I have an old Pseudotsuga menziesii stump down by the gate the still shows the springboard cut the loggers used to stand on while cutting the tree. That's a Western Hemlock growing out of the stump and a Sequoiadendron to the left. Mike

OK, I do have to speak up in defense of the canning standards of our neighbors to the north. The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving was indeed published in Canada. The Canadian government was generous enough to subsidize publication. However, the book itself is a collaborative effort. Kingry is a Consumer Services Manager at Bernardin (Canada) and Devine is a Research/Test Kitchen Scientist with Jarden (U.S.). As far as I can tell, the book is, if anything, more stringent than the current USDA standards. The only apple recipe that requires lemon juice is applesauce. Plain apples are canned as per usual. Apple pie filling calls for additional lemon juice, but that seems to be for flavor. We had a lengthy discussion last season about the difference between the Ball Blue Book and the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving as the first does not call for lemon juice in applesauce and the latter does. You can check the link for the complete thread. It appears that the Ball Complete Book is requiring lemon juice for applesauce because many thrifty types use windfalls for applesauce and windfalls are lower pH. Here's what I said on that thread: "The only way I think it could potentially be an issue if someone is canning bruised apples, either tree-picked or windfalls. In 'The Microbiology of Fruits and Vegetables' the authors discuss changes in pH for whole undamaged tree-picked apples and bruised dropped apples. So a fresh-picked Red Delicious is somewhere around 3.98 pH but, and this is interesting, the bruised tree-picked were 4.57 mean pH and bruised windfalls were all the way up to 4.9 mean pH. Which means if the variety is one which tends to less acidity and the condition of the fruit is less than optimal, it is possible for the applesauce to be low-acid. Condition is all." On the thread you'll also see an email from Ball regarding the issue. I went through the entire boiling water bath section, all 378 pages, and found not a single open kettle canning recipe. The only inversion I found was to distribute solids in canned Habanero Gold Jelly or other recipes of that sort. The only "uncanned" recipes I found in the entire book were brined limes and lemons which are held at room temp for two weeks then refrigerated. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Confused About Lemon Juice for Applesauce

emilykemily- I like to plant flowers so that there is a succession of bloom starting in early spring. For example, right now. late winter- Helleborus orientalis blooming, in shades of purple and pink, and it self-sows. Pulmonaria starting to bloom, variegated foliage, colors from white, pink, rose, cobalt blue/pink, purple/orange, needs some shade and light summer water P. 'Excalibur' Early daffodils starting Muscari Snowdrops- Galium Spring- Daffodils Species tulips- tougher than hybrid tulips, smaller blooms Muscari Hyacinths Pulmonaria Anemone nemarosa- delightful patches of low foliage and myriad blooms, goes dormant in the dry season Hardy geraniums, G. Sanguinum makes clumps that look like bouquets, some trail, low water usage Bleeding hearts Perennial forget-me-nots, Brunnera, can self sow a little, need some shade, medium water usage. Biennials, which do great here since they grow during the rainy season and bloom before things dry out for summer- Lunaria- silver dollar plant, purple or white flowers, heart-shaped leaves, makes lovely dried arrangements, self-sows Forget-me-nots, blue/pink flowers, look great initially, but can sow invasively and have to be pulled out, I tolerate them but they look bad at end of season Columbines- can be grown from seed, self-sow, cute grey-green foliage, tall double I have looks like fairyland when blooming in beds, a chore to cut all the flower spikes off later when dry. Daphne odora, where drainage is very good, shade Irises- succession of bloom from dwarf to tall bearded to Siberian and Japanese Summer- Hardy Fuchsias- tougher ones have small flowers, like 'David' F. 'Edith' with some surrounding Columbine foliage Hardy geraniums G. 'Anne Thompson' Roses- check out rose forum, rosesant forum Phygelius, Cape Fuchsia, tall almost shrubby, tubular flowers that hummingbirds like Runner beans- have red flowers that hummingbirds like, do better than regular pole beans in our cooler summers, eat when not too big as they get fibrous Heucheras- many with lovely foliage, some with nice red flowers, low to average water usage. Hypericum frondosum, kalmianum- yellow flowers, low water usage, nice fall color, shrubby Hebes- check for hardiness, smaller leaves usually, nice rounded mounding plants Hebe pinguifolia 'Sutherlandii' Daphne "Summer Ice", long bloom, nice round shrub, low water, good drainage Heathers- some bloom in winter, various seasons, low mounds, low water usage Thyme- great on slopes, low water usage, flowers, culinary Variegated Marjoram- " Oregano- " Dwarf Greek Oregano is low, some can 2-3' Rosemary- " 3-5' Dahlias- can succeed left in the ground but do better lifted. Malvaceae- edible leaves, Rose of Sharon, Hollyhocks, Hardy hibiscus, etc. Sarcococca hookeriana 'Humillis'- very fragrant flowers, I don't quite remember when it blooms Favorite ground covers- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, esp Massachusetts Symphytum grandiflorum- Ground cover comfrey, good in dry shade, banks, under trees in orchard, tougher than grass and weeds Geranium macrorrhizum- dry shade, banks Epimedium- choice for shade Vinca- major can be very invasive, taller; minor is low, variegated forms not as invasive and can light up dry shade, low water usage. Ceanothus gloriosa 'Point Reyes'- low, spreading, low water usage, blooms Campanula poscharskyana- trailing, heart-shaped leaves, blue flowers, fills in well in shade Well, just a smattering of things that have done well for me. I use tunnels to set out tomatoes, squash and cucumber early, and grow peppers in pots. It's not warm enough for melons, basically, though some try. I've seen large Moon and Stars watermelons at Fort Vancouver. Beans usually do very well, and greens like collards and kale, which can overwinter as well as turnips for early spring greens, if planted by July 15.

I have a similar size unheated GH near Poulsbo, WA. You will need a fan and ventilation especially during the rainy season because fungus happens. I have a raised be inside and I grow broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage to keep bugs away. I grow basil because of the extra warmth. I did cherry tomatoes but have decided it is not worth the space just to get a few extra weeks of tomatoes at the end of the season when family is tired of eating tomatoes. I grow squash outside. Not so many pests to protect from and it takes up lots of space. I have been successful starting lettuce under lights with a heat mat on Jan. 20 then transplanting to the GH bed for very early salads. The light here seems adequate for lettuce then. I use the yellow sticky hanging cards to get rid of fungus gnats. Do not overwater GH plants. Good luck!