It may also depend on how they're supported. For my planting, peas and pole beans are all trellised. Peas are usually 1-2 inch apart, and pole beans 2-4 inch apart on one side. I get about two pounds of snow peas per week from a few plants, about 2 pounds from three pole bean plants (7 lbs from 10 plants from the 2nd planting). For my configuration, planting peas close together do not seem to affect the harvest much. Jordanz, I've been growing peas for years. In my SF East Bay zone 8, a few freezes and ice/hail have never killed any peas. I guess our advantage is that we really don't get much snow here so the fall planted peas always produce until early summer for me. I also sow peas in September every year.

LOL! Going to the bottom is normal behavior for fish that are in a panic. Sometimes they disappear for weeks. They may even temporarily lose all their colors. The dark color of the water is probably tannins but it is also possible there is debris in the water. To figure out which, scoop some water into a glass jar and let it sit undisturbed for a couple of hours. Any debris or free floating algae will settle out or float to the top. Tea colored water shows there are tannins or other organic compounds present. Some of the organic compounds are harmful to the fish. Tannins come from rotting leaves, peat moss in potting soil and any thing else organic that is rotting. It often has an odor like sewage that is unpleasant. Adequate filtration will eventually remove debris and some of the algae. To get rid of the rest of the algae you can use chemicals or a UV light. I like the UV since there has less chance to harm the fish and it doesn't bother the algae that grows on the sides of the pond. That is considered beneficial and the fish will graze on it. The UV can also kill some free floating parasites that show up every so often. I have never had the problem of green water. For tannins (tea colored water or tannic acid) you need Activated Carbon also known as Activated charcoal placed in a permeable bag in a place where there is an active water flow. The tannin molecules react and combine with the carbon molecules on the surface of the chunks. Odors in the water are also removed with AC. Zeolite will handle most other organic compounds. There are chemicals available for this but there is a chance they won't work as well. Try the Zeolite. You should test the water for nitrates and nitrites (organic compounds)regularly. The black liner is the best color to have. The colors of the fish pop out when you see them, so long as the water is clear. You will be able to see all the way to the bottom. Has anyone suggested you get a Pond Test Kit? It is an important thing to have. Did you remeasure the dimensions of the pond to get the volume of water? I used two sites to get the 588 gallon measurement. I can't hear the pond inside of the house. I have been looking for an inside-outside intercom to take care of that problem. The sound is one of the best things about the pond. I guess I must be a geek too.

Good morning and thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I am inexperienced in planting and caring for conifers, but I have been doing a lot of reading for almost a year (I know this is not a substitute for hands on experience) and hope that if I select proper specimens for the sites I would like to have them in and take the correct steps to care for them that I will succeed. I am trying to screen out the houses across the street, as well as create some privacy from all of the cars that drive by. I am from Alaska and miss the privacy and seclusion that I just cant get here in the suburbs. I want to be able to look out of my front window in 10 years and only see trees and shrubs instead of the street. Or at least something close to that... The sidewalk is 35' from the house, and the site I am considering for a large yellow conifer is 22' or so from the driveway. I like that Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Ogon', but agree that the diameter when it is older could be too much. I've read that "Kools Gold" might be a more narrow option, does anyone know if this is correct? I think that my site might be too exposed for a "Skylands", and I would be heartbroken if something happened to it after all of the effort that I plan on putting into it. Here is the front yard portion of a drawing I made of my yard and what the previous owners have planted in it. This drawing is to scale, one square is one square foot. Perhaps this will aid in determining what my options are. Thank you all for your assistance and suggestions.

update on tonight's dinner: early this morning I decided to eschew the pears and serve a spinach salad with pine nuts, crisp crumbled bacon and a drizzle of Vidalia onion dressing. I didn't do bacon dressing because one guest eats no pork products, so having bacon pieces on everyone's salad but his solved that dilemma very nicely. I also found beautiful fresh haricots verts, which I am steaming and tossing with a squeeze of a lemon. This way I get spinach and beans, which makes me very happy :-) Mtnrdredux, for your retro dinner I hope someone brings green bean casserole....I adore it!