Oh I got one! Last year among a ton of other stuff, I planted some heirloom âÂÂMexican Sour Gherkinâ cucumbers. They grew really well and started coming in in great numbers I tried one and didn't really like the taste raw - our new kitchen was under construction so there was no way to try any recipes or pickle them so I gave them all to a friend to pickle. I must have missed one and it grew for many more weeks. By the time I found under the leaves it seemed to have "magically" turn into a cantaloupe. Well, perhaps it wasn't magic and I forgot I planted a few cantaloupe seeds and assumed the un-labeled plant with a creeping vines was the cuke. Turns out I gave a whole bunch of un-ripe cantaloupes to a friend who then pickled them... I still haven't had the nerve to tell her!

jennlynn, You have had some good advice so far from Lisa, Sandy and Ms Vickie. BUT, I would say to you at this juncture, STOP! Go out and purchase a book on pond building and up keep, before you do anymore buying or planning. There are lots of good books out there [try your library first] that layout the procedure of pond installation and maintenance, bit by bit, step by step. Ortho gardening books, for one, have inexpensive books on pond building. Any book by, Helen Nash, i.e. "The Pond Doctor." is one of hers and it has lots of great information. There are scads of pond/water gardening books to be had out there. You are going to require a big pond if you intend to keep koi. They should have lots of space to move about in. You have to think about filtration [or not] and how you are going to maintain this pond. The how and why's about winterizing the pond and protecting the fish, is another consideration to think about, before you put a hole in the ground. Certainly you will receive information/guidance, here on this forum, as you go along and questions arise, but having a basic knowledge of what you are getting into, in my opinion, is a must before you start. I don't mean to scare you off having a pond, but your post tells me that you are complete new to the idea and need to know what exactly it is all about and what it is going to cost you. Stay the course, it is a great and rewarding hobby, but first of all be kind to yourself and know what is involved. It may save you from becoming frustrated or overwhelmed part way through. "Horton"

The first rule of gardening is to NEVER use fresh manure on a garden. It will burn the plants. I am hoping you used fully composted horse manure. If that is true, it's not a problem, and good for vegetables. The problem with the wood shavings is that it takes a lot of nitrogen to break them down, and may leave the compost nitrogen depleted. This is not a problem as long as you add a good source of nitrogen to your garden. Blood Meal is pure nitrogen that can be worked into the soil, and watered in. That should solve a low nitrogen issue. As for the weeds, well yes, horse manure may have a lot of weed seeds if the animal grazes. Composting the manure helps some, but many piles do not get hot enough to kill all weed seeds. What I would do is put down a good mulch, to prevent the sun from hitting the soil directly. No sun = no weed seed germination. I would suggest checking out Gardener's Supply Company. They have a lot of both fabric and paper mulching sheets. I have successfully used the paper sheets in a vegetable garden. You can walk on them, they will stop weeds, and it just composts away at the end of the season. Or perhaps the paper mulch found there will give you an idea of where to get a similar product locally. Some people use newspaper, but I've found that in order to pile it on thick enough to stop weeds, it's also thick enough to interfere with watering. Check it out. Mulch won't prevent all weeds, but it really helps.

Beth.......... You have my greatest sympathies. Gardening on multiple levels has felt totally impossible from the beginning. When I am working on one level, the weeds are thriving on the other levels. Argggggggh. Hauling mulch up from the street level to the gardening levels is hard labor, too. I thought it was my time management that was the problem. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult for one person to manage all of that work. Then add the heat we both experience and it just gets overwhelming. I did check with the lady who runs our local garden center and she did say that Preen will not harm the roses. I may not like using chemicals to control weeds, but I have had to give up and use some. You have so many beautiful roses, I know this must be very distressing for you. All you can do is keep at it one day at a time. Smiles, Lyn