Should be :-) One of the primary reasons for creating raised beds - and a lasagne bed is a raised planting bed - is to overcome poor inground drainage. By nature, any raised planting bed will have good drainage, provided it has been filled with decent soil. Lasagne gardening is simply sheet composting, so once all the elements are properly decomposed, you will have a fertile, loose planting medium. 'Loose' is the key, as loose indicates spaces between the soil particles and it is the spaces that allow water to penetrate and drain through properly. One of the primary reasons for creating raised beds is to overcome poor inground drainage. For planting in regular soil (without benefit of a raised planting situation), you can do a simple test to determine drainage. Dig a hole 12' deep and 12' wide and fill it with water. If it takes 30 minutes or less to drain, you have pretty good drainage. If it takes far less than 30 minutes (10-15), your soil is likely very sandy and you may need to add organic matter to help retain soil moisture. If its takes significantly longer than 30 minutes, you have poorly draining or heavy or compacted soils and again, adding organic matter will help to loosen and improve drainage.

I second that thought Carrie! Many things that I thought loved full sun, like peppers and some of my herbs, were frying in our high altitude full sun. The peppers in pots on the porch, which is shaded a good part of the day, are doing MUCH better than the ones in the vegetable garden. The problem I have is that there is only so much room on my porch, so I try to plant things that can REALLY handle all day full sun. Mary, your climate is very similar to mine. I would bet if the label says 6 hours of full sun, it would do fine with much less than that where you are.

The packed for date means "We're pretty sure (or at least we hope) some of these seeds will germinate if you attempt to grow them in the year on the pack. Assuming you know what the heck you're doing and remember to water the danged things." As for what happens to the returned seed, that's a very good question and one I doubt if anyone involved in the actual process will answer here.

I was discussing this thread with my 80 yo Mum. She said back in the day people knew enough to response and it was on their own stationary. She was shocked the first time she received an invitation with a response card. Seemed like a slap in the face, like she wouldn't know enough to rsvp. But nowadays, it's hard to get anyone to rsvp to anything. So whatever works - email, response card, smoke signal. I do use the response card but always add my own handwritten comment. The handwritten notes & rsvp cards with comments were such a treat to open when I got married so I always pay it forward, so to speak. Some brides probably thing "whatever, how many will be attending?". I don't think of myself as very sentimental but I did save a few wedding invitations that I found special for various reasons. It still makes me happy to see them when I come across them. It seems sad to think that by the time my 4 yo niece will be marrying I might be informed by text.