Phygelius is a good hummingbird plant that might like some shelter to hold on to its leaves. It can get large and rangy but could be trimmed and staked to stay in a certain size. They may eventually get hit too hard by winter lows but usually last me a few years. Presently I have one that is several years old. They have a very long bloom season. Other plants that are evergreen but not so much on the flowering as far are hummers are concerned, are Mahonia, Nandina, possibly evergreen blueberries if you get enough sun there- Sunshine Blue, Legacy, and Misty. You need a pollinator so you would need 2 varieties. There is a fuchsia that makes edible fruit called a Honeyberry, I don't know if the flowers are attractive to hummers or not. I haven't eaten them to see if they are good enough to grow compared to blueberries, but they are still expensive so I haven't tried them yet, around $20 a plant also needing 2 for pollination. Here is a link that might be useful: Phygelius

Definitely and old thread but when in doubt for plant spacing I the "plant spacing: on the seed packet (or instructions). The row spacing is for :row gardening" where you need room to "walk or maneuver equipment" between plants for harvest or weeding chores. If you check the FAQs here... http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766684/what-are-recommended-plant-spacings Scroll down to... This is very helpful information from Mel's website on converting standard seed spacings to sqft spacing:"Depending on the mature size of the plant, grow 1, 4, 9, or 16 equally spaced plants per square foot. If the seed packet recommends plant spacing be 12 inches apart, plant one plant per square foot. If 6 inch spacing; 4 per square foot. If 4 inch spacing; 9 per square foot. If 3 inch spacing; 16 per square foot." I think the harvested size (and required spacing) will depend on the health of the soil. Keep a notebook and if there is a change needed for next year make a note at harvest time.

What's on the floor now? I think if you have any kind of flooring up there I would just shellac it if you are worried about toxins. Another possibility is to buy some used carpet. I have never had new carpet where the house didn't have a chamical smell for weeks after it was installed. Whatever it is, it eventually goes away...but if you could buy some clean used carpet, and then rent a steam cleaner and clean the carpet using just water....it would guree it would be pretty well non toxic. Another possibility would be vinyl flooring...but that is not really budget friendly. Linda C

Scrap wood is certainly fine and it what I use in my garden. First make sure the box is located where it will get at least 6-8hrs of direct (no shade) sunlight, not daylight but direct sun. If you stand between it and the sun you will see your shadow. It looks like there may be some things nearby that will block the sun. < I should get a tomato cage for the tomato plant, right? Do the peppers need anything?> You can try the cages on the pepper plants, often the soil is too soft to support tomatoes in cages but can work for peppers which won't get as big or heavy. But for tomatoes I like Upright supports screwed to the side of the bed. I found some links from days gone by but feel free to search for more. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2162223/can-tomatoes-and-peas-climb-twine Vertical Support Not sure which side is North in your photo but make sure you plant your taller plants (tomatoes) on the North side. This is so the tall plants don't block the sun. Spacing can be taken from the seed packet - use the seed spacing after thinning since you won't be thinning. Draw it out on paper to see if you will have room for what you have planned. Keep a Garden Notebook. Each spring review what went well last year and what needs improvement. Winter is a good time to plan the next garden layout, plants, etc. Start small and try to avoid overcrowding. If you want more plants next year make another box. Cherry tomato plants tend to grow very tall (vines) and will provide lots of tomatoes. I am so glad you are teaching your son to garden. Kids are like sponges and learn so quickly then will ask you questions you never ever thought of to make you think AND learn. HTH and good luck. Any other questions?