> Ok, so my cucumbers still looked dead today... completely wilted > by noon as were the cantaloupes. The cantaloupes weren't wilted > as bad as yesterday, but still they were wilted. > I am 100% sure > those beds were wet, no doubt as I watered them last night and > the dirt was nice and dark (it turns light when dry because it's > very sandy). The only way to be 100% sure is to actually poke a finger in the soil, or dig into it, to be sure that it's watered down deep, not just on the surface. I realize that if you're going out in the morning dressed all nice for work, this is not an appealing habit, but it is the only way to be sure. BTW, sandy soil drains very quickly, and therefore needs more frequent watering, than other soil types. > Should I water it until there is one > inch of water present, which I can figure out a way to measure an > inch somehow, or should I water it longer?? Water it until you can tell, by poking the soil or digging a hole, that it is watered to the bottom of your six-inch depth if these are the six-inch beds, and deeper if they're not. What you're looking for is moisture all the way down, basically to the center of the earth :), with no dry layer, but there's obviously a limit to how deep you can check. I'd recommend that at least a couple of times, you poke/dig into the soil, water some, poke/dig again in a new spot to see if there's a dry layer, water some more, and keep it up unti you can't find a dry layer. You may find that watering thoroughly takes a lot more water than you thought. Over time, you'll learn what it takes to keep your soil at the right moisture level, but while you're learning, you'll have to keep checking. The issue is _probably_ water, because that's what I believe until you tell me that you actualy dug into the soil and looked. :) But once you're positive that the soil is staying reasonably moist - it doesn't have to stay sopping wet, in fact sopping wet is bad - then I should tell you that sometimes in very high heat, a plant will wilt no matter how much water is available to it. The roots and stems just can't pull up as much water as the leaves are losing to the sun and heat, and it wilts. And with only six inches of sandy soil, this is likely to be even more of a problem - the roots are going to be pretty hot. (Mulch!) > Does this help keep the soil cooler too in the > summer?? I have more problems keeping the moist and cool than > warming it. > > What else can I do at this point to keep my plants from wilting? > I don't want to lose them as they are producing nicely. Thank You > so much!!! Mulch. Mulchmulchmulch. Fine-grained mulch that can later be dug in as a soil amendment, preferably compost, preferably organic. (_Don't_ use bark chunks or other chunky mulch in a vegetable garden! And have a look at the package to try to be reasonably confident that it's not dyed, or municipal mulch that might have herbicides... I try to find certified organic.) Mulch keeps the soil cool and moist. If you get a look at the price of purchased compost and groan at what it would cost to thoroughly mulch everything, buy some anyway and thoroughly mulch one small area (preferably an entire bed) to give yourself some experience with what mulch will do for you. ChickenFreak

Very nice looking. My PW is about 3 years old and just barely showing some pink. Of course, it also probably needs more sun than it gets, but haven't got any spot open I can move it to. Well, I can just hope that in a couple more years, it looks almost as nice as yours does. : ) Kate

ella - what a lovely space you created! To help keep the soil in good shape you'll need to add organic matter yearly. Compost spread as mulch in late fall topped with irregular wood chips has worked well for our beds. I reach into the beds in spring using whatever tool is handy to be sure the mulch is pulled back from the plants, but don't dare step into the beds because the soil is just too soft & wet. Slug control is 3 pronged - sluggo type bait, hunt & remove when soil is moist, & also spray with ammonia water... Repeat. Repeat. Especially vigilant late summer to get all the adults possible and in early spring spray often with the ammonia water to get in & around emerging hostas to prevent damage. You're right that Burgundy Glow ajuga spreads less vigorously than Bronze Beauty, but in my 9 month wet climate still spreads fairly well. --3 Burg. Glow bareroot starts from a plant swap this April -- poor soil mulched with coarse wood chips around stepping stones across a low area in part shade became 30+ by now in August spreading out 3 feet square! --spring planted Bronze Beauty 12" apart on center by the next spring was solid around stepping stones, hose reel, etc. That patch is easily 4 feet x 6 feet up & over each other so that not all even rooted just runners spread. Easy care for that area when stepped upon & an easy source of countless starts for other gardens. In another area about 10 runners removed & planted became 3 feet x 6 feet in a year's time growing over pathway rocks toward stepping stones in the middle of the path. If you keep an eye on it & remove the excess runners your hosta will be safe. Otherwise the ajuga will over run & shoot runners between stems & even into the crown. Since the biggest growth spurt is in late spring I just snip the runners in early summer before they root. I am running out of new garden space and friends who don't have their own ajuga patch.

Our island is going to be approximately 7 feet by 7 feet. (Before we decided on such a large island, we spent time working at similar sized islands to ensure it would work for us.) We are going with a Billiard pendant, which will have 16" drum shades. I will try to post a photo later. I think you can definitely go with two pendants or one larger fixture -- it's personal preference. Just make sure the scale works. Are there any lighting stores you can visit nearby, even just to confirm general scale/sizing?