Anne, I know what you mean about finding it hard to move back. If we ever left the Bay Area, we would be priced out of the market. It's insane trying to get your foot in the real estate door here. That's why we bought in Vallejo. Good things are happening here. We bought at the right time. MeMo, I have a confession to make. That soil looks dark and rich, but don't be fooled. That's the grapeseed compost I use. It really does look like that beautiful soil you see in places like Illinois and Iowa. The soil, although nicely amended and rich, is actually a medium brown in color. And thanks for the tip about the indeterminates. Tomatoes are the one plant I know a bunch about (thanks Grandma!). I'm fixin to get monsters this year if all goes well. Those cages are actually welded steel and are about four feet tall. I'll be adding one of the five feet tall squiggly stakes in the center this weekend for added measure. I know this probably won't be tall enough, but I don't dare risk doing anything much taller. They will just have to spill over the top and cascade some. Better that than no indeterminate heirlooms at all :) I've been looking all over for that one pic I have of the front yard with the glass mulch, Texas. I've found the ones of the concrete backyard. I'll keep looking. This is the house of a million photographs. Georgeanne, thanks for the standing O. Sometimes I get in a gardening funk and let things slide. Then I get that dreadful feeling of being overwhelmed. The best way to rid yourself of that feeling is just to walk out and yank a weed. Then another one. Toss a bit of poop on something. Clean out an old pot. Before you know it, you've spent half a day in the garden and you can see progress. Nothing kicks up the motivation like seeing progress. Carol, what a nice thing to say. I wish I had half the energy I did even five years ago. I've hit my mid-40's and I am starting to feel my ambition (mostly in my back). My vision ain't what it used to be either. But I'll be going until the day they take the gardening trowel from my cold, liver-spotted hand. Steven

How tall are the spiral poles? I used 5' tall cages for years, but got tired of the rusted, bent frames. Started using 8' poles (plastic-coated metal) a few years ago. Only problem is the Sun Gold cherry tomatoes grow 9-10 feet tall and tying them to the pole means climbing a ladder, then climbing again to harvest. That's getting old. This year I put one of my old obelisks in the garden and planted one Sun Gold inside of it. It's sort of taken on it's own vining form and I'm thinking that may be the way to go in the future for those tall plants. Plus, it looks nice in the garden. The 8' poles work fine for all the other tomato plants.

OK, y'all, this thread is so active I can hardy keep up, but I am going to try. Melissa, We are so glad you stumbled across this forum too. Containers are a great way to garden but they do require very careful attention to watering. Also, the soilless mix to fill them is expensive (often, when filling up my containers, I mix up my own soilless mix for far less than I'd spend buying a name brand soil-less mix/potting soil). The size/productivity of your plants is limited by the size of your container so for most things, the larger the container, the better. Also, during periods of hotter weather, containers may need to be watered daily and in the hottest 100-degree-plus weather, perhaps twice a day. The easiest way is to hook up a drip irrigation system and put it on a timer, especially if you are away from home a lot. Container gardening could be a whole thread in itself. I'll start a container gardening thread today or tomorrow and try to lay out some of the basics. Containers do not have to be fancy containers though....I use Tidy Cat litter buckets, which I have saved and used the whole decade-plus that we've lived here, and I spray paint them dark green using Fusion paint made especially for painting plastics. I also use Sunleaves grow bags. With clay soil, it takes years of constant amending to get it into really good shape. In the past I have only expanded my garden a little at a time....by adding an area maybe 40 to 60 feet long by 5 to 6 feet wide. Gumbo clay needs all the help it can get but it can be turned into great soil over a period of time. Our formerly red clay in the garden area is now a nice brown clayey loam because we've added organic matter to it for ten years, so I finally feel ready to start another garden spot....in three different places. However, they all will get fairly minimal improvement this winter (because I'm going to be working on 3 fairly large areas at once) and then every year I'll improve them more until they finally have pretty good soil. With clay the issue is that the particles of soil stick together and the prevents water from soaking in as well as it should, it also ensures that when the soil dries it is as hard and impenetrable as concrete so water just rolls off the surface and doesn't soak in, and it makes it hard for plant roots to grow. Technically, plant