ssmdgardener - Osmocote nutrient release is dependent on temperature. The packaging might say it feeds for three months but the warmer it gets, the faster the fertilizer is released. I go by 2-month cycles. Feeding with something like Foliage-Pro helps fill in between cycles, or just supplement, especially for really heavy feeders like sugarcane and eggplants. To answer your question, you will really benefit from fertilizing anything, including herbs. Leafy herbs, like basils and mints will be more productive. I grow in containers exclusively, though most people on this forum know much more about it, and experimenting with dwarf herbs and vegetables for plant sales at a university. There's a sweet ornamental pepper called Sweet Pickle that produces pretty well in a 1-gallon container. Sweet'n'Neat tomato also does well in the same size pot. Sweet'N'Neat tomato - small and decent producer. Not the best flavor: Ichiban Eggplant produces really well in the proper soil and a healthy dose of soil. Give it an 8-10 gallon pot: This was a Heatwave tomato from three years ago, planted in a mix of 30:70 Worm castings (yes, unorthodox on this forum) and regular potting soil, planted in a 10-gallon container. One tablespoon of Osmocote per gallon of soil would have been more appropriate.

I concur that Bill has got it right. And Rodger looks like he's got a real enviable operation going there. All I can add is: 1) choose larger varieties -- I've always gotten better results with the big ones and they seem to be tastier too. Many here know that my favorite is Black Diamond Yellow Flesh, like Bill is growing. 2) Totally agree on digging down deep. Soil needs to be loose to encourage root growth. I like to add sand as well as mushroom compost and composted horse manure. 3) Agree on consistent watering. I use drip irrigation to water same time, same amount every day. 4) Never pick a melon during heat of the day -- it can split open. I had read about this and wondered if it were true and sure enough, I split a melon open by picking at around 1:00 pm. Always pick either early morning or evening. 5) I don't know if you have spider mites in your area -- I had a real problem with them in the past. I found that insecticidal soap and some overhead watering alleviated the problem. Basically try to not let the soil around the plants stay dry all the time. A sure sign of spider mites is "crown decline" where the older leaves go yellow/brown and start dying off. This spreads down the vine, choking off the nutrients to the melons. 6) Avoid moving melons around as they get larger. Ensure when they are small that they have enough room to grow. Be extra careful not to break off the tendril where the melon stem attaches to the vine (this is easy to do unfortunately). 7) Make sure that the melons don't sit in wet areas (they can rot on the bottom) 8) It can make sense to shield some melons from the sun to prevent sunscald. I have found this to often occur with Moon and Stars yellow flesh for some reason. 9) If you do get some vine wilt, chop off that vine as close to the plant crown as possible. Culling down to one melon is the way to go to grow a big Carolina Cross. One method people use is to label each melon and measure their growth daily. If you plot this in a chart using a spreadsheet such as Excel, you can compare growth rates for the different melons. Cull the slower-growing ones. Note that with this concept, you may actually cut off a larger melon in favor of a smaller, faster-growing fruit. Immediately cull any misshapen melons. You are looking for a perfect Hindenberg shaped melon, in the case of Carolina Cross. If the baby melon is misshapen, then the adult melon will be as well. The varieties I am growing this year are Moon and Stars yellow flesh, Black Diamond (red flesh) and Carolina Cross. I'm shooting for 100 pounds on the CC but got a late start. Have to figure out how to make up for lost time. Last year I got 2 70 pounders (from separate plants on separate hills).

tamsea, There is no "RIGHT" way. There are infinite number of ways that work. You start with figuring out what you like. Doesn't have to be specific plants, but what you like. Do you like lots of fall color? Big majestic trees? Flowering? We know you like birds. How about natives, since the birds are adapted to those already. What we have done in our yard is to try to mix zones. We have areas that will be highly shaded eventually, and we have others that are predominately shaded. We have some shrubs, and we mix large canopy trees and smaller trees that are happy in full sun or as understory trees. We have flower beds, with various species i.e gladiolus, native honeysuckle, clematis etc. But we have another area near a drainage channel that we continually add wild flowers to, along with native Iris, Louisiana Iris, and a select tree or two as well. We also try to have something in show, coming into show, of finishing a show all during the growing season. Then we have some things for winter interest as well. Sometimes it's "I want a Sugar Maples" like my significant other said, and so we ended up with two after I did enough homework. Still it's all a work in progress. Trees need to grow more. Shade is just developing. Wildflowers have been a bit slow to take hold. etc. etc. Start with figuring out what you like, ask questions, and the gaps will fill in over time. Arktrees

