If you are talking about the plastic mulched beds, no we laid that by hand. It takes some time, but we are getting faster. I hope the time spent now means less weeding in the future. First I till the beds out to at least 3 feet wide. Then I come back with a rake or a hoe and make a 4 to 6 inch furrow on each side of the bed. Then we set the roll of plastic on the bed roll it out a few feet and bury the edges and on the end. It works best to hold it down with a helper or a heavy concrete block. Then unroll further and stretch as you go. Fill the sides back in with the dirt. Then at the end of the rows, my helpers help me out. I hope this helps. I wish I had a mulch layer, but I need to get the tractor and tiller first. I did build a garden bedder/hiller that I used to make raised beds outside. I rented a tractor this year and it worked great. Jay

SD I called Lesco and they gave me a few recommendations. They told me the TMP is their best selling seed - and that is what they sell to most of the landscape companies. They also suggested a Transition Blend after I told them about my concerns on the rocky soil. One of the guys said that if TB won't grow - then nothing will. If I went with the TB, then I would have to mix in some rye. I saw on another post that you used the Lesco TB. I too will not have a sprinkler system. What do you think about the TB vs. the TMP? Have you since switched to TMP? Lesco also mentioned a seed called Fawn and said that this is close to K-31 if I want that type of grass. They said it is a very wide blade fescue. I am not sure I want to go down the K-31 route based on what I have read on this forum. It seems there are other alternatives that would do just as well in my soil and area, but yield a nicer lawn. For the spring planting - If I go with the TB, then I would probably add in 30% annual rye and 20% PR to make my own "contractor mix" but with the better TTTF from the TB. If I go with the TMP, I would probably add in a little AR in since I have these "dirt police" that I have to deal with and 20% PR might not be enough. Any info you can give me on the pros/cons of the two types of TF mentioned above would be very helpful and appreciated. Thanks

mary11 ... Hi! Good question ... I will assume that you have a source, and an area available for design and storage for your fresh flowers. Weddings and banquets are rewarding endeavors, to be sure. Transport is a factor too! As you know, it takes an assembly-line productivity to be profitable. Had a successful flower shop in Long Beach, CA. for 23 years. Now retired in OH. If it were me ... New to an area, and the local current trends I would make-up some arrangements and take one of them to each of the most local to your location up-scale restaurants and hotels. Don't approach just one. 5 or 6 minimum. Then you don't sweat rejection, plus you will have a follow-up plan to re-visit and re-visit, so might as well make the rounds with your 'surprises' in one trip. Perhaps an appointment to give a sample of your work to the Banquet Host/Hosstess would by an opportunity to ask if your style would be appropriate and possibly of interest to those hiring their banquet rooms. Could they recommend you? Would they? Could/would they offer your display book of your own work to their clients? Perhaps, probably, they will have a commission structure to present your display book, rather than just handing out your cards. Whatever the outcome, even if they are cold and almost rude, hit them with a 'thank you' arrangement, including your business card, for their office (or the cashier's/reservations desk) once a week for something like two months in a row. Deliver it personally with a big, big smile and say something like "just wanted to present this to you for your thoughtfulness when I came calling". Be on your way out ... fast. Do NOT re-hash your offer ... until and if asked. If your pitch, friendliness and product doesn't get any business by then move on. (A retail shark like me, may have them tied-up already, but sometimes, after repeated 'surprise' arrangements, they may very well give you a second look OR they may suddenly know someone else that knows someone that is looking for YOU. Trust me, it works!) My credentials: As a kid worked in restaurants, so I learned to work fast and knew the floral needs of the establishments going in. Wedding, reception, and home(s),two, decor for the Wrigley wedding on Catalina Island. Flowers and truck shipped over on barge. Three-day set-up. Four, five, sometimes six Weddings a week-end, in season, from our shop. Timely delivery was always a bear! Many, many large and smalll banquets locally. Many socialite and awards banquets at the Beverly-Hilton Hotel, even tho it was 30 miles and probably 32 other flower shops away. Competitor and Winner at the Las Floristas Headdress Ball. (Not a money-maker, but the publicity and new socialite business was great! Some socialite biz is painful - drop them.) If you have further questions email me ... Advertising and promotion (and fast production) was what I most enjoyed! Best to you in all you do! P.S. Don't ... Do not advertise in the yellow pages! Gave a popular industry seminar as to why. P.P.S Funeral flowers are the m-o-s-t profitable product to make ... if you have the interest/experience. The above approach works on them too!

This could indeed be fun and work out for you. Do a lot of research, as prospective small business venture-er would do. I agree with above post. Think about what your ideal jobs might be but then think about what you might do to get the "chops" and clientele and experience and make $$. You probably will need to take small jobs, and so talley_sue_nyc 's comment about cleaning and organizing seems a good one--kind of, no job too small to start, then you get more selective. So,you are not going to want to be hired to "fix" entrenched hoarders. You need clients with disposable income who want a friendly helper and cheer-leader. Also,folks may start with a room and not their whole house "Putting off tackling that garage? Call_____!" Your competition includes the closet people--installers and designers of various lines of closet shelving and modular units. I would think you would want to gain installation expertise, or link up with a contractor, or have contacts with companies. Just a consideration--if you are good at seeing solutions, quite a few of the ideal solutions will require installing new shelves, brackets, interior organizer stuff--not just buying containers. If you have a way to help the client go from idea to execution, that would be a plus. Or, maybe I should say, think more about how you envision your specialty and then see who your competition is. A very personal "clothes closet organizer" often includes fashion advice (what to toss and what to keep, what to put on "to buy" list). A kitchen organizer might overlap with suggesting mini-makeovers. What will you offer? Better service, cheaper service, something unique? If you want to give seminars or community classes, usually (but not always) you first get the real-life experiences, so you have credibility and your seminars include your real anecdotes and before and afters. Once you have credibility you have a lot of potential clients for speaking engagements--community groups, professional women's groups, going-off to college dorm advice, all sorts of stuff. A lot of overlap with the interest in time-management or motivational speakers.