I have similar problems with my greenhouse grown cukes. One year I did call Extension Service and was told to feed with two things. One I'm pretty sure was bone meal. Whatever combo it was worked. I have never been able to remember the other and when I called Ext. Serv. again no one knew what to tell me. And of course, I couldn't remember who I talked to. (There is no Ext. Serv. where I live, so I've never gotten acquainted!) I would surely like to find out what that other thing was!

The procedure you used for setting the main metering screw (adjustable main jet= screw needle on bottom of carb bowl) was acceptable. Were it not for the surging, the following procedure would work. (1)Lightly bottom the main metering screw to its seat (turn CW). (2)Next, turn the screw CCW 1.5 turns. (3)Start engine and run til it reaches operating temperature. (4)Holding throttle in wide open position (max no load RPM), continue turning the Main metering screw CCW until the engine just begins to lose RPM, or you see black smoke in the exhaust (or both). (5)Now, begin turning the screw CW and carefully count the number of turns you make as you go. When the engine RPM once again begins to drop, stop turning (you can stop the engine too). (6)Now, turn the screw CCW exactly half the number of turns you counted. This is the "median adjustment point" for fuel volume. The fuel metering must now be "fine tuned" to the working conditions (loaded operation) by actually putting the engine to work and then reading the color of the spark plug afterward. This is done by running the engine under normal conditions (mowing, in this case) for at least 10 minutes and then cutting stopping the engine and removing the plug for a color reading. If the plug color is somewhat white or light gray, turn the main metering screw 1/4 to 1/2 turn CCW (more fuel) and run the engine for 10 more minutes under working conditions and then read the plug again. The optimum color to attain is in the light brown to tan range. Finding gas "puddled" in the air filter housing might mean the intake valve is leaking some compression past it. I don't believe you can be certain the float level is correct based simply on looking at the ground under the carb after it has sat inert for a while. Unless the carb has an atmospheric vent to the outside, any overflow from the bowl will drain into the cylinder (but you have not stated seeing any of the typical signs of that either). Looking at your pics, there are 2 link holes in the throttle shaft bellcrank where the link is now connected (the link is in one hole). Are these 2 holes the same diameter? or is one bigger? Any chance you might have put the link back into the wrong hole? In the other pic, I see the throttle shaft has a return spring around the shaft. Check that this spring is actually functioning and not broken (with the remnants of the spring still in place). See both edited pics below. Have you checked the engine valves for proper adjustment?

Alrighty then. The finger in the soil, I forgot to mention until after I submitted. How does it normally feel? Believe it or not - plants recover more easily from wilting (not enuff water) than from too much water (drowning). When troubleshooting any problem, I believe in starting with the basics (usu. the easy stuff) also easy to overlook. Rule stuff in or out. So watering is a good place to start. I would also encourage you to talk to your neighbor. Just a casual conversation complimenting them on their plants and maybe comparing yours. Ask what they think? You would be surprised at times even talking with someone who has NO understanding of what you are doing (say the janitor) will often not be biased and point out what is obvious to them, it does work. About the Mel's mix - I have never used it and never made my own. When I think of "Mel's mix" - to me if it isn't the purchased "Mel's mix" then it should be called "MY MIX". Even following the recipe to the letter, to me, is a home mix. But I wouldn't make that leap just yet, unless there are some deviations in how you made it. Certainly, only you can determine that. If you made a cake from scratch - would you call it Betty Crocker? -- They are all intermixed in 4 beds. A better understanding of this and/or a picture would be helpful. Notice any powdery mildew? Look under (backside) the affected leaves for insects? Anything stand out? Maybe just a closer inspection in general? Something else affecting the roots? Moles/voles/chipmunks tunneling thru the roots? For every thing there is a reason. Good Luck, Gumby_CT

Before I'd make that ^ pronouncement, I'd question OP about what is meant by a 25 ft. limit in size. I'm about as sure as a guy at a computer at a remote location can be that what he/she means is that the yard section or whatever little plot this is is 25 ft. wide. That simply does not say anything about what tree can or can't "fit" that spot. Remember dear readers....large-growing "shade tree"-type trees, when mature, exist as a trunk somewhere out in the yard. The trunk may grow large, but no tree I'm aware of in the N. temperate zone is going to have a trunk 25 ft. wide. What is almost surely the case is that any large-growing "shade tree"-type tree could in fact easily inhabit that space...and at maturity, would consist of a trunk with all the tree up high overhead. Such trees form living ceilings over our "outdoor rooms" which is what landscaping seeks to provide. Take that same 25 ft. wide area, plant one of the ornamental, low-crowning species, and now you really have taken up all that space. Nobody can throw a ball around, nobody can even just walk there, because there's a big, wide-spreading ornamental tree crown in the way. That's the reality of this big tree/small tree conundrum-that many folks get it exactly backwards-the large-growing type-at maturity-taking up less space than the little redbud, fl. crab, or what have you. People that give out lots of landscape advice should learn to recognize this elemental fact.