I like Johnny's Seed - Seed Starting Calculator. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/e-PDGSeedStart.aspx??source=HomeSeedCalc0111. I will probably use this calculator this year to determine the planting dates and use Martha Stewart's Seed Starting Worksheet - www.marthastewart.com/seed-worksheet - to keep tract of what I do. I agree with you - I have got to keep better records of what/when I plant and when/what to fertilize. I finally organized an excel worksheet for ordering our vegetable seeds - I think I have that documented for easy seed ordering decisions. Here are a couple of photos of our soil sifter (we have rocky soil in places) - we built it to fit our wheel barrow so it does not move once I place it on the wheel barrow. It works pretty good for sifting soil in a small area. I go down the garden row and throw in surface rocks then dump the rocks in my 4-wheel trailer and dump the wheel barrow of dirt back in the garden. Thought it might also come in handy for sifting soil for the Soil block mixture. FYI RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: karin_mt 4 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 30, 10 at 12:21 I like both of those web resources for seed starting. The Johnny's one is particularly cool. I found that the hardest thing was forecasting the frost-free date inside my greenhouse so I could predict when to start plants that are destined to stay inside. And yes, a customized Excel sheet is a great way to go! I have an Excel database that starts from the very beginning of our gardens, so I have a pretty good history of what I've planted each year, where it's from and how it did. There are a few gaps though, notably which type of raspberry variety is where. I also have a little bar graph that I use to track the planting dates, exciting weather events, bloom periods and key harvests. Each year I print out the template, then fill in the bars by hand over the relevant dates. This gives a very interesting comparison of your growing climate from year to year. Maybe someday these will be key pieces of climate data? The note-taking is also helpful for reflection - it helps you firm up your thoughts. Now, your soil screener looks like a very nice tool. I like that it fits firmly on the wheel barrow. What do you do with all the rocky stuff that is left over? Maybe you'll have enough for a stone border? Do you have alkaline soil too? Do you find that your soil gets clumpy, even when it's nice soil? That's something I've noticed lately. Even though the soil is beautifully textured (not clay), it forms hard clumps. I am wondering if this is from alkalinity and the particles being inclined to stick together. RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: 7000feet 3 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 31, 10 at 10:40 Your method for keeping notes is helpful! The Salt River runs through our property (a mild to raging stream depending on the runoff and irrigation needs - so I return the rocks to their rightful owner - the river. We have great soil because we are on an ancient river bed but the bad part is the top soil varies from 0-36" depending on the swells. We tried to locate our garden on deep top soil but still had to haul off large rocks in the beginning and now sift the soil as we plant and haul off the small rocks. I haven't tested our PH but is alkaline soil like yours. It does get clumpy but try to keep it moist during germination and use a lot of mulch to keep the walk areas dry/walkable. We add manure every fall before plowing the garden. We purchased sifted top soil for the GH and added a lot of vermiculite, peat moss & compost - not problems with GH soil. Here is a photo of what works well for us to remove rocks from our garden. I purchased this wonderful dumping trailer that hooks on my 4-wheeler. I rake the rocks in a row and use a manure fork to throw them in the trailer - then dump the rocks on the river bed with their cousins. RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: soonergrandmom Z6 Grove (My Page) on Sat, Jan 1, 11 at 16:26 I have used the mini-block maker for years. I use either Jiffy Mix or ProMix with it. With ProMix you may have to throw out a small stick or two, but it holds together fine. I didn't know about the attachment for the medium block maker that makes the hole for the little one to fit into until several years after I bought mine, and I never remember to order it. So I don't use the two blocks together. Some things grow so rapidly that they need to be started in the medium size, but I start all tomato and pepper seeds in the tiny block and pot up to small containers when they get their first real leaves or when they appear to be a good strong seedling. Some things I don't need to plant 20 of, so I write the name on a popsicle stick, lay the popsicle stick between the row of blocks and slide the blocks over in groups of five to a small piece of foil. I crimp the foil up a little to hold the stick so I don't lose the name. I don't make real plant markers until I am sure I have good transplants. I make the permanent marker at the time I put them in their first