I've copied and pasted your comments and questions. I agree, it was a different year and I am just now realizing that I should have watered more. Peas: excellent because they were 'done' before the rainless summer hit. -Agreed. Had a great crop. Summer Squash, Zucchini, cukes and scallop squash: Shocked at these. Every year I plant crookneck and early prolific straightneck, and every year I have literally 10-20lb harvest about twice a week for about a month. This year, however, I couldn't even keep the plants from dying! Four (4) rounds of plantings (~ 4-5 hills each round) just up and DIED. I got ZERO (0) fruits. Cukes I planted 2 rounds- dead. - I thought I did a lot better job keeping up the bug battle. Plants started off great UNDER a fabric covered low tunnel so the striped cucumber beetles didn't get them. I scraped eggs into soapy water, etc. But I didn't get nearly as much squash as usual. In comparing notes with a gardener in western MA and one near Montpelier VT, they watered a lot more than I did. In fact, I think I stopped watering the zukes once they started producing. Big mistake. Tomatoes: the usual: great until August, then blight. Funny thing was, cherry toms were unaffected. Just the bigger varieties got hit. - I think I got bacteria speck not blight. Two beds are just about leafless and it seemed to travel west to east. A third bed in a different location with mostly cherry tomatoes doesn't look nearly as bad. I'm not sure how to handle this next year. Corn: stalks no higher than ~4 feet, and dried out or under-developed cobs. - We just buy ours at the farmstand. Green beans: Did "ok" but not as well as I'd have liked. - I think I kept watering the beans more. Crops are fine but don't seem to taste as good as last year. Tried a yellow filet that was tasteless. I think the green filet was taverna. I have a new crop of romano just starting to produce now. Another crop of bush beans in flower right now. Will probably need frost protection in another week. We get hit early but if I can keep them going (fabric tunnel) I'll get a late crop. I think the beans accidentally got more water because near them I was starting new seeds of something so they got watered too. Spinach: what was up with THIS one?! Again, nothing to show for what is typically a very successful crop. What little actually showed up didn't even grow big enough to take one cutting before bolting. - I got braggy about my spinach. Put in a late crop last year Tyee and let it winter over. I think we picked spinach in March. I have a late crop growing now but it should be getting watered more. I have to get spinach planted in early April to get a good crop. See manure info. Beets, Cauli and Cabbage: Cabbage actually showed up long about a week ago, but Beets & Cauli were foliage only. - Don't grow cauli. Cabbage is a napa variety in a location that doesn't get full sun. Mostly neglected. Not great but not bad for the amount of neglect. Beets I work hard at but I noticed last night that I'm running out of red beets. Sure, I didn't plant as many but this time last year they spring crop was huge (but not woody). Again, I don't think I watered enough. I have a later crop of gold beets that got special care because they never seem to do well for me but we think they are sweeter. Onions did ok- I do have decent success with onions. And the potatoes were new to me this year, and did "ok." - I only planted a few red onions and they look pretty good. I'm still working on onion growing skills. I have them among my pepper plants. It's a fantastic year for peppers. I rotate everything every year in a 25 x 50' space. So the same crop doesn't hit the same spot only every 4 years. I usually cover w/black plastic- didn't this year, but haven't had THIS bad of failure ever. I don't fertilize other than tossing on a fresh pile of compost and roto-tilling it in both in the fall & spring. I build raised beds every year. Anyone have any tips other than "it was just too damned hot all summer?" Cuz I'm willing to chalk it all up to that :) - I use the lasagna bed system starting off with layers of wet newspaper and alternating leaves, fresh grass clippings, wood ashes, kitchen scraps etc. The top layer is composted horse manure that I originally located via craigslist. The guy adds kitchen scraps to the pile and mixes it with his tractor It's really nice and we just pay him something like $15 to load our utility trailer. The year I planted spinach before adding the spring composted manure, the