I'll second the Parrot Feather statement. Look online for anyone nearby on Craigslist that might be giving some away or just place an ad and ask if anyone has some. Parrot feather lives directly off the nutrients that are available in your water, and if you have that much algae, you have a lot of nutrients available for algae to grow. Parrot feather is partially submerged but grows fern above the water, much nicer to look at than algae! (google it and you will find pics of it). Also, on getting rid of the algae, if it's the stringy type of stuff and can be wrapped around a stick or something, I would suggest you get a cordless drill, put a long stick in it (or whatever you have that you can put into the chuck on the drill) - at least 2 feet long, get some of that algae started around it and turn the thing on. It will wind that junk up in a hurry.

Thanks everyone... you all seem very knowledgeable. I haven't been able to do much or get the soil test. We got an inch of rain this past weekend followed by a few inches of snow. Which created a mess in the field. I don't know which direction I need to head... I almost came very close to putting my place up for sale just because I spend a huge amount of time gardening and can't do any gardening until it's 100+ degrees outside in the middle of summer thanks to the heavy silt/clay. I definitely don't want to till.. The main reason for this is that I would have to till and do all this work when the temps are 100+ during summer when the land is completely dry. I'm reading a lot of conflicting information. Some say you must till others say don't bother let mother nature do it. Well I just seen another post on here of someone saying their new soil didn't mix with the native soil after 3 years, Some are telling me to create a lot of raised beds with new soil. Some say just add compost once a year, others say you must add it every year. I'm trying to think about this logically... just by what I see from walking around my property. I have a few small hills... these hills are also heavy silt/clay, but it's raised higher and it doesn't have the spongy feeling of the lower soil. What if I tried to recreate this? I don't care if my grassy pathways get real wet.... my goal is to keep my actual beds dry. I need to mix the soil somewhat... but I don't want to till. Would it be bad if I lightly turned the soil over in each bed with a shovel? I have an unlimited supply of brush/dead tree limbs/logs/sticks. Next pile a thin later of these on the turned soil to add pure organic matter. Then add compost/topsoil. The topsoil/compost I found and really like is a mixture of raw topsoil, sand and 25% leaf compost for $25/yard. After that, add 2-3" of mulch. Turning the soil over seems like it would help mix the two somewhat to get the process started. In the end, the topsoil/compost will add about 6" in height with another 3" of mulch... the total height of each bed would be aprox 9" above ground. The concerns I have doing it this way are: 1. Will the sand in the new soil clog what little air space I have in the native soil? 2. Will water become trapped when it gets below the turned soil? 3. I've never bought topsoil before... will this fluffy stuff become hard & compacted enough to support 40' tall trees? I'm hoping this new soil/tree limbs/compost will improve the soil below so the trees can grow deep... but I've also read that trees have most roots in the upper 6-12" of soil Here's my plan so you can get a better understanding of the beds. That space is around 300' wide x 300' deep. The colored icons in each bed are different types of trees... mostly conifers. Each bed is roughly 2000 SQFeet... so I would need a lot of compost/topsoil. I'm not going to kill myself so I would just do 1 or 2 beds a year lol. This post was edited by ricksample on Mon, Mar 31, 14 at 8:39

Fortunately, we're a little less than an inch behind our normal rainfall here. And I seem to be situated in a narrow "weather belt" where if there's a rain producing cloud going over, I'll get it. It can be bone dry a few blocks in any direction. The downside is that it works the same for snow - in an event I can get 2 feet whereas others get a dusting. With Lake Superior as our greatest resource, we rarely have water restrictions. However, the hint is always there to practice conservation, if for no other reason than it's the right thing to do and because all of the lakes are below their normal levels. I know there's an ongoing attempt by thirsty areas west of the Mississippi to construct pipelines and drain off Great Lakes water. Luckily, Canada has a vested interest in this not happening too. Perhaps in the more arid regions, there should be a moratorium on swimming pools? More education on the use of native plants?Well, end of rant. Gardening should be a joyful exercise and I feel for those of you suffering with the angst of watering woes.

ROFLMBO!!!!!! Oh my goodness!!! Armageddon, I did the touching the face after handling it was either Habs or Pequins I think it was (I am VERY fair skinned...some freckles on my armes but that is it, otherwise fairer than a newborn babies butt!!) I felt like my suncreen needed a boost so I just poured it in my hands and went to put it on and went for the face first...I was underneath the freezing cold water in the shower, using the hand held nozzle an inch from my face for at least 15 min!! You are not the first guy to tell me about the going to the bathroom mistake...Oh my gosh, guys you got me on that one (thank goodness) I cannot imagine that pain nor do I want to!! But it makes me ever more mindful that that would be an excrutiatingly painful experience for me as well so I intend not to make it! I told my husband just like anyone else I imagine some people can have reactions to the super hots, while some of the less experienced who don't realize exactly what they are getting into may try one and just totally freak out with fear not realizing what they were going to experience. People have to be totally aware of what these super hots are capable of doing to a person!! Especially an inexperienced on!!! We laugh and joke and carry on about them but that is because ya'll have built up a tolerance to them. I have had abdominal surgery - I know I can never eat anything like that EVER, my youngest son has cystic fibrosis... because it messes with his pancreas, I don't know if eating super hots for him would be a good thing. On the other hand JJ has a metabolism that WON'T STOP!! I can't keep food in the house because of him!!! He is a bottomless pit!! So he has this metabolism that has allowed him to work up a tolerance like his Uncle to jalapenos and crushed red pepperon any food he eats!! It is a circus in this house!!! I just hope someone reads these before ever trying a super hot and talks to someone first...someone experienced. It is definitely NOT something to be triffled with!!!!! Jo