This is probably a far too late reply since you posted this at the beginning of April, but if I was growing pumpkins for kids then I would go with Jack-Be-Little. I grow them in my garden every year because not only do they multiply like weeds (at least for me), they also taste delicious. You can use them in pies, purees, pancakes, etc. The best thing about them is their tiny size. They hold a LONG time if you store them some place cool and dry. Some of mine are still edible come spring time! If you want a quick treat, pop a few in the oven with some butter and cinnamon and each kid has their personal snack. As far as jack-o-lanterns, I always grow Howden pumpkins for that purpose. I like their uniqueness. Sometimes I get some big round ones and other times I have smaller oval shaped ones. They look great in a row all carved up. It also comes in handy if your kids are of different ages. The older kids can take the bigger pumpkins and the little ones can handle the smaller ones. I've found growing pumpkins to be simple and straight forward.They are in fact my favorite thing to grow because of this. They aren't overly picky. My only tip would be to fertilize well and always water at the base of the plant. Pumpkins don't like overly wet leaves, that always leads to powdery mildew. I know this because my whole patch was infected last year after a huge flood period. You should throw either a piece of cardboard or wood under any fruit that emerges to prevent your pumpkin from sitting on the ground and developing soft spots or diseases. Good luck and have fun!

Last year, the squirrels only ate the tomatoes (but not the cherry tomatoes), watermelon, and canteloupe. I did not notice that birds or cats messed with the garden at all. We didn't have most anything that bunnies would even like last year but this year we will have carrots, lettuce, spinach, etc that I am pretty sure they will think I set out a buffet for them. No groundhogs around here I don't think. : ) My advice is to make plans for how you combat them IF they become a problem, but go ahead and just get started now. I don't know where in zone 6 that you are, but it is already time for us to have out peas, carrots, beets, radish, spinach and within a week or two need to have out our onions, lettuce, broccoli, followed shortly by cauliflower. This website you can just plug in your frost date and it will tell you when you need to plant ... http://www.yougrowgirl.com/grow/. Click on "The Lazy Gardener's Seed Starting Chart". Below is a pic of how you could setup your garden. Most of the day it should get good sun as sun rises in the east and sets west. Late afternoon, the trellis would shade the garden. Which might work out to your advantage if you want to extend the season for lettuce and such. Be sure to leave room to get around the back side of your trellis. Good idea for the long bed with trellis to be only 3 feet wide so you can easily reach into the center and not have to worry about reaching the area blocked by the trellis from that side. Here are some videos of a guy who waged groundhog wars ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRjXAZqXvXA http://www.youtube.com/user/sqftsteve#p/u/2/qxHazHT0KE0

Tomatoes are annuals. From the time you plant them outside , in a container till they practically expire (due to cold or frost) is about 5 months in most places. And root bounding should not be a big concern. Having said above, I believe that they do not need a huge container. Even a 5 gallon bucket is big enough. Soil itself is just a medium. What the plants need are: Moisture and Nutrients. As long as you provide those to the plant REGULARLY and PROPERLY, that is all they care for. Most pot/container and in ground spacing is for the TOP consideration and head room than for root requirements. Just look at fruit trees like cherries. They are spaced mostly because the need head room, IF YOU WANT TO HARVEST FRUITS OFF OF THEM. I have seen towering, oaks, maples and other trees growing in clumps and share the nutrients in a common root space. If the soil is rich and they get enough moisture, they all will be just fine. The same is true about garden veggies. Even more so true b/c garden veggies are mostly annuals and thus have a short life. The commercial farmers provide a lot of spacing btween tomato plants, NOT BECAUSE it is required for the plants sake, but for maintenance and harvesting in a mechanized environment. But in a limited space in my backyard I dont do it that way. Then some have developed the concept of "Square Foot" gardening which is aimed at utilizing the garden space to its fullest. Planting in container goes even further in optimal use of space and soil. If one enjoys the luxury of space, soil, container space, that is perfectly fine too.

No, it's a much smaller pot fitted in the ''mouth'' of the big terracota one so it tricks the eye ! The Azores have a maritime sub-tropical climate experiencing warm to mild temperatures year round with moderate rainfall. From day to day the weather is characterised by changeability, but throughout the year changes are small and gradual,the winter temperatures range from 11/12 °C (52/53 °F) at night to 17/18 °C (63/64 °F) during the day, while in summer, they range from 17/18 °C (63/64 °F) at night to 24/26 °C (75/79 °F) during the day. From month to month the temperatures vary slowly, so highs exceed 20 °C (68 °F) only from June to October. The highest recorded temperatures in the Azores are not impressive: they almost never reach 30 °C (86 °F) even in summer. On the other hand, temperatures rarely drop below 7/8 °C (45/46 °F) in winter. Prone to rainy days at any time of year. Humidity is always pretty high . Damn , the seller told me david cummingi was a climber :( I'll look into buying an hanging pot for it then ! Thanks for the sugestions !