I read somewhere that one way to get rid of wild onions would be to dig the dirt up and pass it through a screen, then you can toss the bulbs that get screened out. I'm thinking this would be best done when the soil is dry and crumbly. As for improving the soil tilling is one option but be aware that it can bring weed seeds to the surface and next thing you know you have a weed plantation. Clay is usually quite fertile, and if you have or can attract earthworms they will do a great job of breaking up the soil. In your place I would just put a layer of wet cardboard or wet newspapers as a weed barrier, then put organic matter or mulch over that. Then start planting, pushing holes through the cardboard/newspaper. I like to put a bit of one of the Espoma Tone fertilizers in each planting hole since they are slow release and also have good bacteria in them. As for plants, I have clay soil, and all sorts of plants love it. Perennials: In the sun I have purple coneflowers and black-eyed susans, sedum, lamb's ears, bachelor buttons, lily-turf; in the shade there's hollyhocks and astilbes. There's really a lot of choices, it would help if you knew if your soil happens to be acidic or basic. In any case, for now avoid plants that say "requires excellent drainage" or words to that effect. I love my peonies (but wait til fall to plant these -- they are tubers but shallow planted ). You can plant bulbs in the fall too but don't plant them one by one in clay or your arm will fall off. Reserves a part of the bed for them (maybe plant annuals in it now) and in late fall dig a wide hole and toss the bulbs in at the right depths (pointed in the right way LOL). The lowest planted ones first, then cover with dirt, followed by the shallower pointed ones, etc). It will be really nice next spring. Shrubs - red-twig dogwood? In NJ I'm guessing also azaleas & hydrangeas (see if they grow in your neighborhood). Roses are supposed to thrive in clay but this is the first year I am trying a couple after researching hardy disease resistant kinds. Don't make my mistake and not have any evergreen plants with your perennials, btw -- looks desolate in winter. Speaking of not spending an arm or a leg, did you know that lowes will put torn bags of mulch and amendments in clear "product recovery bags" and sell them for 50% off? I didn't know this until last week -- now I keep checking for new goody bags. :) Here is a link that might be useful: one of the

Out here in Illinois, about 2 miles from Lake Michigan with heavy clay soil, my local nursery recommended planting the trunk flare junction "even with or 1-2" inches above existing grade." I didn't understand what this meant at the time, but I'm thinking it's consistent with planting above grade, so I think I'm going to aim for that. If I'm interpreting the local nursery instructions wrong, please tell me! Here is a picture of our front bed. There is room to move the hydrangea over to the right and forward (and I think, aesthetically, it would probably be better placed there), so I am planning to do that. That will allow me to dig an entirely new hole, which, this time, I will dig only to the depth of the root ball. Depending on what the soil looks like, I plan on tilling the entire area between the old hole and new hole (or double dig) to combine the soils together. Question: If the soil very over amended, should I still do this? Or would I be better off leaving the overly amended area and just starting over in the new area? I would probably still add some amendment to the new area (adding no amendment at all makes me nervous), but I would only add about 20% cotton burr compost. And one last question on amending. The plants in the middle of the bed and scattered around are, I think, some type of onion. I am waiting for them to bloom this year, but then plan on transplanting them in our backyard somewhere. Point being: once I dig the onions up in fall, I plan on amending the rest of the bed before the fall. That was my logic for amending only the planting holes right now. Does this make any difference in terms of whether it's a good idea to amend the planting holes? Thank you, all, for the advice! (I have now been informed that the marestail at the right which had been serving as a focal point (guffaw!) is, in actuality, an invasive weed). :-) This post was edited by fampoula on Thu, Jul 4, 13 at 22:53

Well, I have an 18 quart and I have the 6 quart. It's the most regularly used appliance in my house next to those used for roasting and brewing coffee. I use the 18 quart for stock because I have cattle and chickens and make a lot of stock from the bones and can it. I put the bones of either in the big roaster, add my vegetables (onion, celery, carrot) and seasonings (bay leaf, salt, pepper), and roast the whole thing at 400 or 450 for a couple of hours, then add water to cover the bones and let it simmer all day, sometimes all night. The longer you cook, of course, the more flavorful the stock is. I also use the 18 quart to make things like scalloped potatoes, baked beans, sloppy joes for family parties and I use it to roast turkey or ham when my oven is busy at said parties. That happens a lot. I use the 6 quart in place of the crock pot a lot of the time. There is a learning curve, I've found that the "slow cook" setting on the Nesco is still too hot for my liking, so I turn it down further. That's the beauty of it, it can be adjusted for temperature instead of the mostly high/low crockpot type settings. I don't sear a roast in mine, the heat is on the sides and so it's not great for that, but I just plop it in with no liquid and roast it, then add whatever else I want and turn the heat down for a slow roast. The advantages of different sizes depends on the volume of cooking/product. I use the big one and I use the 6 quart but I don't really need anything smaller or larger, those do what I want them to. I can also put either on the back porch in the summer time to avoid any heat in my kitchen, as I do not have air conditioning, and I can bake in them in lieu of turning on an oven. I've baked brownies and banana bread, and used the small one as a bain marie for cheesecakes although you have to cover the tops to avoid condensation dripping onto the tops from the lid. I do know that others have the fan in theirs and love it, but I've never used one with that option, so I can't help you there. I love my roasters, the 6 quart gets a regular workout and the 18 quart is a lifesaver for big gatherings, I highly recommend them. Annie

I live in Wisconsin where the Nesco is a tradition. I believe it is made here or at least it was, who knows anymore, but it is a great device and I use it all the time. Just realize that it is not all things for everyone and you will be happy with your purchase. I first saw the Nesco in use at a friends house where Mom would cook with it a lot particularly game. So it has a lot of nostalgia for me. I make their chili recipe for the 6 qt a lot adapted a bit to my own tastes and people seem to enjoy it. It's great when it's too hot to use the oven. I own several 6 qt models and a 18 qt size which I use to cook for large family gatherings and for turkey. You'll want to experiment with it before you use it for an important family gathering or you may be disappointed. There is a technique for getting a turkey to brown correctly and if you don't do it right the turkey won't brown and may have a steamed taste. Still good but maybe not what you were looking for. On sale I have seen the 6 qt size selling for $25, buy one and support American industry and get a bargain to boot!