Right now I am in the beautiful town of Fayetteville, Arkansas to help Mel teach some workshops and to learn about the new composite lumber garden boxes. I wish I had more time to explore the town and learn about the city’s and residents’ commitment to living green. Maybe I’ll make a trip here specifically for that purpose.

I am so excited about the new and affordable products that the Square Foot Gardening Foundation is beginning to offer. The new composite boxes will soon be available across the country, but I’m hoping to load up my Honda Pilot and bring them back with me! I will also have the new, beautiful Ohio Amish-made SFG boxes available. And, if Mel doesn’t sell them, I want to bring back samples of the SFG Vinyl boxes. The other exciting news is that there is a truckload of the official, bagged Mel’s Mix on its way to Ohio and Paul Nagy, the distributor, expects it early next week. On Monday, I’ll set up a Paypal account so you will be able to order and pay online with a credit card. Or you can still pay cash or check in person.

I’m thinking about setting up a quick, temporary retail store so you can see all the new products and I will also offer a 10-Basics class so you can bring your friends to introduce them to this easy method of gardening.

What have you planted in your garden? I have asparagus, potatoes, rhubarb, onions, kale, pansies, peas and Swiss Chard all planted in tabletop gardens. In my recycled cat litter tubs, I have tomatoes, lettuce, Swiss Chard, peas, pansies and carrots. When I left on Tuesday the plants were huge! I hope to start harvesting when I get back. They are LOVING the homemade Mel’s Mix!