We may be the same zone but you are really far north of me. We are south central Illinois and I put my garden in really early, like mid april. So I could have lost it all to frost.

I have a garden blog which today profiles my neighbor's rhodie garden. The garden is lovely, has walking trails through it, and is entrancingly fragrant. You can visit it by suffering through the first part of my blog about cabbage maggots (yuck), and getting to the pictures of Larry's rhodies. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: The Trinidad Garden

I'm glad you liked my pond - I am definitely a pond addict now. If I had to choose between a pond and a garden I would defintely pick the pond. There are a lot of good books - any of Helen Nash's books are good. But the best advice I have gotten is on the pond forum on gardenweb. The advice there is more practical than what you'll read in books. The ponds over there range from 30 gallons to 10,000 gallons, and each one is different. Ponds can be as complex or as simple as you want (as most hobbies). A good website for beginners is Chuck Rushes website (see link below). To overwinter fish, the pond needs to be at least 2 feet deep (deeper if you want koi) and you will need to keep a hole in the ice to allow gases to escape. Some people run the pump all winter, I use an aquarium air pump and it keeps the ice open and is inexpensive to run. I'm warning you, ponding is a very addicting hobby. For proof, visit the pond forum and read what the addiction can do to you. Feel free to ask questions, just remember you will get as many different answers as there are ponds. Hope to see you over on the pond forum... Jean Here is a link that might be useful: Chuck rushes website

Dear GeorgiaHomeGarden, My experience with Sugar Pod II in Tucson, AZ has been great! My kids pick loads off of each plant daily. I probably have less than 12 plants and they do a good job supporting eachother, though I don't know how they would do if they were spaced really close together. That sounds like a lot of peas in one place. How did your tight spacing for the peas work out? Here is a link that might be useful: Sugar Pod II Snow Peas in Production