Orchid_pixie, 1. Buy a heavy duty tiller, if you decide to try to cultivate your soil. Don't do what I did and get the "cheap" $188 model at Walmart. It will only leave you $188 poorer & shaking your fist at the sky as you realize you wasted your money on a puny tiller that got you nowhere (and which, to boot, is hard to start unless you have the upper body strength of a titan). 2. I too, love gardenias & have been trying to grow them, with varied success. So far I've killed 1 1/2 plants (I would say two, but I won't know if the last one is dead until it warms up & I can tell if there are any remaining signs of life). Of the plants that have survived my attempts to grow them, I currently have two indoor veitchii (one at home, one at work -- I'm conducting an experiment to see which lasts the longest before dying horribly, or preferably, which blooms first!) and four frost-proof gardenias that I bought at Pike's and planted outside in my front garden bed. As for the frost-proof, they seem to be doing okay, and given that you're in the northern part of GA, I would give those a try before buying some of the less cold-hardy varieties. However, whatever you decide to do, do yourself a favor first and read the suicidal gardenia thread I'm posting for you below. The first time I read it, I literally laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. Enjoy and good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Suicidal Gardenia

I occassionally have this issue because we have a lot of humidity and it affects all my plants, not just tomatoes, like you. I regularly use fungicide until I start seeing fruit on my plants and then I regularly spray a milk/water mixture (concentration 1:1) on my entire garden. nothing can "cure" it, but I've been told the milk keeps the spores from affecting the unaffected leaves. Basically the point is to just control it so that my plants can grow ahead of it....if that makes sense. I also discovered I have a calcium deficiency in my garden so I make sure to add eggs to my compost and I add bone meal at the time of planting.....after starting to do that a couple of years ago, the healthier plants can help keep the spores at bay.....I can't move my garden and can only do so much rotation, so I have resigned myself to accept that humidity is going to be my worst friend....but at least the last couple of years my garden has been producing well and I don't get frustrated with all the hard work and nothing to show for it.

L2C46, now you're talkin', SAILBOATS, etc. is one of the great things Chicago has to offer (SOME of the year, lol!). I adore the Shedd Aquarium, especially the architecture and the marine mammal exhibit/show. The whole thing is a replica of the Pacific NW habitat, very cool. And I love the other three museums, the Art Institute and the Museum of Natural History and Science and Industry. Best I've ever been to and I've been to all the NYC ones and Berlin and LA and Philly's museums. Check out Indiana Dunes while the weather is still nice, and the historic farmstead there. It's probably a good hour from you, but well worth the trip. I lived outside of Chicago for the majority of my life, (In MI, but Chicago was THE place to go) and I have a close friend living in Evanston. My people were from the south side, that's where they emigrated to from Russia, but later moved to Skokie when they got prosperous. As for clothes, the key is LAYERS! I'm partial to the good stuff, it wears well, like gortex and other waterproof coatings for windbreakers (always with a hood because you never know!). Then wool for sweaters and coats, along with down and polartec or thinsulate. Mix and match. Silk and cotton for the longjohns, at least on the inside. There are nice boots but they are pricey, but you will not regret it. I have a nice wool lined leather pair, a heavy duty thigh high pair, and a pair with rubber bottoms for slush and mud season. Don't skimp on the soles, and you want SEWN uppers to the soles, will not come unglued with all the wetness. IMHO, a good set of foot gear is the most important winter survival and ENJOYMENT accessory. If my feet aren't happy the rest of me isn't happy! And a good hood. To heck with hat hair, I want to be comfortable! My friends call me Nanook of the North! But I can go outside and enjoy myself ANY TIME! The secret is to accept it, EMBRACE it!

Starting from seeds is fine but it take TIME. Time is of essence. That what all the fuss about starting early to get a head start, to beat the mother nature in its own game. 1 MY living example: I started/ sowed KUMATO , on March 26Th. Today , May 1st, after 36 days it has just 3 true leaves and it is about <3" tall. I think it needs at least 15 more days to get reach a decent plant out size: That will be 51 days from sowing. This is inline with sowing 6 to 8 weeks before plant out date. Well, of course, if you have long and warm season, you can even direct sow in the garden. I have done that while gardening in GA. I have had even plants grown from cuttings much later. OTOH: what you've got to lose, : Few seeds, some time and attention and see what you'll get. It is called EXPERIMENTATION. But be prepared to have low expectations. Sey