HAVE: Seeds from heirloom 6' tall bush w/ lovely, shiny, small green leaves. In Spring, it gets tiny pink/white flowers shaped like teacups. And in Autumn, it has purplish-blue berries. As I am unable to identify the bush, I believe them to be NON-EDIBLE. The leaves turn a lovely shade of pinky-peachy-gold in Autumn. Pictures are on this website, which is not mine: http://ramblinganne.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html Not sure if this is what you're looking for, and they're probably not edible. Am mostly interested in flowers, mostly perennial. Let me know if you're interested in a trade. Thanks.

Geraldo, yes, squash were $1.99 a LB at the local Kroger's here in the suburbs of Detroit last weekend -- easily making an average butternut $5 to $8. Food prices are REALLY rising here -- a whole chicken that might have been $0.59 a lb a few years ago is now $1.29 to $1.89 a lb unless on sale. So, that is one reason I grow a lot of stuff. There are many more reasons -- enjoyment/fulfillment, hobby/something to do, etc. What is really sad is that so much good food is STILL being thrown out, as you mentioned with the less-than-perfect squash. Alas, when will we, as a society or as a species, learn no to waste? Allenwrench, you asked about my land, and about what I do with all of the things I grow. I have about 2.1 acres, in an "L" shaped lot that is largely flat, but it does have a bit of a gentle slope in the back, and a low spot at one edge that floods a bit a few times a year for a day or two. Soils -- well, I have everything from very heavy clay to sandy loam, and it changes very abruptly in places. I can, freeze, and dry produce. I've gone extra heavy into it this year because of my concerns over the economy, the "global food crisis," peak oil/energy, etc. Since I can do it, why not? I am feeding not only my immediate household, but putting up a lot for my two sisters and their husbands, my niece with 3 kids, and giving a lot away to friends and other family. I'm trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, because I CAN be. I figure everything that I don't have to buy from the store is that much less oil that was burnt shipping food thousands of miles. My limitation here is that I'm not legally allowed to have animals -- so, this means that protein is harder to do -- I'm trying to grow a lot of beans, quinoa, etc., that are vegetable protein sources. I'll try to post some other garden photos tomorrow. Dennis SE Michigan

viper75, I see you are doing avocados in Livermore. Those hardier Mexican varieties should easily survive your winters, as some of your other fruit trees and shrubs are not even that hardy. Mexicola tolerates at least 20f, which is like a once in a lifetime cold snap. The bigger challenge is the soil and heat. Also, if your cherries are not prolific, then that's a good sign that you microclimate isn't getting a ton of chill hours, which would bode well for the avos. When I was growing up in Walnut Creek, we had tons of cherries and stone fruit, benefiting somewhat from a dry creek bed behind our property that would funnel in cold air in the winter. After my parents moved to a property less than a mile away with some elevation, they had almost no frost anymore, and the stone fruit and cherries don't produce like they did at the other property. However, they can grow more tender things much better. Sounds like you might be in a similar spot which is probably pretty good all-around for a lot of different types of plants. Would love to see some pictures of your subtropical fruit trees.

I have zinnia, cosmos, and aster Also dianthus, but isn't that the same as sweet william? I have a packet of wildflower mix (commercial) that hasn't been opened yet, left over from this year. I used one last year (didn't grow much this year cuz we were moving) it was a butterfly magnet...the flowers were covered (not literally) with hummingbirds and butterflies. packet includes: yarrow, alyssum, calendula, bachelor's buttons, wallflower, coreopsis, cosmos, sweet william, gypsophila elegans, scarlet flax, blue flax, evening primrose, black eyed susan, catchfly, mexican hat