spinach looked pretty good ... but another patch planted a few weeks later after the manure application was much bigger. I use steer manure when I have to because it's free but I don't think it is nearly as good. The only composted manure I've seen that I liked better than the horse manure is composted buffalo manure from the place in warner nh. It was black and gorgeous. I'm also a fan of fish fertilizer. All transplants get doused with it. I will also fertilize again about 2 weeks later and any time something doesn't look like it's thriving. Every soil and location is different. In parts of our yard, the water table is quite high. There's a seasonal stream and across from that it can be marshy much of the year. My husband was able to mow in July instead of waiting until August because it was that dry this year. I only watered on weekends and sometimes in between if things weren't looking good. There are plenty of places that right now are like powder. A perennial bed near the stream area isn't too bad, more like normal soil but this is a spot that in the spring will be too wet to work on. The lawn will be sodden. I also grow garlic so I was carefully to keep that watered. I add an organic fertilizer before planting because it's also a heavy feeder. I noticed some of the bulbs at the ends of the row were much smaller so I probably wasn't careful with the fertilizer and water. I don't have raised beds per se (when first built, a lasagna bed is about 18" high but compacts by half the first winter) but I plant in beds. Between the beds are mostly grass paths wide enough for the riding lawn mower. But I also have some narrow alternating pathways that I layer with newspapers covered with grass clippings to keep the weeds down. Next year, that composted material might get shoveled onto the bed or become a bed. Keep in mind, the lawn area can suck up moisture. The bed closest to a mature maple although not close to the canopy area shows a big different in growth. At the end farthest from the tree, the romano beans are at least 18-24" tall but nearest the tree, maybe 12-18". I think the tree is getting the moisture. Sometimes I edge a row with newspapers and grass clippings but I usually don't have enough time. I'm not a fan of black plastic during the growing season. I have a good hand weeder and I seem to like to weed. If you plant close enough like Square Foot Gardening, once plants get big enough, they seem to do a good job shading out the weeds. The photo makes your garden look distant from the house which is what ours is. This year my husband built a high tunnel and to get water to it, dug a trench and put in a yard hydrant. Having a hose faucet closer to the garden has made watering easier. But I still should have done it more often.

Esther, I'm a newbie here and certainly no expert. However, I believe that mulch not only retains moisture and helps keeps the weeds away, it also keeps the soil cool. Also, an organic mulch makes the soil more fertile as it decomposes. I have a wooded park in back of my gardens and it's hard to control slugs. However, I put slug bait down as soon as the snow melts and continue throughout the growing season. I found my first slug today, under a patio stone, but none anywhere near my hostas that have mulch around them. I do have a ton of hostas that are surrounded with pachysandra, I don't mulch those. I don't have Cracker Crumbs (yet!), but the pictures of the mature ones I saw look like it will be a nice plant. I bought a few hostas last year that I wondered what made me buy them; this year, some of them are my favorites. I don't worry about my hostas anymore in their first years. I always tell everyone that hostas are like a fine wine, they get better with age. Gesila

Granted I'm a couple of zones warmer than you but I'm still in New England. I suggest you check out Swallowtail Garden Seeds website for ideas that will meet your requirements. Another suggestion is that you winter sow the seeds in recycled containers. Winter sowing is a USDA sanctioned method of growing from seed. There is a winter sowing forum here on GardenWeb where you can check out the FAQs, get ideas/suggestions, ask questions & generally learn as much as you need to know about growing healthy annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs & vegetables from seed without grow lights in your basement. There's also a GW seed exchange forum where you can trade for seeds rather that buying commercial seeds. Here are a few perennials (I don't bother with annuals) I grew from seed via winter sowing in 2012: Lobelia cardinalis/cardinal flower Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower Catananche caerulea/Cupid's dart Echinacea purpurea/purple coneflower Blanket flower & bee Gaillardia/blanket flower (species)