roots do not grow in soil. Rather, they grow in the air spaces between soil particles. Clay soil particles clump together so tightly that there are no air spaces for roots to grow in, and that's why we have to add tons of organic matter....to break up the particles of gumbo clay. The reason raised beds work so well with clay is that they put your plant roots in improved soil above the regular grade of the surrounding area. That allows water to drain down out of the beds to a certain extent. When 12.4 inches of rain fell here at our house in one day last year, I expected to lose my entire garden. You cannot expect ANY vegetable plant to survive that kind of flooding rainfall in clay soil. What did I lose? Only some onions and potatoes and a few corn plants that were not in a raised bed. Had I not had raised beds, I would have lost everything. George, We get more of the bermuda grass out by hand tools too, but in certain areas the ground is so clayey that we have to break it first with a tiller. When we do that, I rake out/remove by hand all the grass runners and stolons I can afterward, but it is hard to get a lot of it because it has been chopped into tiny pieces. Eventually, over several years time, I mostly win the bermuda war. Melissa, For hand tools, buy the absolute highest quality tools you can find and you'll never regret it. A high quality hand tool is a thing of beauty! Jay, I have bindweed in two places here and despite everything I do, it seems impossible to erradicate. Some years it isn't as bad, and this was one of those years....or maybe I am gradually winning the war. I hate bindweed as much as I hate bermuda grass and Johnson grass. Carol, I love containers and have found them to be lifesavers in very wet years like 2007. None of the plants I have in containers come close to approaching the size/productivity those same varieties achieve in the ground, but they do well enough to satisfy me. This year, there were several tomatoes that produced exceptionally well in feed tubs....including Chocolate Stripes, Momotaro and Scarlet Red. I wish I had 100 more feed tubs (I only have six). Y'all, I have to agree that no one looks the way I pictured them but.....I am going to stay on everybody's good side by saying that every person I met at the swap that I had not met before was younger, thinner and prettier than I had imagined. The one thing I already knew though was that every one one of them had a big heart of gold beating there in their chest and that was confirmed when I met them. Dawn

Here's a partial list of what I have available and plan to bring. A large number of the plants on my list are newly transplanted or are still smaller seedlings. They may require some tender care initially. Pot size may vary and could be as small as 1"x1"x2" cells all of the way up to 3 gallon sizes for certain plants. I've put down my best guess for pot sizes, but with so many plants it's hard to keep track of exact sizes. I am willing to split cell packs if you only need one or two plants from a multi-cell pack. Please view my "Want List" posted on this site to see what plants and supplies I'm hoping to trade for. I am in short supply of 1, 2, and 3+ gallon plastic pots. If you bring pots to trade, PLEASE make sure they are clean (ie- dirt/plant debris knocked out and no "critters")! Division or layered division = freshly dug, rooted plant (unless otherwise indicated) Agastache foeniculum [Anise Hyssop] 2" pots Alcea rosea [Hollyhock]- biennial, mixed colors, singles and doubles mostly pink, white, burgundy and pink/white bicolors plants. Will bring if time/space allows. Alcea rosea nigra [Black Hollyhock]- biennial, black single flower 2" pots Amaranthus "Early Splendor" 2" pots, 6-cell packs Amaranthus "Illumination" 2" pots, 6-cell packs Aristolochia fimbriata [Variegated Pipevine / Variegated Dutchman's Pipe] small plants in 2" pots Aristolochia trilobata [Calico Vine / Dutchman's Pipe] small plants in 2" pots Asarina scandens- mixed colors 2" pots & 3-cell packs Aster cordifolius "Wood's Blue" [NY Aster "Wood's Blue]- perennial, 12-16" tall, slowly spreading, fall blooming, gentian blue flowers with gold eye, sun, zones 5-8. 4" pots & 1 gallon pot Belamcanda chinensis [Blackberry Lily]. small plants in 3" pots Brachycome, Bravo Series, deep blue w/black eye 2" pots Briza maxima "Great Quaking Grass" 2" pots & 4" pots BRUGMANSIA: Depending on available space I may bring cuttings and/or potted plants. Possible cultivars are: Single, pink (noid) Named cultivars: Cotton Candy Frosty Pink Golden Lady Mountain Magic Buddleja davidii- [Butterfly Bush/Summer Lilac]- medium-dark purple. divided recently and potted (looks rough now but should recover fine)- 1-2 gallon pots Celosia spicata- [Princess Feather] dark pink & white flowers with burgundy foliage 2" pots and small plants in 6-cell packs Celosia spicata- [Princess Feather]- light pink/green foliage. Small seedlings in 6-cell packs Celosia [Cockscomb- burgundy] (large comb, 8"-10" tall plant) 2" pots, small 6-cell packs