This isn't a competition. Do some reading (EDU sites) on the technique of solarization. You'll soon find that the outside temperature matters when it comes to cooking (steaming, actually) the soil via radiant energy. It simply is not warm enough, long enough in your climate at this time of year to rely on solarization to accomplish what you need it to do. If you cover your weeds with clear plastic right now you'll likely end up with a fabulous jungle loving every minute of their luke warm winter, lol. It won't get hot enough to steam seeds, either. I've given you an alternative suggestion, which also happens to be something that many (like jillions) of home gardeners do in the winter. Eliminate the sunlight by whatever means you wish. Most of us probably prefer to use something that will improve the soil, but I know of some folks right here in the Gardenweb who cover their gardens with black plastic over the winter and say that it's effective, too. YOU need to be the 'tie-breaker'. Do some research and you'll be able to make a good decision. Bonne chance!

Yes corn should be planted in blocks, the NW corner would work well. The remaining tall plants should be on the north side too, including those you will trellis (cukes or other vines). The 3 sisters scheme referred to a vining (usu. winter) squash to climb the corn. My summer (yellow) squash, has huge leaves and takes up a 4x4ft box when its happy. I have squeezed 2 plants (6in. apart) in a 4x4. I wouldn't put squash on the N side, tho I have had it get 3ft high. Certainly it would provide shade for a smaller plant, but usu. stifles anything under it. You might try radishes, lettuce, or spinach will would be done before the squash shades everything. Read up on the Squash Vine Borer (SVB) so you know what is happening when the squash suddenly dies.

JM, I'm in my second summer of gardening here in Austin, and started out trying the SFG approach. The big thing I'd say, and I harp on it a lot here, is forget entirely about the peat in your mix. My experience last year was that once we got over 100 and it got harder and harder to keep everything soaked, that peat dries out and is really hard to get wet again. If I were starting out now, I would actually try to use more of our native clay soil in my mix. I know that kind of goes against one of the SFG basics, but most gardens do just fine with 80-90% dirt. I would think even 25% would do wonders for moisture retention and necessary minerals without hurting your drainage too much. And be sure to mulch -- I use shredded leaves and grass clippings -- to keep the summer sun from baking all the water away. I used drip irrigation last year and found that it didn't get much of the bed wet. I'm trying soaker hoses this year. As for keeping your plants cool, I think you might lose most of your water to evaporation with misters. I found that as long as you keep everything sufficiently watered, the plants may wilt in the heat of the day, but will perk right back up in the evening. However, everything does start looking pretty worn out by mid-August and sunscald on any exposed tomatoes is a problem, so shade cloth might be a good plan. I filled my beds with compost from big box stores before I had my own compost pile going. You can might do better buying compost in bulk from a landscaper or nursery. I'm a fan of the Natural Gardener, out toward Oak Hill, and they make some good stuff. You can also use shredded leaves or grass clippings to get more organic matter into your mix for free. Check out the compost and mulch forum and look up "lasagna gardening" for a lot more ideas. Hope this helps, Kelly

Many bait shops carry special breeds of worms that are easy to raise indoors. Your soil content will determine their survival. If possible it would be better to use native soil that is amended with lots of organic material to attract a native population of worms. The worms also move up and down the levels of soil based on moisture and temperature. If you have a barrier preventing that migration they may die due to soil temps being too high and unable to go deep. also they need a specific temp and PH too breed. All this is dependant on the species type.