I also live in an urban area in MA, and I've also noticed that I just don't see the pest problems that I used to see where I grew up (about an hour west/south of the city). I haven't even seen any tomato hornworms (thank goodness!), and I've never seen a Squash Vine Borer. Slugs are often a problem (beer traps are my best friend), and like you, I get aphids occasionally. My neighbor has Japanese beetle traps, so I assume he's had problems in the past, but I haven't seen any beetles myself. I did have some powdery mildew problems on my curcurbits last year, as did my next door neighbor (I assume it spread), and I handled it with a diluted milk spray. I actually have seen a groundhog in the city, but he was just sitting on my front walk and alarming the cat, and hadn't made an appearance in the garden. The squirrels, skunks, and raccoons don't seem to bother the garden. I expect that I would have bird problems if I ever got any berries established, but that's still my plan. Mostly, I'd say that you should plant what you want, and deal with the problems if and when they arise.

Thanks, all! There are actually two planted beds right now - the 2nd one is hidden by the 1st one in that photo. So, a total of 5 for next year. Lorna - No dogs at our house, but plenty in the neighborhood. Every so often, one will run across the yard, but none have dug anything up so far - knock on wood. Annette - I'm considering doing raspberries in a raised bed, but not sure where, unless I use one of the veggie beds or something. Ideally, I want to make a long border along where I was standing, to hide the veggies from being the prime view out my living room window, and I don't think I want that border to be of raspberries! Gldno - Yes, I know asparagus is a lifetime planting. I'm pretty excited to finally make one - at our old house, we weren't planning to be there that long, so I didn't want to invest the time & energy. For strawberries, I want to do day neutral ones, which supposedly only live a year or two and don't send out runners as much as normal ones. But, then I can harvest gradually, and not all at once. We're pretty excited about all this stuff to plant up...it's easier to justify spending money on the veggie garden than the flowers, lol.

weirdtrev; thx much for rply. I am growing pie size pumpkins (a little smaller than the typical jack-o-lantern") so I guess I am doing OK. I see fields with waaaaay more pumpkins than I'm getting but that must be simply because they're planting a lot more vines. my vines grow very vigorously (easily 10' or more) so I was expecting more pumpkins particularly with the number of flowers on each vine. Question: should the vine be trimmed at some point during the season? I will try your suggestion of burying the vines. I am growing the pumpkins in the area between young fruit trees so it's not grass; just whatever weeds are there. I am mulching the mound with the same wood chip mulch I use around my fruit trees. again thx for help. Mark in MN

I've been propagating by cuttings for a good thirty years now, but still don't pretend to be an expert. The question of rooting in water or a mix is a good one. Rooting in water develops roots with large cells full of water, so when they are then planted in a potting mix, the roots have to change up rather fast in order to take up nutrients and many times they go into shock and die. I prefer to start everything in a soil-less potting mix. I have also found that for some reason I have a much better success rate by using styrofoam cups as the containers. I simply punch a small draining hole in the bottom, then fill with the mix and really water thoroughly. This means watering them until I am positive that they are damp all the way down. Most of my cutting are around six inches in length and I remove all the lower leaves but leave a few of the upper leaves. This is necessary so the cutting will have the leaves to help produce food and will be able to take up nurishment when the roots begin to develop. I then put the cutting in the center of the mix, take a bendable straw and insert in into the cup at the edge. This will hold up the plastic bag that will be placed down over the cutting, straw, label and cup and fastened on with a rubber band. The plastic bag needs to have a small hole put through both sides at the top so that excess heat can escape if necessary and provides for a bit of circulation. A knife point or icepick will do nicely for making the hole in the bag. I usually use sandwich bags, the foldable kind, not zip. The cuttings are then placed in a bright place, but not in direct sun and if put together properly need not be disturbed for at least a month. Many things this time of year will be rooted in a month, but I suggest checking for roots and perhaps giving them a drink at this time. If not rooted, they will then be alright for a couple more weeks or better, until they do root. There are very few things that you can expect 100% success with, but there are some. I've never lost a forsythia, miniature rose, african violet, spirea, and many houseplant varieties, but most things you will lose some. The most dangerous time for doing cutting is when they are amply rooted and you attempt to uncover them. Take your time doing this. Take the rubber band off and loosen the bag for a day or two, then pull the bag up a bit to expose one side to the air for a day or two. If that all goes well, then take the bag off, but at no time during the procedure allow the potting mix to dry out. Patience is all important in doing cuttings. Once you've been successful,you will be amazed at how much you will learn.