I grow a number of raspberries in central VA and have found Caroline, Prelude, Kiwi Gold, and Heritage (and a few others) to be heat tolerant. I think last year's brutal summer negatively affected my Caroline and Prelude plants (might have been a virus, also), but my Kiwi Golds and Heritages seemed to take the heat a bit better. I'd still definitely recommend trying Caroline and Prelude because they did great the 3 years prior and they taste better in my opinion. My soil is fairly heavy, a loamy red clay. I (attempted?) to purchase Baba awhile back based on Don's recommendations and the only place I could find it was Willis, so I rolled the dice. The one surviving Baba has yet to fruit, but it doesn't look like the web images of Baba I've found and, instead, looks almost exactly like a wineberry (red trailing canes with numerous closely-spaced, long hair-like thorns interspersed between fewer larger curved thorns). I'm hoping that the web images are incorrectly labeled and that I've actually got a Baba, but I've got my doubts. Bay Laurel always seems to be out of them, so please post if you find another source. I think it has been suggested that Don should fill the void and, following the Doyle's model, start selling Baba's under his name for $20 apiece....

Ouch Saltcedar, sounds like you might be in Texas, or thereabouts, eh? More record (February!) warmth today and yesterday in the South! 83 degrees here in North Carolina today! My slope against the concrete is the the driest and most compacted on my land... And with five gigantic 100-200-year-old oaks out front, there is hardly a drop of water to spare that is not sucked up by their monstrous roots! But, as I always say, everything is relative... Thanks for the help~ :-)

Logan's may be a downtown, inner-city business but they have always carried the complete line of supplies for food gardening (even before it was fashionable). Their seed racks change every season but I have seen Baker's Creek, Seeds of Change, Southern Exposure and Wyatt Quarles among their offerings. They also have all the normal name brands. The packs I've purchased were the same price as the online catalogs but you save on shipping. They most often do not have the complete catalog, mostly the tried and true stuff. If you don't know where they are, their complete name is Logans Trading Company and they are on the north side of downtown Raleigh next to William Peace College. They are tucked in behind the business' along Peace Street so you can't see them from the road.

bestyears, while you are waiting for more good advice from others, I'll chime in here. As far traveling between Atlantic Beach and the Outer Banks, I would do one or the other. My choice would definitely be OBX! There is good bit of travel time between the two, long country roads and lengthy ferry ride. You will be at the mercy of the ferry schedule from Cedar Island to Ocracoke and this time of year you certainly need to have reservations so not to be stranded. (you can find out more online on the NC Ferry system website) Once in Ocracoke, you have to drive up to catch another ferry over to Hatteras and above, though those are short and run frequently and are free I think. So, just be aware of the need for a lot of time to get nowhere, if that makes sense. Part of the charm IMO, but it will probably be lost on teenagers. I have not done the OBX with teens though used to spend a lot of time there when DS was younger. But as for visiting the first time, I would suggest somewhere like Hatteras  esp. if there is interest in fishing, or around the Kitty Hawk or Nags Head areas. That way you'll have more to do around you but be more centrally located if you want to explore the more remote areas like going north to Corolla or south to Ocracoke. (My personal favorite, but it is quaint, laid back and no ocean front housing) Hanging out at the beach will be a lot of fun for teens so I would try for ocean front or easy access. IÂm sure there are plenty of water sports possibilities in addition to sight seeing. We always enjoyed the Wright Brothers museum, the NC aquarium and visiting JockeyÂs Ridge State Park where there is a huge sand dune w/hang gliding. ThereÂs lot of info online. I always like to check out tripadvisor.com to see what people have to say about places I visit. IÂve also used the Insiders Guide books when visiting new places. Sorry I canÂt help with recent info. I don't live too far from there but haven't made the trip in a while. I look forward to getting back there soon. I hope that you enjoy it! FC