Here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire we would eat the fiddleheads of that fern, raw or cooked. Doesn't matter what species it is, all of ours are edible. Break off a frond or two and wait a couple of weeks to see if you get a new fiddlehead, snap it off, rub off any papery covering and take a bite. Can't tell by the pic what species you have, need a closer look at the frond, both front and back. Might be a dryopteris.

Thanks everyone for all the information. I'll Google all the places you mentioned. I'm in Buffalo NY so the Ohio & Michigan places sound like a closer bet. Mocc, my whole lot is 30x135' I'm putting a new bed between the garages that is about 8' wide by the length of a 2 car garage..It will be tiered in 3 stages with probably the med. in the highest tier, and then s/m next an then smalls.Each tier will be about 5' deep and 8' wide.. Mini's will go in front of the garage 8' x 2' deep. Putting Guacamole, So Sweet and Dream Queen in first tier. Also have space next to the fence about 4'x40', and in back of the house about 24' x 5' deep.Have a lot of space next to the fence on drive side for pots. Don't know how to put pics on the forum yet, but I could send you some via email. Have visions of a great Hosta garden, but my family thinks I've lost my mind to take on such a project at almost 80 yrs. But gardening is what I live for. Sunnywood, thanks for the endorsement for NHH. Think they give a 15% discount for early orders. Last but not least COLL- You were my inspiration for my new bed when I saw your tiered section in your thread "Same Old, Same Old", Have it on my "bookmarks" Just beautiful Thanks! Well thanks everybody for your advice and encouragement. I'll be on this machine all weekend looking at things. Better go now. Forgot to feed the dog until she nudged me to tell me to "get off that d--n machine and take care of me instead.

Connecticut coast here. Growing season is from about the second or third week in April through Thanksgiving. This year, our last frost was on April 11 although it's still possible to have another for a week or so yet. The first fall frost can come anytime between mid-September to mid-October. Soil is variable depending strongly on your location. My site is almost pure sand in some areas, clay in others, and a wonderful combination of both in another spot...glacier soil. Most of us have acidic soils perfect for hydrangeas, azaleas, rhoddies, daphne, ferns, holly, etc. Best of all, New England grows rocks & we have wonderful 300+ year old rock walls to prove it. Most every New England gardener has a pile of rocks somewhere on their property. Granite, to be more specific. There's a reason New Hampshire's known as the Granite State! Because I live within 100' of Fisher Island Sound (part of greater Long Island Sound), our weather is moderated quite a bit from that of interior New England. We are warmer in the fall & winter, cooler in the spring & summer. Also get a lot of that coastal marine layer engulfing us in fog...primarily in June and/or early July. I love working in my garden on a mild, foggy day. It's a tough call for me as to whether I enjoy spring or fall the best. New England is known for glorious falls and for very good reason. Our climate produces the brillant reds that other areas often lack in the fall. However, April & May are also glorious...emerald green grass, flowering trees everywhere, daffs, azaleas, rhoddies, and a host of spring perennials make spring's color palette a delight. I'm a Zone 6(b) or 7(a) so have a pretty broad range of plants that perform well here. Cold enough for lilacs & warm enough for passiflora. We get the occassional summer humid spell but nothing like the south. Precipitation ranges from 50-60" a year depending on where you are in New England. During a "normal" growing season, I probably only need to provide supplemental water 2-4 times. Last summer was very dry & I watered more than I ever had but it was warm and dry all over the country. We normally receive adequate summer T-storms to keep our gardens watered. We are lucky in that while some of the storms can be severe...hail and/or tornados are rare (though not unheard of). Our summer temps here in Mystic are usually in the mid to upper 70's although we can get a heat wave into the 90's though not every year. January is our coldest month and the daytime high averages 38 degrees with night averages of around 20 degrees. Snowfall here along the coast is usually 2 1/2' or less. But, a good Nor'easter that happens to hit us hardest can drop that much with one storm. This year, we had virtually no snow all winter in Mystic. I've gardened in SoCA, Nevada, New Hampshire, & Connecticut. Connecticut is, IMO, the best. Such a large variety of plants do well here and the natural scenery is just spectacular...from the rocky coast line of Maine to the rolling hills of Western Connecticut to coastal estuaries of Rhode Island & Connecticut to the winter ski resorts in Vermont/Maine/New Hampshire, to Cape Cod...there's something for everyone. Yesterday, I enjoyed a white egret in my garden & a walk hardly passes w/o saying "hello" to a pair of swans. The downside is that the gulls frequently dive-bomb my car! I am located under a butterfly migration route & late summer brings scores to the butterfly bushes. Most of New England is forested with white birch (White Mountains of New Hampshire is famous for their white birch), a great variety of conifers, oaks, & maples. Mountain Laurel is native. Blueberries grow wild in northern New England. All in all, it's a great place to be a gardener. We are battling Jap beetles & the Asiastic lily beetle. There's a new one coming soon...the viburnum beetle which is already plaguing parts of northern New York but which, fortunately, hasn't reached me yet. Since our summers can be humid...associated diseases can be a problem but with good cultural practices most can be controlled w/o resorting to chemicals. I use yards and yards of compost every year amending our soil but, fortunately, mother nature provides plenty of free materials every fall when the leaves begin to blow. Oh, and apple-picking season is the greatest! Of course, so is maple sugaring time...lol

There are some real deals to be found up here, and the best blueberry season we've had in years! Uncanoonuc Mountain Perennials, 452 Mountain Road, Goffstown (603-497-3975) Wed-Sun 9-5 hardy perennials, flowering vines, climbing roses, antique roses, shrubs, berry bushes, herbs August Specials 10-50% off StoneFalls Gardens, 4 Centervale Road, Henniker (603-428-6161) open 7 days annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, garden shop, pottery house Sales starts Friday, August 19th 20-50% off The Fells, Rte 103A, Newbury (603-763-4789) perennials, shrubs, trees Annual Plant Sale, Saturday, August 20th, 9-noon Here is a link that might be useful: The Fells