What a wonderful day indeed! Having met three of the four of you, I can attest that you all got on fabulously and had a lot to talk about! The closest Penzey's to me is about an hour, so I usually drive 7 hours and go to the one in Oak Park IL! Go figure... Love TJ's and Whole Foods, too but again, they're along way from my home in the "boonies". But they are opening a new TJ's this coming summer/fall only 1/2 mile from my work, so I see lots of paychecks being spent there in the near future! Glad you all could get together, and really glad you get to enjoy some sunshine. Not sure when I'll see the sun again around here! LOL Linda

I'm having a wonderful day because I don't have to get out in the heat. We broke the record yesterday with a high of 97. Supposed to be 95 today. That's the actual heat, not heat index. So I'm cleaning house, which has been neglected lately. Took the sheets off the bed and they're in the dryer now. Cleaning the Florida room but my back started hurting so I'm taking a break. Sounds like you had a fun morning, Sue. Baby Alyssa must be a really good baby to be able to take her like you do.

Well, the area you decide to till is entirely up to you, and will depend on the varieties and number of plants. Keep in mind that even if you are going to want an acre of pumpkin, the only reason to work a continuous area of soil is for efficient use of machinery. The only places that 'need' be tilled/turned (making conceptual room for no till gardening) are where the seeds will be sown/ transplants are to be placed. Some people do plant in mounds and whether you feel the need might be best determined by your climate and terrain. Mounds are not strictly necessary, but can help with drainage. If you have a flat area that can flood or not drain well, and you typically get ample-to-excess rainfall, then mounding can help. If your area is slopped, or raised, mounding can be unwieldy and can be affected by erosion. Your plans may not include them, but people who garden in raised beds are essentially growing all their plants in 'mounds'. Spacing is determined by variety. So, were it me, I would start by choosing my varieties. The ones you decide on will determine the amount of space you need, as well as distance apart. Bush types obviously need much less space, but some vines can be incredible growers. I probably live in a more Southern climate than you at 5a (Tn.), and grow a winter squash called North Georgia Candy Roaster. I raise mine under row covers to keep the vine borer off them, but they, like many pumpkins and winter squash, are vigorous vines that prefer space. There are a number of Candy Roaster and Banana types that are fun to watch grow, as well as extremely versatile in the kitchen. They can be made into soups, roasted, sauteed, made into desserts, etc... The flavor of the one I grow is mild, but quite delightful. Some of these get to enormous sizes! Choose varieties that do well in your climate, and can reach maturity based on average first and last frosts for the number of days between planting and harvesting. If you have vine borers, consider Moscata types. The staple, and probably the most popular, is the Butternut, but these too come in many shapes and sizes. They also have many uses in the kitchen, and fill your requirements for texture. Variety is always nice, and with seed catalogs now on the internet, it's more convenient than ever to find a huge selection from which to choose. I would start amending the space now. Once you decide on varieties, then plan out where you want to plant. Start dumping organic matter in a 3' - 4' round heaps. If you have access to 'clean' manure (no herbicides), dump that there too. Basically, make compost piles where you are going to plant seeds. Because you have so much time before planting, the manure can be raw (uncomposted.) In the fall, turn the organic matter into the soil (add the types of fertilizer that need time to decompose if you wish,) then mulch with leaves. Let that sit all Winter. Then, in Spring, till in your mulch and fertilize... mulch again. Plant when your soil warms for the varieties you've chosen. If you want to kill the grass in the entire area, you can either mulch thickly if you have access to such resources, or put down newspaper and cardboard. Wood chips and thick layers of straw/hay/grass clippings, leaves, etc... are examples of mulches that would be appropriate given the length of time between now and planting. Oh, and a soil test from a reputable lab (like those provided by your County Agricultural Ext. - in the U.S.) is the best way to find your soil pH and get recommendations for what amendments are appropriate for your soil and conditions. Hope that gets you started with ideas.

What's sad is I have 2 other gardens amended ready to plant in !! But on the s. side of my yard in full, direct, all day sun.. ugh! dahlias won't survive here - they need afternoon shade in my heat :( My hubby said just dig the holes - I knew better!! but thought how I will be pulling weed & grass clumps out of the area for the next 2weeks before I dare to plant one tuber in :( even after digging up the top area of sod. I feel stuck :( I dont want my tubers to stay out of the ground another minute but also know what it's like to do something half @s$ in the beginning and regret it until I fix it ! Now that u have me thinking ab it !! It's harder work to go back n fix it verses doing it right in the first place. I have 47 tubers waiting to be planted - my fear is, if I go ahead & do the bed right, it might take a while. I dug individual holes bc I've been physically sick lately & haven't had the energy to do my normal gardening - I counted 4 bags of black cow & 3 bags of potting Mix - far from enough to amend this area. But I can use soil from one of my open gardens I only have some kelp & bone meal in it - I'm an avid gardener. I know amending a small area for a plant does nothing good for it - I honestly think it's better not to ammend at all unless enough area is amended to accommodate the root zone @ maturity. I was trying to convince myself it'll b ok this way & I'll fix it this winter. Do u have any ideas for a quick solution ?? I wish I had the money to hire help to get this done asap!! Ugh- So how far apart on center should the tubers b planted ?? and in between rows ? I went by online recommendations. I'm beyond upset with myself I didn't start this early march!! Grrr !!!! Very upsetting... Along the south side of my house there's a hillside that stretches out past the right side of my back yard & circles behind it. The hill dips into a valley, which is were my "immediate" backyard is. The lowest point of this " valley" is behind the area I picked for my dahlias 2b planted. My backyard is a little valley but the ground closer to my house is higher than the rest of this valley area. I chose to plant my dahlias in this area closer to my back lanai for afternoon shade & higher ground. Bc the dahlias are at a higher point than the rest of the " valley" if it rains & floods, my dahlias won't be sitting in it. My yard is weird & uneven. I'm upset I waited way too long to get this started!! Do u think I will have blooms this fall if I get them in within a week ? Sorry for flooding u with questions but Im not familiar with dahlias like I am Roses & other flowers :) thanks cici