~ use the "pulse" setting). 2. Once it's finished fermenting I simply add more water, stir vigorously, let it settle for a few minutes and pour the goo off the top. The healthy seeds settle to the bottom and the nonviable ones float so you'll get better germination from the seeds you do save. And doing it this way eliminates the straining step. Easey-peasey. I also agree with GPonder that they like things warm, so I'll bet some bottom heat in your climate will really help them.

SUCCESS!!!!! After my second try, and a very hot summer, I am now seeing the fruits of this wonderful labour. And, what a wonderful fruit. I've got about 8 or 10 berries, so far, but there are many, many, many more to come. If we can hold out 2 more weeks, I should get at least a pie and a bit of jam. They are soooooo good. One of my sons tried one yesterday and thought it a bit on the sour side, but I'm finding them really nice. They are forecasting a bit of cooler weather for this weekend, with the possibility of snow. That's really early for us. It will be such a shame if we get an early killing frost. It is supposed to get really warm again after this cool spell. The weather has been so hot this year with many, many days above 30C. Summer 2005 only had a couple of those really hot days. Definitely, this year, I will be covering the gooseberries with my frost blanket. I was away for 2 1/2 weeks in late August and my tomatoes have bushed out of control. Not sure how many I'll get but I have to find them first. All in all, it's been a good summer with lots of learning going on this year. Hope all in kiwi country is going well. Thanks for all of the help in getting me familiarized with a new yearly "must have". BTW, you were absolutely right about the pansies. I'm not sure I ever want to see another one. Although, my self seeded space was very pretty and fragrant, it became a nightmare of pansies everywhere throughout my garden. I am going to be pulling for years to come. LOL Shauna