Ed: I started gardening in 1957.  My suggestions: ONLY grow organic, choose crops with high cost (berries, melons) if limited on space or time. Buy the rest at Whole Foods Market or direct from the farmer/gardener at farmer's markets. Just when you think you have nature figured out everything will go wrong. To appreciate the complexity read: "The One Straw Revolution". Develop a support network of gardeners for trade and advice.  Independence through gardening! 

Dear Ed,

We have not seen Ed lately and we asked ourselves why and really searched hard for an answer.

This is what we came up with: none of us can see so well to see 100 miles. The problem here is simple photooptics. Or a matter of perspective. Up close you look really big. From far away, you look really small. Distance is misleading like that.