I think you'll get more input on the discussion side of the forum - the gallery doesn't see much action. You could just restart the thread there, or post there with a link to the thread here. KarinL

You said that you planted cantaloupe in the area that gets water soaked. I think it would have been better to plant it in a drier area. Last year we grew lots of watermelon and cantaloupe, they were doing very good until our yard flooded and all the fruits rotted. We were so disappointed since we had been watching them grow and were so excited to get our first harvest. I guess it depends how wet it gets, you may be able to put something (like a board) under the cantaloupes to keep them drier. I don't know about carrots, but we always transplant our beets and they do just fine. For the first few days or so they are completely wilted and look dead but they always slowly perk up. I would suggest that you mound your dirt up either around the plants themselves or in rows, depending on what you are planting. We did this with most of our garden this year. We didn't even add any extra dirt. Here is a picture of some of our zuchinni and yellow squash that is mounded in rows.

Orchids enjoy regular feedings of very weak dilutions of fertilizer, once a week. Thus the phrase "weekly, weakly." If whatever fertilizer you buy says X measurment once a month, divide that into fourths. For example, 1 Tablespoon to a gallon of water would work out to approximately 3/4 teaspoon once a week. This should give you a starting point, and as you take care of the plant you can observe it and see how it responds, and then make adjustments. As to what type of fertilizer, there are high nitrogen types (high first number) which produce leafy growth, and low nitrogen types (higher second number) which tend to produce more flowers. Many growers stick to one while other growers like to alternate from week to week or even seasonally. Which one for you? Again, that's the surprise of discovery for you as a grower.

Yes to change soil. Yes to separate. 1. spotted leaves - polka dot plant 2. sedum reflexum; not quite sure about round -leaved one, one of the sedums too 3. not aeonium - not sure of correct id 4. Echeveria 'Black Prince' 5. another sedum reflexum? 6. and one more groundcover sedum... 7. Senecio mandraliscae - blue chalk sticks?