Mountainsong, You mentioned that most of the land you can find is owned by somebody. That doesn't necessarily mean there's no hope of using it. Sunshine Community Garden in Austin, TX is on land leased from the state (specifically from the State School for the Blind), and it's been there for many years. Try looking for land around state, county or municipal offices, schools, even churches. Lots of times they're holding that land to build on "someday" and they'll lease it out for very little money to a community organization in the meantime. You do then have the anxiety that you could lose it at any time, but you might also still have the spot 25 years from now. Oddly enough, some of the big huge apartment mega-developments and new "planned communities" are now starting to offer garden space, too. If you live in an area that's undergoing lots of development, consider talking to the developers. You might be pleasantly surprised; it doesn't cost them all that much to set aside one lot, and it's good community relations for them. For like-minded people, have you been in touch with your county's Cooperative Extension Agency? You can get lots of help there. Good luck! It'll be a lot of work, but it's amazing what a handful of people can create.

Good Morning Everyone!!!! I have missed all of you as well. Often, I would check to see how each of you were doing, and I enjoyed gardening through your daily posts. My Health made life a bit challenging. Kidneys were close to shutting down 3 times- gall bladder inflamed, had to be removed,before surgery, i could not even think of eating anything,SO>>my beloved made me his favorite treat for all sick people. Soft boiled eggs. From this i managed to get a bout of salmonella, with 10 days in the hospital.Fell again, tore my rotator cuff. Surgery for that, 6 weeks of no movement, 6 weeks of therapy, only to find out, the repair failed. Of course, during this time i used my left arm for everything,resulting in tearing the left rotator cuff. Waiting for surgery, as soon as my kidneys say OK. The big addition to our home turned out to be a trip to hell and back, a dozen times. From the usual small problems, to no proper foundation to no roof tie down, Major problems everywhere. The new roof,which cost in excess of 80,000., has to be replaced, since the underlayment was installed incorrectly. As you see, we had rather a "wish i could forget" kind of a year. Hopefully, next year will be a lot better. If i offended anyone with my dribble, I am sorry in advance. Cindeea, I hope all your proceedures will go perfectly well, and you will have a comfortable, painfree new year ahead of you. Happy Holidays to All, Irene

HI, I've been wondering the same thing for months! I guess we Americans don't yet have a tradition of winter gardening like the Europeans. I've just picked a bunch of spinach from one of my coldframes for dinner tonight and had a look at my savoy cabbage in the field that got planted late last year and the heads are just starting to form. I should get off my butt and get some things started in the other empty coldframe. I miss my carrots that did so well this year and I know I could have had them all winter had I got them planted ala Eliot Coleman style and bedded them in a coldframe for the winter. Maybe next year. My collards and kale got a major picking last week after a run of misreably cold weather made them suffer even under my reemay and plastic row covers. And were they ever good! The broccoli got in late and I was able to get a couple of meals before they succumbed to the 9 degree Morning of Death we had a few weeks ago. And hey, I'm in north Georgia about ten miles from NC and grew up in Charlotte, does that count?! Are you in a warm zone 7 or cold? I'm wondering if I can plant some carrots as well in my coldframes.

Well, Bumblebeez ... from way south of here (north of Lake Erie ... where we had a couple of frosts, last week ... but the corn and a dozen other things in my garden weren't up) ... ... do you have a topic that you'd like to see discussed? As Grainlady, I've been frugal for most of my life, and now live within my pensions, by choice, rather than necessity, so the investments are currently pretty well "play money" ... ... until I may need them to pay my way in a retirement or nursing home, or for medical care beyond what the Ontario healthcare system covers. Having lived in 22 locations in my 80 some years, I've never owned a home so can't qualify for being income tax exempt on the capital gain on owner-occupied home that many Canadians enjoy. I lived in employer-owned accommodation for a number of years ... but knew that when I became fired or retired ... I'd have to provide my own housing, so invested, looking toward that day. I seldom use my credit cards (which I call "debt" cards). As a financial consuItant, selling mutual funds for about a year, then no financial products, I recommended to people that they have a cushion of asset available in case of need, so that they need not sweat blood if they were unemployed for 6 months to a year, but had mortgage, auto, etc. loans to pay, apart from carrying credit card debt. I haven't always had such a cushion, myself, as I figured that I could put bills for emergency on the credit card when needed, then pay the full amount from the line of credit that has lain rarely used for about 20 years or so, I figure. When I'd pay 18 - 22% annual rate, compounded monthly, on regular "credit" card bills after the first month ... or 28% or so, same deal, on store-issued cards ... I liked the 4.25% on the line of credit (last time I asked) a lot better, and planning to pay that loan off as quickly as possible. I feel differently about borrowing to invest, though, which may provide a net return to me on occasion: may use such with care, though probably not in the current climate. Good wishes to you for the coming days: hope they are less stressful for you than they may be currently. ole joyful