2014 - March 30 in Dartmouth, MA Zone 6b, reported by rockman 50. - April 2 in S.Eastern, MA Zone 5a-6, reported by ontheteam. - April 2 in Westport, CT Zone 6, reported by bebe_ct. - April 3 in Redding, CT Zone 6, reported by bebe_ct. - April 4, just a few isolated peeps, in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - April 5, almost full chorus, in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - April 6 in New Fairfield, CT Zone 6, reported by bebe_ct. - April 6 in Sherman, CT Zone 5, reported by bebe_ct. - April 7 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - April 8 at Manchester, NH Airport Zone 5, reported by thyme2dig. - April 16 or 17 in Canterbury, NH Zone 5, reported by nhbabs. - April 16 or 17, more or less, also in in Canterbury, NH Zone 5, reported by defrost49. - April 29 in Northfield, VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. Wood frogs - April 3 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - April 22 in Northfield, VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. 2013 - January 30 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee (a little hesitantly) in a very warm spell. - March 27 in one part of Centerville, MA Zone 6ish, reported by girlcat36. - March 28 in Lexington, MA Zone 6, reported by Michael Bliss in the UMass Extension Landscape Message (March 29, 2013). - March 29 in another part of Centerville, MA Zone 6ish, reported by girlcat36. - right before Easter (March 31) in North Central CT, reported by webe. - March 31 in South Weymouth, MA Zone 6a, reported by rich_manure. - April 1 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - April 1 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - April 5 in Canterbury, NH Zone 5, reported by nhbabs. - April 8 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - April 10 in Danby, Vermont Zone 4, reported by spedigrees. - April 22 in Northfield VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. Wood frogs - April 8 in Canterbury, NH Zone 5, reported by nhbabs. - April 17 in Northfield, VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. 2012 - March 8 or 9 in Weymouth, MA Zone 6a, reported by rich_manure. - March 11 in South Weymouth, MA Zone 6a, reported by rich_manure. - March 12 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - March 12 in Glastonbury, CT Zone 6a, reported by ctmike. - March 12 in Northampton, MA Zone 5 (one peeper) reported by amysrq. - March 12 in North Dighton and Avon, MA Zone 6b, reported by ontheteam. - March 13 in Eastern NY Zone 5, reported by mad_gallica. - March 13 in New Fairfield, CT Zone 6, reported by bebe_ct. - March 13 in South Dartmouth MA Zone 6b, reported by rockman50. - March 13 in Bridgewater, CT Zone 5, reported by cloud_9. - March 14 in Somers, Tolland County, CT Zone 6a, reported by gardenweed_zone 6a. - March 18 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 18 in Warwick, RI Zone 7, reported by briggszilla. - March 18 in Southern VT near Brattleboro Zone 5a, reported by cdo_and_doug. - March 18 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - March 20 in Centerville, MA Zone 7a, reported by girlcat36. - March 20 in Danby, Vermont Zone 4, reported by spedigrees. - March 20 in Canterbury, NH Zone 5, reported by defrost49. - March 22 in Wakefield, MA Zone 6b, reported by ohsillyme. - April 15 in Northfield VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. 2011 - March 18 in CT Zone 5, reported by cloud_9. - March 30 (one peeper) in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 30 in Northampton, MA Zone 5, reported by amysrq. - April 2 in South Weymouth, MA Zone 6, reported by rich_manure. - April 3 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - April 4 in New Fairfield, CT Zone 6, reported by bebe_ct. - April 10 just north of Concord, NH Zone 4b-5a, reported by nhbabs. - April 11 also north of Concord, NH Zone 5, reported by defrost49. - April 11 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - April 12, maybe 11, in Hillsboro, NH Zone 4, reported by sagesmoke. - April 26 in Danby, VT Zone 4, reported by spedigrees. - April 26 in Central VT Zone 4, reported by squirejohn. 