Hi Heather , I wasnt involved in the seed swap with Kenny but I wonder is it possible you have King's Spear seeds there ? here is a little info about King's Spear aka Jacob's Rod ( ASPHODELINE lutea) It is a really pretty plant ! Might be a little touch and go for you in your zone though. ASPHODELINE lutea Jacob's Rod; King's Spear Signet Dense racemes of fragrant, bright yellow flowers on tall spikes in late spring. Blue-green grassy foliage. Well-drained soil in sun. I tried unsuccessfully to germinate seeds for this variety over a period of several years before it showed up suddenly and unexpectedly in the garden here. Quite lovely and easy to grow. 36" x 12" z 5

Laura, Sod cutters work very well in certain types of soil. You have to be very strong to use one...it is much more a task for a gentleman than for a lady. This is the kind of job that when we do it, DH runs the sodcutter and I help. The sod also is very heavy to handle after it is cut. One way to enlist help in removing the sod is to offer it on Craigslist or Freecycle, and state clearly that whoever wants the sod has to be there while y'all are cutting it so they can load it up and take it away that day. Usually people will knock themselves out to get free grass sod. If you want to see one in operation, there are videos online...likely on YouTube as well as on the websites of sodcutter manufacturers and rental companies. When checking into renting one, find out what type they have...there are some that are very, very large and heavy and others that are a bit more lightweight. The more lightweight ones work fine in sandy or loamy soil but you may need a more heavy duty one in thicker, denser soil that has a heavy clay content. Plan for a long, difficult day when you're cutting and removing sod, and depending on the type of soil you have, it can take longer than you think it will. Sodcutters are the best way to remove bermuda grass if you have soil that isn't so dense or rocky that the cutter cannot penetrate it to the proper depth. They're sort of like a big saw on wheels and they cut through the soil/grass sod at whatever depth you set. You have to be careful you don't set the depth too low with clay soil, or the sod/clay is too heavy to lift. Some stolons or roots may be left behind, and bermuda can sprout from seed that blows in from elsewhere, but a sodcutter is still the best way to remove bermuda. This is the perfect time of year to use a sodcutter because the soil is nice and moist. I'd never try to use a sodcutter with very dry soil, especially very dry clay soil. I have some beds I want to enlarge and am thinking of renting a sod cutter to do it during the next week or two. Dawn

For 15 years all cucumbers have grown on plastic deer fence in my garden. Had a few girdled as mentioned, but I start my day with a cup of coffee and a garden walk every day, so 99% get maneuvered through the mesh before they set up housekeeping in the openings. My toddlers love to climb on the deer fence, so I can vouch for its strength when it comes to cukes! Your fence seems a little more butch than the stuff I use, so I'd say you're good to go with your setup.

Both Rev-a-shelf and Slide Out Shelves offer pullout fillers that will fit a 4" gap, so it doesn't have to be an open cubby if you don't want it to be. But do measure carefully to be sure that the gap really will be 4", which I think will make the actual available storage more like 3" (double check with the designer), and that the stepstool will also fit height-wise with the mechanism in place. I have seen open cubbies that are nicely finished on some kitchen reveals here, also, used for towels, sheet pans, even paper towel holders - the first and last with pullout hangers for them.