small container. I am much more likely to plant 5 seeds of 4 varieties of tomato than I am to plant 20 of the same kind, so it works well for me. RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: ngrrsn 7 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 11, 12 at 1:33 Would like to know more about the tunnel construction; why the wire mesh instead of pvc or waterline pipe? What is the mesh sizing? Is this welded wire? What size is the wire (#10,12,14)? How easy is it to form the wire? Is it fairly strong, or does it bend easy? Why the gaps between sections of wire? How is the wire secured to the ground? What is the height of the tunnel at the center line? I am very interested in this. RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: Hudson...WY 3 (My Page) on Fri, Sep 28, 12 at 9:09 The mesh is 47" 12 1/2 gauge Field Fence available at most farm supply stores - a full roll is 330' but most stores have smaller rolls as well. I cut the fence in 6' lengths with small bolt cutter or wire cutter and cut the vertical wire such that there is 6" of wire on both sides of the hopes to push into the ground to anchor the fence. The center height is approx. 24". I plant in wide rows of 30". The mesh size is 6" squares (for easy reach-in, weeding etc.) although the bottom couple of rows are a bit smaller. I gap the fence in the rows approx. 18" to reduce the cost and because the row cover does not sag with the gap. I like the fence because it will last many years and I live in a climate where we have had snow every month of the year and periods of hail or strong wind. The fence does an excellent job holding up the weight of the snow and withstanding the wind/hail etc. It pulls out easy at season end and stores by stacking one inside the other. I have never tried PVC pipe so I am not in a position to compare. I am sure this fence method is more expensive but I like the way it performs. RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: Hudson...WY none3 (My Page) on Fri, Sep 28, 12 at 10:44 This Years Broccoli using the tunnel method - keeps out the insects too. I usually plant veggies in the garden with the row cover the 1st week of may or earlier if I can work the soil. Without the row cover, there is a threat of frost until the middle of June and after the end of August. Well worth the effort! RE: Row Cover Gardening Posted by: ngrrsn 7 (My Page) on Fri, Sep 28, 12 at 17:18 Thanks! That helped a lot! I Appreciate the follow up. 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The Chabba-doodle-poodle's mother has quite a few. Linda C DOGGY RYE CRISPS 2 cups rye flour 1/4 cup wheat flour 1/4 cup corn meal 6 TBL vegetable oil 2/3 cup warm water Preheat oven to 350 Combine the dry ingredients & then stir in the oil & the warm water. Form the mixture into a ball & then pat or roll it out to 1/4" thick. Cut into puppy-pleasing shapes & bake on a greased cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes. Makes 24 crackers. RUMPOLE'S ROCKS: A DOGGONE GOOD SNACK 3 cups oatmeal 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup powdered milk 1/2 cup bacon grease or leftover fat 2 eggs 2 tsp cod-liver oil 1 1/2 cups canned beef or chicken gravy Preheat oven to 325°. Combine all the ingredients & drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes & cool the "rocks" on wire racks in a safe place. Store in a covered container & dole them out for "Good Doggies). Makes 30. LUCY'S CHEESE BONES 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (your choice) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup water (more or less) Preheat the oven to 400°. Combine the flour, cheese, garlic & oil. Add water if necessary to form a stiff dough & knead well. Roll it out on a floured surface to 1/2" thick & cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browwwned. Makes about 36. Snickerpoodles Dog Treats 1/2 cup canola oil 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup honey 2 eggs 3 3/4 cups white flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup cornmeal 2 teaspoons cinnamon Mix vegetable oil, shortening and honey together until smooth. Add eggs and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Knead dough until mixed well. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls. Mix the cornmeal and cinnamon together in a bowl and roll balls in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with a nonstick spray. Press the balls down with a fork twice going in 2 different directions or press with your favorite stamp. Bake 8 minutes at 400. