Wow! A lot of response and questions.... to answer a few of the questions: Question: If even for nostalgia's sake, could the vegetable garden be relocated? Answer: Well, our property is surrounded by trees, except directly behind the house, to the south. My father had that little bit logged so he could get HD tv ... or whatever it was. Though, there's not a lot of flat land directly behind the house. It's mostly down-hill. I don't think there's a better place for the garden. Comment: In our state (and I'm certain in yours, too), we have a forestry service that will come out to your land and tell you what to do with the trees (if they are big enough to log, etc.). Response: My father worked for the forest service most of his adult life. I probably should ask them to come and look. I'm not sure if that's something they do ... but they might come over as a favor. Thanks for the idea. :) Comment: You're assuming that the problem is sunlight, but the fact that the herbs are thriving suggests it may be something else Response: Wow. I actually never considered that. I think you're probably right ... and that changes everything. Question: How large is your property? If you cut down enough trees for a vegetable garden, will the forest still be just as thick beyond what you've cut down: a backdrop to the garden rather than a looming presence? If the people who own the neighboring properties ever decide to clear-cut, what will your situation be -- will there be enough trees left on your property?? Are any of these trees likely to fall onto your house due to storm or lightning? Answer: It's just under five acres. We will still have plenty of forest -- but it actually pains me to see the trees cut down. That's my childhood playground we're talking about ... I'm pretty sure we won't see the neighbors even if the forest around the garden was logged, but I'm not sure. I'd have to have professionals look at the property line, I suppose. .... and yes, our trees are close enough to the house, that they could fall down on us in a storm. We have had trees fall during storms, but we've been lucky enough to not have them fall on the house. It may sound crazy, but I'd rather take my chances. I've already agreed to have one tree logged to protect the house (it was leaning) ... the rest can stay. Thank you for your replies. After considering that the trees might be taking all the nutrients away from the vegetables .... I think I might like to log around the garden -- just a few trees, see if that makes a difference for next year's garden.

I also did that to an old, very woody Penelope this spring. It had grown up to eat a five foot block wall and was definitely in decline. The only way to stimulate new basal growth and rejuvenate the plant was through major amputations. It worked! I took the whole plant down to less than two feet, fed and watered it and it now has about four feet of growth all over the plant. I need to reinforce the attachments to hold it to that wall so I can begin training it back up there. Often, it becomes a kill or cure battle. You have nothing other than time to lose by trying to cure an already dying plant. Kim

The small thin branches you can see where the greenish wood meets the rust colored wood, the rust colored wood is dead and will snap easily with hand if you were to try out of curiosity. Use sharp pruners and cut that part away. The thick branches i would let be until tree is leafed out to see how far down you should actually cut with them. Martin

Well, it kind of depends on what you want out of the tree. Are you going to be planting it outside eventually? How do you want it to look? Do you want a thick amount of leaves? How big do you want it to be? If it was my tree, and it would be staying in that spot for all of eternity (you know what I mean), then I would cut back those four largest branches, because if you don't cut those, they will keep extending out, with little foliage in between them. I would cut those four branches down to encourage thicker growth toward the center of the tree. In the first picture, you can see those little shoots waiting to become branches. If you cut off the top of that branch, that is what will be growing outward. You will also be wanting to pinch some of those off anyway, as it strengthens the tree and gives the tree a more tidy look. Good Luck! ~palmsandsnow