2010 - March 16 at the CT shore in Clinton, CT Zone 6, reported by sooey. - March 17 to 21 start-up 15 miles WSW of Boston, MA Zone 6, reported by learn2turn. - March 19 in Danbury, CT Zone 5/6, reported by gardnerwannabe. - March 19 in Northampton, MA Zone 5, reported by amysrq. - March 19 in CT Zone 5, reported by cloud_9. - March 19, maybe earlier, in Wilmington, MA Zone 5, reported by terrene. - March 20, maybe earlier, on the RI shoreline Zone 7a, reported by carol6ma_7ari. - March 20 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - March 20 in Shelton, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - March 21 in South Weymouth, MA Zone 6, reported by rich_manure. - March 21 (one peeper) in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 23 (full chorus) in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 24 near Skaket Beach in Orleans, MA Zone 7, reported by sooey. - March 28 in Canterbury, NH Zone 4b-5a, reported by nhbabs. - March 30 in Portsmouth, NH Zone 5, reported by sue36. - April 1 in Hillsboro, NH Zone 4, reported by sagesmoke. - April 1 in Webster, NH Zone 5, reported by defrost49. - April 1 or 2 in Vermont Zone 4, reported by spedigrees. - April 2 in Eliot, ME Zone 5, reported by sue36. - April 3 (maybe earlier) in Brunswick, ME Zone 5a, heard by neighbors of lynn. 2009 - March 5 on Martha's Vineyard, MA Zone7, reported by Vern Laux (MV Times), read by runktrun. - March 18 in Marion, south coast of MA Zone 6, reported by drippy. - March 26 in Little Compton, RI Zone 7, reported by carol6ma. - March 27 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 27 in Swansea, MA Zone 6, reported by suecirish. - March 27 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - March 27 in Northampton, MA Zone 5, reported by amysrq. - March 28 in Weymouth, MA Zone 6, reported by rich manure. - March 28 in Monroe, CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - March 29 in Orleans on Cape Cod, MA Zone 7, reported by sooey. - March 31 in Falmouth on Cape Cod, MA Zone 7, reported by diggingthedirt. - April 1 in southern Maine Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 2 in central NH along the Merrimack River Zone 4b-5a, reported by nhbabs. - April 7 in Buxton, ME Zone 6, reported by evaf555. - April 10 in Hillsboro, NH Zone 4, reported by sagesmoke. - April 10, more or less, in Webster NH, NW of Concord Zone 5, reported by defrost49. - April 14 in Alton Bay, NH - near the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee Zone 4, reported by pamcleod. - April 16 in Orford, NH Zone 4, reported by franeli. - April 20 in VT Zone 4, reported by spedigrees. - April 24 in Saugus, MA Zone 6 (maybe earlier) reported by ohsillyme. 2008 - March 14 at the Connecticut shoreline zone 6, reported by helpseeker. - March 14 in Marion, south coast of MA Zone 6, reported by drippy. - March 26 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 27 in Franklin, MA Zone 6, reported by stoloniferous. - March 31 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - April 1 in Trumbull, CT Zone 6, reported by cloud 9. - April 1 in MA Zone 5b, reported by terrene. - April 1 or 2 in Seabrook, NH Zone 5, heard one time only by a co-worker of chelone. - April 2 at the Orleans/Brewster line on Cape Cod, MA Zone 7, reported by sooey. - April 5, more or less, in central MA Zone 5 (on the warm side of the river valley), reported by ellen_s. - April 8, just beginning, in southern Maine Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 11, full force, just north of Boston Zone 6, reported by mdoats (some peeping earlier). - sometime during the week leading up to April 12 in Metrowest Boston Zone 6a, reported by hostasz6a. - April 12 in southern coastal ME Zone 6, reported by chelone. - April 12 in central MA Zone 5 (on the cold side of the river valley), reported by ellen_s. - April 15 in Rindge, NH Zone 5, reported by bernergrrl. - April 17 or maybe earlier in Hadley, MA zone 5, reported by sunshineboy. - April 17 in Fairfield, ME Zone 3(?), reported by friends of claire. - April 18 in the upper connecticut river valley of NH Zone 4, reported by franeli. - April 21 in central NH Lakes Region, near Lake Winnipesaukee, Zone 5a, reported by pamcleod. 