Cerinthe major purpurascens [aka Honeywort, Blue Shrimp Plant] 3" pots Cerinthe major purpurascens "Kiwi" [aka Honeywort, Blue Shrimp Plant] 3" pots Chasmanthium latifolium [Sea Oats] division- will only bring if arranged for in advance. Chrysanthemum "Clara Curtis"- hardy mum, peachy/pale pink 4" pots Coleus, Super Rainbow Series "Red Velvet" small plants in 2" pots Datura meteloides 'Belle Blanche' - solid white flowers, fragrant, dark blue-green foliage 2" pots Datura meteloides- double/triple purple (unnamed) 2" pots Datura meteloides- double yellow (unnamed) in small cells from 6-cell packs Datura meteloides "Purple Petticoats"- double purple with white interior, ruffled, in 2" pots Dianthus barbatus [Sweet William]- mix of burgundy, white, pink, red, bicolors in small 3-cell packs Echinacea purpurea [Purple Coneflower] from "Ruby Star" seed, 1 year old+ plants in quart pots- will only bring a couple of these. Echinacea purpurea [Purple Coneflower] from red/orange parent plant seed (similar to 'Sundown') very small seedlings in small cell packs Four OClocks- "Kaleidoscope"- Seeds only. Mixture of fuchsia, white, yellow spotted/swirled blooms that are quick & easy to grow from seed. Geranium, stellar (similar to 'Vancouver Centennial")- rooted cutting SPECIAL TRADE, 2" pot Helichrysum bracteatum [Strawflower]- pink, pink/white, yellow/gold (tall plants at maturity 5-7') 2" pots & 3-cell packs Hibiscus acetosella "Red Shield"- tender perennial/grow as annual. Burgundy foliage, red flowers 2" pots Hibiscus manihot (Sunset Hibiscus)- tender perennial/grow as annual. Edible, yellow flowers 2" pots HYDRANGEA: Hydrangea quercifolia 'Sikes Dwarf"- plant (newly divided) in 1 & 2 gallon pots, will bring 1-2 of each size Hydrangea macrophylla, unknown vibrant blue mophead- (all sizes new layered divisions) 1 gallon & 2 gallon, will probably bring 1 of each size Hydrangea serrata 'Grayswood'- layer rooted division IOCHROMA: Iochroma cyaneum 'Royal Blue'- small rooted cutting/small potted plant SPECIAL TRADE IRIS, DWARF BEARDED:- If I have time to dig these I will bring them. Peach- divisions/rhizomes Yellow/White bicolor- divisions/rhizomes "Little Red Devil"- dark reddish-purple, early divisions/rhizomes IRIS, LOUISIANA: 'Black Gamecock'- blue-black with narrow gold line signal. division IRIS, SIBERIAN: Unknown (lost the name! but it MIGHT be "Rare Jewel") very pretty medium purple/violet, prolific bloomer, strong grower (this is NOT Caesars' Brother) 1 gallon pots (newly divided), 2 gallon pots (newly divided)- will probably bring one of each size Jasione laevis "Blue Light" from seed- perennial, spiky-globular blue flowers up to 24" ht., zone 6-9 small seedlings Kerria japonica [Kerria Shrub]- arching branches with double yellow flowers in spring 2 gallon pot, cuttings also available but will only bring if asked for in advance. Ledebouria socialis- [Silver Squill/Violet Squill]- houseplant division- will only bring if asked for in advance Mentha x piperita f. citrata 'Chocolate' [Chocolate Mint]- 4" pots Mimosa pudica [Sensitive Plant] 3-cell packs MORNING GLORY: Scarlet O'hara - seeds only - quick germination and does well direct seeded in spring Star of Yelta - seeds only - quick germination and does well direct seeded in spring Variegated Japanese- seeds only- deep pink with white rim, strongly variegated green/white foliage; quick germination and does well direct seeded in spring Muhlenbergia capillaris [Pink/Purple Muhly Grass] from seed- potted plants in 3" pots or quart pots- may bring, but probably only if asked for in advance. Nigella "Miss Jekyll- Dark Blue" 3-cell packs- small plants Nepeta cataria [Catnip]- cuttings (easy to root) will only bring if asked. Nicotiana "Fragrant Cloud"- white flowers, very fragrant 3-cell packs Origanum vulgare- [Oregano] cuttings (easy to root)- will only bring if asked. Peony- (herbaceous) dark raspberry/pink, double, fragrant (25+ year old cultivar) potted plants- newly divided, 1 & 2 gallon sizes SPECIAL TRADE Pepper "Black Pearl" 2" pots, small 3-packs Salvia greggii [Texas Sage- red]- 4-5' annual, bright red flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds. 2" pots Sedum spectabile- medium pink (unnamed) 1 gallon plant Sunflower (small yellow, multi-branching, 6') 6-cell packs Talinum paniculatum "Jewels of Opar" 2" pots Tomato "Brandywine" indeterminate, open pollinated, yellow/red fruit. small plants in 6-cell packs Tomato "Delicious" 77 days, determinate, medium red fruit. small plants in 6-cell packs Tomato "Green Zebra" indeterminate, open pollinated, green striped smaller green fruit, tangy. small plants in 6-cell packs Tomato "Homesweet" 70 days, determinate, very sweet red fruit. small plants in 6-cell packs Tomato- Large Pink (possibly Pink Brandywine) indeterminate, open pollinated, large pink beefsteak-type fruit. small plants in 6-cell packs Tomato "Thessaloniki" 70-75 days, indeterminate, resist sun scald & cracking. small plants in 6-cell packs Zinnia "Giant Doubles Mixed" 2" pots x 4 Zinnia "Royal Purple" 2" pots x 4