I have a patch of sob's that are 20 feet wide and 50 feet long. The new bed area I have digging in this spring is about 8' wide by about 100' long, so you can understand the magnitude of my spring project just for that one new bed. The bad thing is that I already have more than enough plants and shrubs to fill it once it is completed. They are here and there right now, but mostly taking up space in the veggie garden in rows. When my house was built 18 years ago that spot in the yard needed to be filled in with some dirt so my contractor, who lives about a mile away, used a front end loader and brought several scoops of dirt for that spot. Same thing happened here. When the house was built 20 years ago, the builder ran into slate when he was digging the basement. Because of that the house was built sitting up higher above the ground than it normally would have been. He then got 65 dump truck loads of sob infested soil out of the adjoining field to fix the yard and slope away from the house just right. It all ended up good as I have good drainage and all, just have the resulting sob. We got rain yesterday so that will cause any bulbs I have missed to maybe sprout some green so I can better find them in the loose soils I have all dug up so far. I 'know' there will be some that will be missed, but will do light digs for them in the springs to come. Last spring I dug them out from in front of the front porch and a small triangle on one side. I never planted it though as I wanted to wait and check for more this spring. Yes, there were a few that had been missed but surprisingly there weren't many at all. I now feel pretty confident that those new areas are sob free, so later I can and will amend the soil and plant some things in those areas. For having lived here for 20 years, this place is sure a diamond in the rough. It has only been in the last 5 years or so though that I have been what you might say 'obsessed' with acquiring and growing so many things. Here is the proposed new bed I have been working on. There are some shrubs in it already and since there is sob in the root areas of them they will need lifted and reset. You can see the field at the left and where I have dumped all my buckets of sob infested soil. At least I don't have to go far to dispose of it. The field is green with the sob foliage each spring. Here are some bulbs that are exposed at the edge of an existing bed...that I would like to expand if time permits. This is an iris I planted last year in another sob area I am working on this spring. I planted the iris on top of the soil, knowing there was a good chance there was sob in the soil. Several irises will need lifted and reset as they look like this one, or worse....sigh...but I had to go somewhere with them. End of rant. It looks like it is going to be a perfect s.o.b. digging day today. 63 with just a light breeze and the soil is good and moist. Sue

Hi Daniel. Wishing you an early spring . Up here in PNW, it is kinda "Springy". Highs ~ 50F. And of course we have not seen any snow, high winds .. what so ever. November was our coldest month so far, temps dropping to low 20s. But then we get a looottt of drizzling rain. Off Topic a bit: On the tomatoes: I will start my seeds around late Feb. BTW. I got Brandy Boy seeds. So watch out. hehe. We'll see how it does in my garden. Seysonn

Loewen is the best of what you have listed. I know the Loewen dealer in Huntsville. Loewen makes really good stuff, but its pricey. Burt Dale owns the Marvin distributorship in Huntsville and he is also pricey. Pella in you market use to be Frank Day, but he sold out to a company in Indiana I think. Rumor has it, they are a train wreck. The Loewen dealer in your market is relatively new. Loewen practically pulled out of there when the market went bad. The current dealer runs pretty lean and I doubt they will have nearly as much of a mark-up as Marvin (Dale inc). Windsor is not a quality product. Its mid-level builder grade. The sales rep is pushing it for a reason. Could be they get higher margin/commission. Could be the manufacture is paying a spiff directly to the sales rep (not uncommon). Weather Shield use to be a good product when the old man was still running it. His sons took over and pretty much gutted the quality control. When Ed Schield still ran it, they made good stuff. I think Ed is still alive but not active in the day to day operations. Give Loewen a call. I would use them on my projects, but they are made in Canada and if I need parts this time of year I'm pretty much out of luck until they thaw out. I they had planned on building a plant/warehouse in South Carolina before the recession hit just to address the issue of weather delays and service, but I don't know if that ever happened.

Ok, I will stick me in here. I am 66, married for 48 years to my hero. We have a daughter 47, and lost a daughter suddenly 15 months ago. Slowly, we are coming out of the fog that put us in and I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. Remembering the happy times we had with her are slowly taking over the deep sadness. Over the years, I have worked at an answering service, a custom decorator at Sears and as a wig, bra and breast prosthesis fitter in a boutique for the hard to fit woman. What a fun and rewarding job. Women in crisis are a strong and inspiring group. We retired back home to Pennsylvania 9 years ago after 32 years in Ohio and Michigan. Settled about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh to be near family. Daughter is 7 miles away. My life revolves around her and the grand dog, Dh and my home. I love gardening and spend most daylight hours in my yard tending my flowers and shrubs when the weather is fit. In winter, I sew, work on jigsaw puzzles, and dust my hundreds of animal and bird figurines! I am very fond of all living creatures to say the least. I am somewhat handicapped, having been diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy at age 17. I am extremely fortunate that I can still walk a little after all these years. I use a cane for very short distances and a walker or a scooter when out of the house. I have been enjoying the KT since shortly after it started. I don't post a great deal, but come here to keep up with all the goings on several times a day. I laugh and cry with you all and am so greatful for the support that has been given me when I needed it. This is a wonderful place to bring your sorrows or ask for advice...and to share your joys.