Not where I was there wasn't! It was very very wet, very very gloomy and the only 'heatwave' was a couple of warm days in early Autumn. Basically there was nothing much to call a Summer last year. I didn't get a single tomato, just a mushy pile of blighted vines. Regarding the transplant question - if I waited for soil temps to be high enough for squash germination I'd be sowing in mid-June, and even then with protection. If I set out young plants in mid May I can get a good harvest up until a frost, usually late October, early November.

If they can transplant heaRts, you can transplant any vegetable. But then again, not evry medical doctor can do heart transsplant. So it takes know how and pracice and extra care. I have bought cucumbers many time in those little 4 or 6 packs. In ecah pocKet if I had 4 PLANTS, I would separate then into 2 time two and plant each 2 separately and they will grow. What I do is soak those plants real good for about 30 minuts. They will eat and drink as mucH as they can. Now they are full. Take them out, pour more water on them if necessay , loosen them up separate them And plant them AND, WATER THEM RIGHTAWAY, GENTLY THOUROUGHLY, PACK FINE MOIST SOIL AROUND THEM, WATER THEM, FILL SOIL UP YO THEIR SEED LEAVE. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Ok! So now the dirt and the sweat is washed off, and the garden is "where it would have been at the beginning of any other olde year!" Time for a break--and a few slow walks to admire the Fruit of Your Labors! There's not many things I delight in more than walking past the things I've finished---over and over and over---to just look at what I accomplished---and the longer it took and the harder it was to do, the more fun it is! This year I decided I was gonna de-clay my veggie garden! Ok! That's not entirely true, but I decided I was at least gonna try to get the potter's clay out of it! It took me 3-4 weeks, but I went out there day after day (whenever the weather was halfway decent) and dug up one shovel full at a time, down about 8-10", and then sat down and went thru it clump by clump with my hands, breaking it up into tiny pieces, and throwing anything that changed shape rather than "breaking up" into a big pot, and lugging it to the dumpster. Had to space the crummy stuff out in the dumpster every week, 'cause clay is HEAVY, and if the truck can't pick it up, they might get out and look to see what I had in there---and I don't think we're allowed to put "dirt" in the dumpster! So for several weeks I was dumping a bunch in, and testing the weight, and dumping more in, and testing the weight---and saving the left overs in other big pots for the next week. Shovel full by shovel full, and clump by clump, I got half of the garden done! That's an area about 3 1/2 by 14 1/2, so it's really only about 50 sq. ft., but, oh, my, what a job! When I started, I was gonna do the WHOLE veggie garden (minus the tomato/eggplant area), but, uh, that's not gonna happen this year! The cukes and carrots and beets and parsnips and squash are gonna have to bide their time for one more year in the BAD clay! That side's a little bit bigger, more like 65 sq. ft., and my hands and back are simply not gonna consent to doing that this year! BUT--oh boy, is it ever FUN to walk out there now--over and over and over--to look at the good (for MY garden) soil that's on the lettuce/spinach/pea side of the garden now! And all those things are planted now, tho it's been pretty chilly since I put them in about a week ago, so definitely no action yet! But, cold or not, I have something to stare at every day now! :-) It was HARD work--when I was doing it---but it's SO much fun NOW! Next year the other side!!! With all the massive gardens you plant--every year--I have trouble believing that you're "round the bend" at all! Yeah, the bod hurts in a couple new places every year (found out a couple weeks ago I have bursitis in my hip--I already knew it hurt, but now I have a NAME for it! Woohoo! And found out last week I have four seriously deteriorated discs in my cervical spine! Woohoo?), but the joy of going out there and looking at what I've accomplished somehow seems to make the pain go away---for a while at least! And if I didn't have the garden, I wouldn't have anything to "make the pain go away!" Definitely time for a break and a chocolate Easter egg! And that's from somebody who just finished a very large piece of Marie Callender Chocolate Silk pie! (Chocolate helps with "that pain" too! LOL) Tomorrow sounds like it's gonna be a wonderful day for a long walk to look at all you've gotten done, Skybird

Thank you for this post even if I never see it in person. I wish I had known this Summer that Papa Meilland was such a desired rose with great fragrance. They had beautiful large 2gals. at Walmart for cheap. I thought if they had it, it must not be desirable. Isn't that stupid? Maybe they'll have have next year. It seems one never knows where good roses will appear. Romogen, DB is a wonderful rose for me thus far, but if my NOID is TdU, it's also well worth having. They both seem to WANT to bloom, much like Sugar Moon, even in less than ideal situations. That Malvern Hills looks gorgeous judging by Malorena's pic in another thread from today. She loves it, but she's in England. Maybe you can find some Austins like I did at Lowe's next year.