While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

We chose our new town (had to move out of Toronto's real estate h***) in part, honestly, because of the excellent local hard cider. And we knew that it was a new wine region, and while the local wines were BRAND new and still very uneven at that time (about two years ago now), we figured that where wine went, good food was likely to follow. And indeed, the wine is developing nicely --- quite a few decent ones already, and more every season --- and we are discovering excellent restaurants, artisanal food outlets, niche farm retailers, etc., some of which were already here and some of which are new as this area becomes a food tourism destination. Slow Food has just begun a chapter in my town of 4,000, and we're the first test market in Canada for the "fresh from the farm" Web site (see link --- it is intended to help people anywhere in North America find local producers!). We don't have as much PYO as I'd like --- generally strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, pumpkins. The climate is much like upstate New York. The soil is supposed to be almost identical to that of Burgundy, and perhaps the best place in North America to grow Pinot Noir grapes, although that pesky zone 5 winter does make for some extra headaches at the wineries (all vines have to be buried in the fall and uncovered in the spring!). I love, love, love the fresh produce. To be honest, I am such a city girl that when I thought about good food following good wine I mostly had restaurants in mind. It was such a happy realization to find the farm stands galore --- and of course, many of the restaurants feature local foods prominently. Even the local casual hot dog eatery, the Buddha Dog ("make me one with everything" ;-) ) features cheeses from the 100-year-old local cheese factory and sauces made from all-local ingredients. So, while I miss the ethnic restaurants and anything-you-could-possibly-want grocery stores of Toronto, the great fresh food evens out the eating experience, especially at this time of year! Zabby Here is a link that might be useful: Fresh from the Farm

After so many years of making the garden bigger, it is hard to give in and make it smaller. Of course, Mother Nature is helping by making the shade encroach from the west and north of the front garden. The voles help by making it frustrating to get too fancy with the back garden. All in all, I am on the right path for me. During all the heavy canning years, I promised myself that when it stopped being fun, I'd stop doing so much of it. Well, canning all the time stopped being fun, so I've cut back a lot, and I'll keep cutting back. I don't think I'll ever give it up completely because it still is enjoyable when done in reasonable amounts, but I can be happy doing much less canning than I have done each year over the last decade or so. I grew a row of mini-sunflowers right in the garden about a decade ago. I had two kinds. One was Teddy Bear, and the other one was a single-flowered, multi-branching one whose name I no longer remember. They both did great and were so cute. I want to have that sort of fun with flowers again without worrying that too many flowers will equal too few veggies-----it is okay if there's fewer veggies. George, Some years are just that way. With Jerreth's health issues and the final part of her Master's Degree program, I do not know how in the world she is finding time to help your daughter renovate her house. I bet they are having fun doing it. Like you, I hate growing food and having it spoil because I cannot get to it, but you're only one person and can do only so much, so don't beat yourself up over the lack of canning time this year. Something had to give....and, if canning was it, so be it. My solution this year is just to feed the deer when I have more than I can process or more than we can eat fresh. The deer never know what they'll find on the compost pile lately, and are thrilled with whatever is there. My Heidi seeds this year probably came from Victory Seeds, but I've ordered them from various sources over the years and never had a bad batch. They seem to be consistent no matter who sells them, so I don't worry or fret about my source. Jen, Maybe that was a children's play area. Once amended with lots of organic matter, it ought to make great garden soil, especially for plants that love sandy soil (melons, southern peas, etc.) and those that demand great drainage. Things grow well in our amended sand out back, but I do have to water it more than I water the amended clay out front. Most of the sandy soil areas around us that are naturally occurring are deep sand that drains really fast (much more quickly than ours) and are infested with root knot nematoes. Our sandy soil is not infested with rkn's, for which I'm really grateful. I've often wished I just had a gigantic mixer that would mix together the clay from the front garden with the sandy/silty soil from the back, but of course, I don't. Still, adding clay to sand can work (or vice versa) as long as you add lots of organic matter too. Isn't it fun planning for next year? I love doing it while things are fresh in my mind.

Here is the list of tomato plants I transplanted into containers; (most only have one plant, but some of the containers had 2 or 3 plants growing together, so I just transplanted the whole thing and will remove the smaller plants as needed before they start putting on too many blooms. The few squash plants I have keep putting out blooms every day): Chocolate Stripes Dark Shekel George Detsika’s Italian Red Dark Star Pink Ping Pong (2) Hungarian Heart (2) Angora Super Sweet (2) Honeycomb Mortgage Lifter Giant Belgium (2) Black Cherry (2) Sweet Tangerine (2) Classic Beefsteak Black Beauty (2) Creole (22 containers used)-these were just the tallest tomato plants now. I have maybe 30 or so more 3 and 4 inch containers with tomato plants.