We are in the SF Bay Area also. We just plant the seeds directly into the ground. They take off quite fast. I think we usually plant in March but this year we have alot of rain so I think it will happen later. After all these years with this melon it seems that it doesn't really matter if we do a headstart in pots or not. The plant actually seems hardier when it is sown outdoors. HwLee... our very first year we grew these were from 4 seeds that were given to my mom. We harvested well over 200 melons that summer and autumn! I did tend to the vines often with Miracle Grow etal...Since I didn't remember where the root of it was I sprayed the entire plant every 2-3 weeks. As the years past I didn't even bother to fertilize or even water. It grows like a weed! We barely watered them after the vines were about 3 feet long. And my mom has even cut up and dried some of the melons. They actually make a much tastier stock. Though they are darker in color. Wellspring... These melons if they are fully matured can keep for years. The way my mom has taught me to check for fully matured melons is to check the hardness of the skin. It is full ripe if you can't put your thumb nail through the exterior. We just leave them until I can see the stem of the melon starts to turn brownish. And still you can use the seeds from that same melon to dry. I have done this frequently. You can also use these melon like a hairy gourd melon when they are young. I think in a similiar thread somebody told me his Filipino wife harvest shoots and stirfried them. I'm a bit leary since they seem so hairy! Good luck your SFM this year! I was trying to post some pics but the files are too big for GW.

I've had my shark a couple of weeks now and can't complain. The microfiber pad stays very tight and it is not tied as in the H20. It is kind of a very hard velcro like attachment. It does NOT come out. It is really good on my terrazzo floors. I need to use both pads so I ordered the extra ones now. Cleaning of the pads are just a drop in the washer. I did use some clorox, not too much and they came ot great too. Of course they will never be sparkling white after the first mopping, but they will be clean. I did not have any issues with customer service, in fact it arrived really fast.

If you have a Kenmore now and like the way it sews, then stay with the Kenmore brand. Sears is always having sales and many of their machines are made by Janome, another excellent brand of machine. The added benefit is that you can probably use the feet and accessories from the old machine with the new machine, and realize savings because you don't have to buy new feet. It seems to me you would be throwing good money away to get the Shark if it has had mixed reviews. I learned the hard way after I purchased the Singer CE200 that had mixed reviews and found I was not overly fond of the machine after I started garment sewing with it. Right now I have my Kenmore 19365 out and ready to go for a crepe blouse because I'm sick of being frustrated sewing with that stupid Singer. Singer makes excellent products, the CE100 and 200 combo embroidery and sewing machines just are one big bummer of a machine series in their product line for sewing...embroidery feature is fine. All in all, I would advise to do your homework about different types and brands of machines (internet will save you shoe leather there), try the different machines that appeal to you after doing your research until you find the one you really like and feel comfortable using, then keep saving your pennies until you have the funds to purchase that new machine. Until you have the funds, keep using the machine you have now until you can really afford to purchase an upgraded machine and upgrade our sewing skills while saving money for a new machine (you are still in the beginner phase and need to upgrade to more difficult sewing). I saved for years to get a Kenmore 19365 to replace the beloved old Lady Kenmore with blonde cabinet my mother bought me new and upgrade the Singer 6235, paid cash, and actually treasure the 19365 because I had to work so hard and long to save for that machine that sews like a dream.

OK I had a lot of answers typed up and lost the post, so you can research them if you like, but here are the ones that are not true: Our eyes are always the same size from birth (not true, our eyes do grow) A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes (sharks don't have eyelids) Almonds are a member of the peach family (no, almonds and peaches are both members of the rose family) Babies are born without kneecaps (not true, babies do have kneecaps but they don't show up on xrays very well because they are not bony but are made from a cartlidge material) February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon (not true, there were 4 in the past century, the most recent being 1999) In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated (yes there have been, the ostrich, turkey and hamster) Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors (nope, they were invented in Egypt over 1500 years ago) Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite (not really, peanut oil is used to make glycerol and that is an ingredient in nitroglycerine) Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance (no, he was born at home)