2007 - March 14 on Martha's Vineyard zone 7a, reported in the Martha's Vineyard Times and read by runktrun. - March 15 at the Connecticut shoreline zone 6, a lone preview was heard by sooey, but it retreated due to snow. - March 22 in Seekonk, MA Zone 6, reported by shannoxx. - March 23 at the Connecticut shoreline Zone 6, reported by sooey. - March 23 in Brewster, MA Zone 7, also reported by sooey. - March 26 in Marion, south coast of MA Zone 6, reported by drippy. - March 27 in Woods Hole, MA Zone 7, reported by diggingthedirt. - March 27 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - April 2 in Trumbull, CT Zone 6, reported by cloud 9. - April 15 in southern ME Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 18 in MetroWest Boston Zone 6a, reported by hostasz6a. - April 20 in south central MA, just north of the CT border Zone 5b, reported by circa1825. - April 21 in southern coastal Maine Zone 6, reported by chelone. - April 22 in a cold valley in central MA Zone 5, reported by ellen_s. 2006 - March 13 at the Connecticut shoreline Zone 6, reported by sooey. - March 13 at the Connecticut shore, Westport Zone 6, reported by mskee. - March 13 in Old Mystic, CT, Zone 6, reported by peregrinekt. - March 13 in CT, Zone 6, reported by diggerdee. - Week of Mar. 16 in Milford and Waturbury, CT, Zone 6, reported by jen288. - Week of Mar. 17 in San Jose, CA, Zone 9, reported by terryboc. (I know it's not New England, but the ears belonged to a NH resident). - March 29 in Acton, MA Zone 6, reported by jenfahita. - March 29 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by claire. - March 29 in Cheshire, CT Zone 6, reported by wystiria. - March 30 (maybe earlier) in Wayland, MA Zone 6a, reported by hostas6a. - March 30 (approx.) in southern MA Zone 6, reported by drippy. - March 31 in Saco, ME Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 1 in Hollis Center, ME Zone 4, reported by costumecarol. - April 1 in southern coastal ME Zone 6, reported by chelone. - April 1 in the Berkshires, reported by ly25. 2005 - March 29 at the Connecticut shoreline Zone 6, reported by Sooey. - March 29 in Little Compton, RI Zone 7a, reported by Carol_6MA_7aRI. - March 30 in Hurd Park, CT Zone 6, reported by GreatbluebabyCT. - March 30 in Trumbull, CT Zone 6, reported by Cloud_9. - March 31 in Griswold, CT Zone 6, reported by janl62. - March 31 in Rockland County, NY Zone 6, reported by LynneNY. - March 31 in Easton, CT Zone 6, reported by LynneNY. - March 31 in Middletown, CT Zone 6, reported my macarius. - April 1 at Skaket Beach, Cape Cod, MA Zone 7, reported by Sooey. - April 1 in Concord, MA Zone 5b, reported by Belle Isis. - April 1 in Franklin, MA Zone 6, reported by Virginiaz6. - April 1 in CT Zone 6, reported by TimCT. - April 2 in Worcester, MA Zone 5, reported by bmchan. - April 4 in RI Zone 7, reported by NavyMom2226. - April 4 in Plymouth (Ellisville), MA Zone 6b, reported by Claire. - April 5 in NE MA Zone 6 (Hamilton), reported by didan. - April 5 in Central MA Zone 5 (east of Worcester), reported by Scampi. - April 5 in Andover, MA Zone 5, reported by sullicorbitt. - April 7 in Eliot, ME Zone 5, reported by Sue36. - April 8 in NH Zone 5, reported by lahtay. - April 8 in south ME Zone 6, reported by Chelone. - April 8 in south ME Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 9 in Meredith, NH Zone 4/5, reported by aspringer. - April 10 in Center Sandwich, NH Zone 4, reported by Franeli., - April 19 in Vt Zone 4, reported by DorothyA. 2004 - March 24 at the Connecticut shoreline Zone 6, reported by Sooey. - March 25 in Zone 5 New York, reported by linnea2. - March 27 in inland Massachusetts Zone 6A, reported by Cady and Hostasz6a. - March 27 at the southern coast of Massachusetts, reported by drippy Zone 6. - March 27 in Zone 5 MA, reported by CStaas. - March 28 in north central Massachusetts Zone5?, reported by Terryboc. - March 29 in east central Massachusetts zone 6, reported by JohnMur. - March 29 in New Hampshire Zone 4, reported by NHBabs. - April 7 in southeast Massachusetts Zone 5, reported by Nayla_MA. - April 7 in southern New Hampshire Zone 5, reported by Terryboc. - April 8 in northern Massachusetts Zone 5/6, reported by ginny12 and Fireliz. - April 11 at the south coast of Maine zone 6, reported by Chelone. - April 12 in central Massachusetts Zone 5, reported by Zootjs. - April 12 in northeast Massachusetts Zone 5, reported by Punkineast. - April 12 in New Hampshire Zone 4, reported by Franeli. - April 13 in northern Massachusetts Zone 6, reported by peregrinekt. - April 14 at the southeast coast of Massachusetts zone 6b, reported by Claire. - April 15 in southern Maine Zone 5b, reported by veilchen. - April 16 in central New Hampshire Zone 5, reported by narcnh. - April 19 in central Maine Zone 3/4, reported by chicken_lady.