Fondest greetings dear Kathy! I'm humbly grateful for your kind words & compliments. Bless your heart! If you ever need a prayer partner or another kindred spirit to talk with, feel free to email me anytime. Always happy to make a new friend & fellowship :-). How are you feeling since last? I've been encouraged by what you & gardenofeden said concerning our trials & our Lord's faithfulness throughout. Believe me, I can wholeheartedly sympathize with such. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that He ALWAYS provides, in His timing & His way. I know what it's like to be laid up longer than one would like/expect & at the same time still having tons of things that need to get done. God's had to literally knock me to my knees on a few occasions because I was knocking myself out, & not in a good way (if that makes any sense). Congrats on your veggie garden going strong! Have you had any harvest yet? I got a few cukes, peppers, & tomatoes. I've had my heart set on some zucchini parm but don't know if I'm going to get any yield yet. Got flowers but no fruit yet. Been keeping a watchful eye for vine borers & so far so good. There's a nice fat eggplant hanging out but it needs to get bigger before I can pick it. Just hope the raccoons, possum, or squirrels don't get to it before I do! Can't wait to see pictures of your angel's when they bloom! That's awesome that they grew so vigorously after being cuttings from last year. I'm definitely going to put mine in the ground next yr. The pot I put mine in has become WAY too heavy now for me to move so I've been wheeling it onto my patio on a hand cart whenever nasty weather's expected. I would love to give you a peruvian daffodil but so far I've only got the one plant this yr. I know it should multiply next yr so come then I should have a plant to share :-). Will def keep you posted. In the meantime if I come across some bulbs I'll pick them up for you. We usually get them at Costco. Everything we've ever bought from there has bloomed better than the stuff from our high end nurseries. I honestly have no idea why the toads disappeared from my area. Sad though. I can remember catching a whole horse trough full of them, some of them were as big as my hand. My sister & I tried to keep them as pets but Dad told us they'd be happier being free so we'd always let them loose in the garden. Never had a pest problem back then. Now that my area has changed & the neighbors have become pesticide happy, I guess the toads either died or moved on to safer pastures. My yard is the only one that's organic. I only use something harsh as a VERY last resort (& even then I get the heebie jeebies about it). I keep my yard neat & clean but also as natural & woodland-like as possible, so it was a real treat seeing that little toad. Your mockingbirds sound like a fun pair! Mine just had 2 chicks. We raised our male ("Baby") after he was almost hit by a landscaping truck. I had to run out to scoop him up out of the street. Ever since then, he always comes back every yr with his mate "Pretty Girl" for peanut butter. They both come when called & even bring their chicks around as if they're showing them off to us. Speaking of which, how's that little sparrow doing? Have her chicks hatched? That is very sad about her mate! Thank God your sons are o.k. after those nasty storms! My friend's son & family had no power for over a wk in W.VA. I heard there's still folks w/o power. Thank you kindly for your advice Re:my brug! Truly appreciate it! I do have those white cabbage moths flying around. I'm going to take your advice & get some of that BT as a safe guard. Saw a brand called Safer caterpillar killer w/BT in it - would that be o.k.? Thank you also for the info about the homemade pest remedy too! Exactly how much ammonia should I use? It's in the 80's today on L.I. w/high humidity. My brug is hanging out in its spot & 3 of its buds are starting to unfurl. A garden spider has taken up residence amongst its branches & I couldn't be happier since its presence has been keeping away (for now) whatever was eating my brug's leaves. Have a happy day my friend! God bless & keep you (((hugs)))