Glib, I was trying to find more info. about melon-growing in my area and found some similar information in a historical treatise... Only they were talking about keeping melons away from cucumbers. They (the current writers, not the historical ones) said that while these don't cross, sometimes they can with the Serpent (Snake?) melon and are said to give a cucumbery flavor to the melons. Don't know how true all that is, but I thought it was interesting! The relevant info. is in the 2nd paragraph under the section Melons. Sunni Here is a link that might be useful: Historic melons and cucumbers

Melissa: If you have a variety of broccoli that produces side shoots, you can let it keep going and producing side shoots. Yes, the main head is gone once it's gone. But I definitely get tons more from my side shoots than that initial head. You just want to keep harvesting the side shoots while they're still decently tight and definitely before they flower. I've had broccoli going for a good couple years before. What types of herbs? The thing I noticed about beneficial attracting herbs is that they flower for a short period of time(cilantro, dill, parsley, to name a few). And it's the flowers that attract the beneficial predators. Maybe get some containers to plant some in and keep making successive plantings. What you want is an ever-flowing progress of beneficial attracting flowering plants throughout the year/season. A few that come to mind that tend to keep flowering throughout the summer are marigolds, alyssum, zinnias. There are also some perennials like yarrow, golden marguerite, and tansy and even some perennial alyssums. Borage is also a great herb for this, but watch out--- it can be invasive. Like I said though, you want diversity and staying power for your beneficial plants first and foremost. Usage(herbs) are just a plus. Certain beneficial flowers are good in the spring, summer, and the fall... so, deversify! Corn is a VEGGY that attracts, too. Actually many veggies(from onions, to swiss chard to broccoli )and many more) are great attractors if you let one or two go to flower. You can save the seed at the end of the season Here's a link I find useful for IPM programs. Kevin Here is a link that might be useful: beneficial attarctors and what they attract This post was edited by woohooman on Tue, Feb 18, 14 at 13:13

Goodness gracious. Helichrysum italicum is an herb, an extremely precious and hardy/welcoming plant with the common name "curry plant". I rely on helichrysum italicum for daily life! I'm growing it everywhere i can, including under my C. aurantium and in my home's entry. Helichrysum is an excellent addition to any gardener's edging as well, its Asteraceae so it's an excellent addition around chamomiles, yarrows, lavenders, it's also called "Immortal"/"Immortelle " because of it's ability to retain full color of its flowers after its dried. I apply its hydrosol & it's essential oil directly on my skin, grown in my garden then distilled in my copper alembic, it's an amazingly regenerative and healing plant that is about 3' at most, thriving is warm and dry conditions. I grow it near Melissa And also below Rosemary (the Rosemary growing in my garden is super tall, big verbone) plus it grows very well in the same bed as roses or with the easy to grow aloe vera! I grow helichrysum italicum in these beds because they adapt to their neighbors' caretaking easily as long as they have well draining soil and the ones near my old garden roses like bonemeal. Even though the curry plant has nothing to do with curry, it got its name from its aromatic living space, similar to the apple of chamomiles, in my entry, the front door doesn't get much water from the sprinklers and i have loamy/sandy soil that retains moisture but drains almost immediately after the rain, the helichrysum next to the front door does very well, my home is Feng Shui so the front door is east light and the bright yellow flowers are gorgeous. Clip the flowers snd steam distill to enjoy a gorgeous home maple-suger scent! Feom the curry smelling plant! Sugar honey! It's amazing to me that a plant which is reminiscent of a cross btwn Rosemary and lavender with a chamomile top can produce such vast aromas AND be a staple for first aid & anti-aging! Taken internally, it does wonders for hepatic system, and cardiovascular system! Its a must gave (can certainly live insoors if proper light of 6+ hours is peovided!) They're not trees as they're Asteraceae however their stalks can get kinda high. I use them in floral arrangements and they're always the brightest bc they don't fade at all! Decades and centuries later, the immortelle yellow flowers remain vividly perfect as if they were picked that same day!

Hi there y'all- Glad to hear you are going to give it another try Linda! Your best bet would be to try to find a committed space for your seedlings- in a warmish space in the house. Even a workbench in the laundry area can work well- Then, fix up at least 1 hanging fluorescent box with 2 light fixture on small chains that can hang from sturdy, long eye hooks secured into the framing above. The fluorescent fixture(s) can be purchased cheaply from the home improvement store, and fixed up with a plug in cord instead of the "inline" wiring they come with. Ask the guys there and I am sure they can show you how pretty quickly. I plug my light into a timer for at least 12 to 16 hours a day. Keep the seedlings REAL CLOSE to the lights. The seedlings can actually grow into the lights without hurting the plants as the bulbs are cool to the touch. To protect from damp off, I dip the pots into a very weak bleach solution and let air dry. I always start my pots with miracle grow with HOT water poured through to help it absorb the moisture quickly and thoroughly. After they drain and cool a bit- I put the pots into trays- aluminium baking pans are my current favorite- then the seeds on top- and cover with fine clean construction sand found in the cement aisle at the home improvement store. This sand helps keep the seed in contact with the soil, the moisture in the growing medium and keep molds and damp off from having a place to form at the surface of the soil. I will cover the tray with cling wrap and set in a warm space till germination occurs. Bottom warmth is best if you can find it. Sometimes a heating pad on low is ok- or- if it is still too warm. place a few pencils between the pan of seeds and the pad. As soon as you see germination- pop that covered tray under the lights as close to the lights as possible. As the leaves touch the cling wrap- I will try to prop up the cover for a while until it wont go much higher. The humidity the cover keeps in greatly benefits the seedlings. When the cover comes off, then you will need to watch daily for moisture till you get the feel of it. This is also when I will set a small fan blowing across or near the seedlings- but not right on or into them. The slight breeze will strengthen the young plants. The sand on the top will turn white when dry. As will the seedlings droop and wither when they dry out. When you water, pour cool to luke warm water into the pan NOT the pots- to about 1/2". You can watch as the sand on top turns beige. After an hour or so- if there is standing water in the pan- it is best to carefully pour it out. I start my toms and peppers 8 weeks before frost date. I do this because I do not have enough space under lights to start earlier. Toms and peppers THRIVE on heat. They can take cooler evenings, but the day temps really do need to be warm, even as seedlings. Just like the coleus I start in the basement- they will absolutely sit there as tiny little things and not budge into growth till it warms up some. I too have had whole trays of seedlings die for no apparent reason- only to find the tiny little black fungus fly has let it's underground "children" eat up the tiny root hairs of my delicate seedlings. I have not had much success with controlling them effectively. Fly paper- moisture monitoring and sand have all helped a bit. I know- it all sounds like a lot of work- but once you are set up, it is really a breeze- and so well worth the effort! You know- there are those out there who actually wintersow their tomatoes.....