Well, I would recomend mulched beds method. You will need a cart like a garden way cart or something like a small quad with a little trailer to haul mulch into the rows and to haul harvest out. Mulch beds that are a good working size. They should not be any wider that you can reach the middle comfortably without stretching or straining. This lets you work the whole bed from both sides. Leave a path that is big enough for your cart. Don't over size the beds or under-size the walking paths. Next you may want some sort of mower, larger than a lawn mower, to knock down and shred corn stalks. Your mulched rows become permanent as do your walkways. Mulch your beds with at least 6 inches of mulch. the first year, a foot thick is better, and adding 6 inches per year after that. You can get material from a tree trimming company that has a chipper machine, they are usually delighted to drop it off for free, saving them the dump fee and the land fill. A light scattering of mulch on the walkways is ok too, as it can help when the walks are muddy, but it can also keep the walks from drying out, so don't let a lot get on the walks. When you want to plant, just pull back a little mulch, just like you pull back a little soil to plant, leave the mulch pulled back after planting the seed, so the new plant can make it up through. You should have very few weeds come up through the mulch as it will act as a barrier to most weeds. If you have a few weeds come up through the mulch, just hoe them or better yet, fork a little more mulch over it and the weed becomes mulch too. When you are done, use a mower to shred and scatter the stalks or vines, they become mulch for the next crop. I then do a little top dressing with more mulch. Mulching is labor intensive, but you save on weeding and the mulch is your fertilizer, so you don't need to spend money or time on other fertilizers. If you do choose to use a small tractor to mow, a hammer mower on a little "yuppie" tractor works very well. There are also some large job walk behind mowers that are great for that size job. a machine mower is not the only way to work the material. You can use a good old fashion scythe, keep it sharp (hone it about every 15 or 20 minutes) and it's amazing what an old fashion tool like that can do. You can work an acre easy in 4 hours. For the walk rows, foot traffic keeps a lot down, and a hula hoe makes quick work of the rest.

Hiya I have presently been bitten by the lithops bug, and I got it bad! Am presently looking for seed or plant, would really like the brightly colored ones but will definatly accept the other ones also! Please if anyone wants to trade send me a email. thanks whisst

hello GardenLu and welcome. it would be helpful to put your e-mail address on you page (not here in the thread), so that people can contact you. Also let us know what you are looking to grow...perennials, veggies, annuals...etc. a location would also be helpful.......you never know, you could be close enough to someone to be able to pick up seeds or plants (if you chose to arrange a meeting with a fellow gardener).

greetings.. you asked a good question Lucy.. I have microwave/convection oven at the end of my counter and it faces the window.. a good amount of light comes in thru there.. also, in the afternoon and on into the late afternoon, my bedroom window gets direct sunlight. So, between the 2 different directions of sunlight.. my plants would get a good 6 and more hours of sunlight.. I hope.. It's worth a try anyways.. And Penny.. thank you for your offer of seeds.. I love basil, and oregano and dill.. and also, I'm going to search Richter's, as suggested.. thank you.. Love, Light and Peace celtie