Lots of great ideas above! Coleman does recommend a shallower box -- (I think it's 8 inches in the front, 12 inches in the back) With the low winter sun, the plants at the edges in a deep box won't get any sunlight. But you'll see how it goes-- will be interested to hear! I use cold frames, low tunnels, and hay mulch, depending on the plants. What I have to add to the great discussion above are these ideas: Use entire bales of hay over carrots and parsnips, -- these can be kicked over and the ground underneath will be nice and soft for winter digging when the snow is deep (a simple layer of hay will be weighted down with snow, and difficult to dig under.) Row covers using AG 19 (not AG 15 ) work great for a zone 5 mountain winter for me -- lots of temps into teens and single digits, some years to minus temps. Do weigh them down with rocks and logs -- NOT those silly little stakes they sell. Fedco has lots of seeds that have passed "Roberta's overwinter test" which means out without cover during an entire Maine winter. They've got particular cultivars of lettuces, arugulas, kales, spinach, other greens, savoy cabbage, etc. -- have all survived low teens for me with only one layer AG 19. When it goes to single digits or below zero F, sometimes I put some plastic on temporarily. Another thing I have noticed is that plants under cover can survive lower temps in December than they can in February. I believe it's the heat in the earth that is still there in December, but gone by Feb. So I try to remember the extra layer on very cold nights the further we get into the winter (that is, unless the whole thing is under snow -- then it's well insulated.) When you get a thaw, so that your rocks, logs, and fleece are not frozen to the ground, then harvest enough for several days! You might not be allowed under the low tunnels for a while. I love peeking in through little holes in the fleece, trying to see the green under there, knowing that stuff is in there ready to eat as soon as I can get access to it!

You must have oakleaf hydrangeas and blueberries. The OHs are my favorite shrub, even though they occasionally get some winter damage here in NoVA. The leaves are striking, the shrubs flower before the h. macrophyllas even think about opening up, and they are still in bloom, 6 weeks or more later. Great fall color. Leaves hang on in the winter though and look very sad. No insect or fungus problems. They wilt a little at midday if they're in a lot of sun. Blueberries are not the world's most attractive shrubs, though the leaves get bright fall color. They have an open habit and sparse foliage. The branches are generally upright except when the fruit is ripening, and then they arch toward the ground. The wood is brittle and bits break off readily when you're trying to pick. Flowers are insignificant. But (BUT!) blueberry pie is very tasty, as are blueberry sorbet, blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry syrup - you get the picture. You want at least two shrubs, but those two will keep you supplied with fresh berries for weeks and you'll have enough left to freeze. No insect or fungus problems, but Japanese beetles will sometimes damage fruit. Not a big deal most years, as far as I can tell - certainly not the kind of ruination that JBs inflict on roses.

Somehow or other, my pH came back as 8.8. All I can say is, "Welcome to Texas!" We have cockroaches too. I thought everyone knew that we gardened in pure limestone rubble and dust. That is what we have so all you have to do is buy plants that are adapted to the soil and lack of rain. If you are unhappy about that, then don't check your water. It has lots of dissolved calcium in it too. Of all the replies I seen here, bpgreen has done the most homework. If you are worried about iron, the only product that works is greensand. It seems to me you already mentioned where you live on another post. Would you mind supplementing your member page with your location so we don't have to continue asking? I could probably direct you to a garden shop that carried greensand if I remembered where you were. The application rate is 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Here's how this gardening on limestone soil works: First you fertilize with organic fertilizer to feed the soil microbes. Generally it is the bacteria that exude acidic goo. You may have heard of humic acid (also called humates) and fulvic acid. These are not acids in the sense of vinegar or sulfuric acid, but more like buffering agents that are slightly to the acidic side of 7.0 on the pH scale. These acids will tend to pull your soil pH toward neutral, release the bound up iron, and allow you to garden with some success. While the acidic buffering agents work well in normal conditions, the time they let you down is when you get a rainstorm that lasts several days. When you get enough water, the rain will wash the acidic buffering agents out of the soil surface and reset your soil pH to 8.8 again. The very first thing that happens next is the iron binds up and becomes "unavailable" to your plants. You can fertilize daily from then on and you will not restore your color until the following spring. However, if you recognize the rainstorm as it happens, you can rush out and get some greensand and apply it even while it is still raining. With that one application you can forestall the entire chlorosis event and have the ONLY green lawn on the block for the rest of the summer. Ironite will not touch our limestone soils. It's been tried many times. If you wait until the grass turns yellow to use the glauconite, you will have to wait the traditional 3 full weeks before you see the green return. Using greensand during the rain prevents the chlorosis altogether. Greensand is damp and feels like sand. If you let it dry out it forms hard clumps. Thus it does not go through a spreader very well. I scatter it like I'm feeding chickens. Oh and you went to the wrong place to get your soil test. As you already know, TAMU is very NPK oriented. If you wanted answers with respect to an organic program, they are absolutely the last place on earth to go. If you want more testing, better testing, more answers, better answers, and real customer services, next time go to the Texas Plant and Soil Lab. For $35 their regular test and results will knock your socks off. TSPL does their testing based on calibrated plant uptake technology. While TAMU and every other land grant college/university tests soil using hydrochloric acid to dissolve everything in the soil, TPSL uses carbonic acid (also known as carbonated soda water available in every soft drink) because that is what the plants use. The plants release CO2 into the soil via their roots. When the CO2 hits moisture, dilute carbonic acid forms and dissolves the minerals in the soil. Thus there is a huge difference between what is "available" to the plants and what can be dissolved in hydrochloric acid. TPSL's tests are really calibrated to plant uptake. When they tell you something is in the soil, they mean that it is available to the plants right away. So chlorosis would show up in a TPSL test but not in a TAMU test.

The link to the Costco warmer seems to be broken (at least it didn't work for me). I have included a link to the Ancona Comfort 8. Price $229.99 Features (cut and pasted): Freestanding or wall hung towel warmer and drying rack that can be located in your bathroom, laundry room or other convenient areas Carbon steel construction with Chrome finish Sleek Mediterranean styling All parts and instructions included Reaches its preset ideal temperature in 15 minutes Engineered with dry-lined electric power to be safe and energy efficient, so it can remain on for convenient daily use 110 volts, 150 Watts, with on/off switch; cUL certified Dimensions: 37" (93 cm) height; 24" (60 cm) width; depth 12" (30 cm) Weight: 11 Lbs (5.0 KG) 1 year limited warranty Costco also has the Comfort 9S, currently priced $199.99 (after instant rebate). Features (cut and pasted): Features: 304 Grade Stainless Steel Towel warmer and drying rack that is wall mounted Sleek Mediterranean styling All parts and instructions included 6 feet (1,8m) power chord to plug into a standard grounded 3-pin electrical outlet Reaches its preset ideal temperature in 15 minutes Engineered with dry-lined electric power to be safe and energy efficient, so it can remain on for convenient daily use 110 volts, 150 Watts, with on/off switch, UL certified Dimensions: 30" (76 cm) height; 24" (60 cm) width Weight: 11 Lbs (5.0 KG) 1 year limited warranty Here is a link that might be useful: Ancona Comfort 8