I thought this would be appropriate…

Thanks for the tips! I’m going to respond to your points in reverse order:

• Looking at the peppermint this morning, it’s sending two runners out along the ground. Do I need to trim these back? It does, indeed, appear to have aspirations to take over the bed 😂

• I’m going to be curious how the shade/sun mixture works out, and I think you’re right. The plants are largely healthy, but they’re not exactly exploding in growth. They are still young, though. Hopefully feeding them will help.

• I’ve got stakes on all my tomatoes as of last week, and cages my neighbor gave me on three of them. I’ll monitor and add support, but I think I’m good for now.

• I’ll look for some insecticide today. With the tiny pests, will I need a magnifying glass to see them? I haven’t seen anything yet, but I’ll be watching carefully.

• You caught me–I haven’t properly mulched yet. The organic material in my soil mix appears to have formed kind of a crust at the top that seems like it’s holding in water, though. I was planning on getting some straw to mulch, but the local store was out last weekend, and I had to go out of town yesterday, so I’ll try to grab some today.

• With the fertilizer, though, how strong is too strong? The compost I used had a .05-.05-.05 rating (there was supposedly manure in it), so I was worried if I fertilized too soon, I could burn my plants. I know that’s a very low rating, but I used enough to make up closer to half my soil. I also added a big bag of generic Miracle-Gro style garden soil at the very end, and I know that had some fertilizer in it. The tomato and veggie food bags I’ve found had numbers like 20 or 18–is this too much? Also, what about the “shake and feed” products-- are they any good? Finally, on my lettuce and onion seedlings, I’ll want to wait a bit, won’t I, and just fertilize the established plants?

I appreciate any further guidance you and the others have.

I did not know that. I will watch it carefully, then, and plan on repotting

Thanks for the advice. They’re still very small, so I will definitely take off those flowers asap.

So you’re saying Tumblr actually won all these years later?

I wondered if they made the jump over here. Guess not, sadly. Reading that sub has made me a better man, because it offers some pretty harsh critiques of male behavior.

In the States, we’re told that raw pork puts you in danger of trichinosis. Does your methodology somehow eliminate that threat?

Why is this not a conflict of interest?

Sorry to be the “um, actually” guy, but life on any planet other than Earth has not been confirmed. There have been some signs that there MAY be life elsewhere, but nothing conclusive.

As a layperson, there seems to be a general consensus that, given the vast nature of the universe, life on other planets may be likely. We just can’t say “for a fact that other planets exist with life”.

I’ll be happy to be proven wrong if you’ve got a source.

People hate to read. I write emails that try to cover all bases, because I can’t assume grown adults with advanced degrees know what’s going on. Sadly, they’ll not only not read it, but ask me to write less. Cutting the word count only leads to more confusion.

I’m so done with humanity sometimes.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. Here’s some pictures of my bed for reference:

What’s my best bet with this current soul depth?

There’s a less than six inch gap between the chain link fence and the bed. Could I plant the cucumbers right at the back of the bed near the fence and train them to climb it?

I’ll take some pictures when I get a chance to give a clearer picture of my setup.

How many cucumber plants, do you think? Could I do one on each corner and one in the middle, since they’re supposed to be 3-4 get apart?

Do I need to add depth before going any further? I’ve only got 12 inches at most currently.

Yeah, I think I will cut back on so many things, but I do want to maximize my space and try for as much as I can. It feels like so much more space than a lot of needs I’ve seen, but I guess it’ll fill up fast.

Yeah, I have both squirrels and rabbits. The chain link fence around the back yard should do for the rabbits, but how bad will the squirrels be for what I’m growing? I’ve never thought of them as potential garden pests.

So, no root veggies due to my soil depth: got it. I should be able to give them a go in a couple of years when my lower layers break down though, right?

How about three tomato plants in back with the herbs relatively close to them? Then just the cucumbers in front maybe? What kind of frame could I get them to grow on?

I’ll nix the squash entirely, both yellow and zucchini.

Also, I don’t buy his excuse. He committed perjury.

Could we hear it in your accent when you talk?