Thanks for the garlic info Ruth. I haven't grown it yet in my home garden, but it's grown at the community garden I volunteer for. I'll have to tap their heads on when exactly I can plant it down here.

Cayuga75: By not burying the composter in the ground, you are severely reducing the amount of surface area for the worms and other critters to get in via the holes. I would strongly recommend burying it.... even just a couple of inches would help. Plus, it would keep it from getting accidentally knocked over.

lisalisa545: Mine are in the shade half the day, then in the sun for the rest of it. The lid helps to keep the soil from drying out from the top, so you're OK there. The metal can get pretty hot if left in full sun, so if possible, opt for shade.

onyourmark: From the back to the front - tomato plants, pepper plants, bush cucumbers, and beans (seeds).

hometopo: For the 5x5-foot bed, we used about 4 bags of compost, 3 bags of manure, 4 bags of regular garden soil, 1 small bail of peat moss, and finally smaller amounts of molasses, coffee grounds and Epsom salt. The bags were the 2.x cubic feet or 50-pound size. We had an extra bag of compost and peat moss left over, which was good because the soil in the bed would settle in a couple of months and need to be 'topped off'.

I knew I left out something (scissors and a knife). That's what I get for relying on my memory, rather than doing a yard and house walk-though with my notepad.

First of all, I'd like to say, "Howdy neighbor!" On to your question. If you've lived in this area for very long, you've already noticed that once Spring gets rolling, it gets warm in a hurry. This of course presents a problem that folks up north that have a longer cool season don't have to worry about. In the Fall, we're planting when the weather's still warm, but going into cooler weather. Although lettuce is a "cool season" crop, it gets a better start in warmer soil.

That said, my best recommendation is to avoid the varieties that have a long maturation time, and/or the "head" or "iceberg" varieties. Save those for the Fall. We usually don't get our really bad weather until late November. By then the plants will be large enough to handle it. So stick to the "looseleaf" or "crinkly" varieties.

I would also, if at all possible, plant them where they can get partial shade. Afternoon shade would be ideal. That's something I'm implementing this year as well. In addition to putting pest covers around them, I'm also going to put a shade screen over them. This will help discourage them from bolting.

Here some varieties that I have tried and/or researched that are heat-tolerant:

Oak Leaf
Black Seeded Simpson (bulletproof!)
Romaine (Green or Red)
Grand Rapids
Lollo Rosa
Buttercrunch
Nevada
Sierra

There are more, but these will hopefully get you started. Good luck and let me know if I help with anything else.

Regards,
Greg

Hi Ruth. My mouse clicking skills must be off today... I can't find a link that goes to the actual movie. I did find this one online:

http://www.cityfarmer.info/2009/01/27/jane-gorsuch-now-83-was-16-in-this-1942-victory-garden-movie/

I assume it's the same one.

Absolutely Chris. Definitely the most beautiful seed catalog I own. Deserves to be on each green thumb's coffee table (to admire while you're doing your armchair gardening). I just ordered some seeds from them for next year.

As Homer Simpson would say... "Mmmmmmm... worm poop."

Seriously, I crashed and burned on my first attempt at vermicomposting, but have an interest in trying it again.

Growing "Little Caesar" romaine and "Black Seeded Simpson" leaf varieties down here in the Dallas, Texas area. Like you, our winters haven't been that harsh the last few years and I expect to be able to grow through the winter. I have a cold frame but won't need it until early Spring.

To BCDE Jones:

Send me an email to yourownvictorygarden at gmail.com and I can send you the higher resolution files and explain how I did it.

Regards,
Greg

Here in North Texas, we don't really need to fear a frost until early November (at the earliest). My garden is fairly empty right now from the Spring/early Summer stuff having been finished and yanked out weeks ago. Folks down here are starting to plant Fall stuff with a vengeance.

I'm not much help here Chris, except to tell you what I've done in the VERY trying and unpredictable North Texas climate.

The bush variety Blue Lake 274 has always done well for me every year except one. I grow it in Spring and Fall.

I've been wanting to do more pole varieties since I already have a couple of trellises to use. This year I tried Kentucky Wonder and it flopped. I may have planted it too late or the soil in the new raised beds I've build hasn't 'matured' yet.

I grabbed a packet of the bush variety Tendercrop and will try it in a few weeks, as soon as we're safely out of our yearly 'heat spell season'.

I suppose beans are just like tomatoes in that there are so many varieties you can try, and hopefully succeed with.

Sounds Rob, like you have the same dilemma we have up here in North Texas (zone 8) - two 'real' growing seasons separated in the middle by a very oppressive and unforgiving heat and drought period. Here's the good news: for the most part, we don't have a killing winter anymore. That means that you can start a second crop of many of the things you planted in the early spring. As I write this, I am starting pepper and tomatoes seeds - INDOORS. The ones I tried to start outdoors last week died instantly, in spite of my efforts to keep them hydrated. Then in September I will start the usual Fall crops (lettuce, Spinach, Onions, et al.). Hope this helps and good luck.

Great article Chris. Plano, Texas has a vibrant community garden and has been very aggressive in the green movement. I manage a couple of plots there, as well as my home garden.

One a month, a group of volunteers get together to clean up and work on various projects in the garden. This group consists of the coordinators (most of whom are Master Composters), garden plot owners, and a bunch of students who need to earn college or scholarship community service hours.

As you said, it is great solution for people who are either unable to have the garden they want in their own home (size, sunlight, city rules, etc.) and/or who want to benefit from others in the community with the same passion for growing and sharing their knowledge.

Our community garden and it's volunteers donate a huge amount of produce to the local food banks and pantries. Everybody wins.

If your city or area doesn't have one, you're missing out. Starting one can be a big undertaking, but with the help of others, it can someday be a reality.

Here are some photos of a 'workday' we had in the beginning of the year. Talk about some frozen green thumbs!:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/planocommunitygarden/

So true Chris. Also referred to the action or scuffle hoe, this tool can kick some major weed butt! A must for any gardener's tool arsenal.