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack. We do tons of homemade dog biscuits at Christmastime. When we deliver cookie trays, we deliver dog biscuits, strung on red ribbon, to our canine friends. What the doggies like is garlic and meat paste. I make my own meat paste, from leftover pot roast and canned beef broth, in the food processor. For the picky-est of the picky eaters (and we own a little Tibetian Spaniel like that), try cheese or cheese-and-bacon. What you're going for is a thick, non-fluffy, very heavy dough that smells strongly like meat and garlic. And a low oven temperature, to bake them hard and long-lasting. BASIC RECIPE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, or any combination of heavy, whole-grain flours 1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt 1 large egg 1 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 cup hot meat paste (see notes above) 1/4 to 1/2 cup very hot water Mix together well with an electric mixer. Turn out onto a floured pastry cloth and knead until elastic and "set." Cut with dog-bone cutter, or with the edge of a drinking glass. Spray cookies sheets with Pam and place biscuits on them. They will not spread at all, so you can place them very close together. Bake at 250 degrees F. for one hour, turn trays 180 degrees, and bake at least another half hour. FOR CHEESE BISCUITS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you know that you're going to be making doggie treats, save up all the hard bits of leftover cheese. Grate them up and use them, in place of the meat paste. If you do not have leftover cheese, then buy a bag of Kraft grated cheese, sharp cheddar, and use that. Once the biscuits are on the cookie trays, you can sprinkle them with grated Parmesan. FOR CHEESE-AND-BACON ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Add Hormel's Real Bacon Bits (they're in the salad dressing section of your grocery store) ******************************************* Fido's Favorite Treats Yield: 1 batch 1 c. Rolled oats 1/3 c. Margarine 1 c. Boiling water 3/4 c Cornmeal 1 tbp. Sugar 2 tsp. chicken or beef flavored instant bouillon 1/2 c. Milk 4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese 1 Egg, beaten 2 c. To 3 cups whole wheat flour. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, combine rolled oats, margarine and boiling water; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, cheese and egg; mix well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form a stiff dough. On floured surface, knead in remaining flour until dough is smooth and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness, cut with bone shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes on until golden brown. Cool completely. Store loosely covered. Makes 3 1/2 dozen large dog biscuits or 8 dozen small dog biscuits. *************************************** Here is a doggy bday cake recipe as well...grin DOGGIE BIRTHDAY CAKE Don't forget the "Frosty Paws" from the grocery store to top off the cake. 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup chopped/unsalted peanuts 1/4 cup oil 1/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon soy flour 1 egg 5 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup ground or grated carrots Preheat oven to 325°. Combine flours, baking soda and peanuts. Mix in egg, oil, vanilla, honey and carrots until well combined. Pour mixture into a prepared cake pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Happy Anniversary, Valerie! Linda, that was great you were able to go be with your daughter when she needed you... Yes, Marsha, good thing I didn't take your advice LOL It was good advice though :o) Hope you get a quilty day soon. The host may have had some machines in her car, but I intercepted before it got that far LOL At the very least, she would have probably sent her son home to get one if it was necessary because she only lived 20 minutes from where the retreat was. We just got a mass e-mail again thanking everyone for coming to the retreat and stating that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we raised about 3000 dollars for the school house. The host e-mailed pictures that she had her son take... Btw, you can see in the picture of my quilt block above where I had the tension issues (the pink fabric puckering), but I did fix it after that... Just a few more pictures and I'm DONE, I promise... Another shot of the whole room... the lady who had the same Bernina as I do was the 2nd one on the left side of the middle row of tables... and my Brother is two machines down from that, but the lady was ironing at the time, so she wasn't there... The lady in the back is the one who borrowed my Brother... I guess I wasn't the only one who put their quilt around their neck! Here's one without the quilt necklace... And that's all, I promise promise promise! :o) Hope everyone has a lovely rest of their weekend.

If you have the one I'm thinking of (clear plastic, long handle you hold and another spins to make the circle), I do like that one, my mom has it and it works pretty smoothly. I have found that most cutters work better on glass (I have a glass cutting board) I don't have a circle cutter--want to get one!--but do have the Fiskars oval and don't really like it. I also have a doodle cutter...works good with strong templates and on a glass cutting board. It takes alot of practice, but works better than scissors; especially for making fun shapes and it's very compact! I think as part of Natl Scrapbook Day, I may end up getting the CM cutting system (circles/ovals) I used it at a party once and my pics looked so much nicer than when using scissors. Have fun with it! Hilary Here is a link that might be useful: doodlecutter