The Permaculture guru weighs in...THANKS!

A few thoughts on the schedule from Becky...
February soil tests - You may want to dig that soil before the groundfreezes, eh? I don't depend on soil testing, but would recommend you focuson rebuilding damaged or depleted soils. Urban soils have many issues thatneed addressing and you could address them in your article. Soil testingdoesn't always have much to offer (I've been a gardener for thirty years andhave never had my soil tested.) Those tests could be considered if you hadproblems that showed no apparent answers, but for me and the professionalgardeners I know... no one soil tests unless there are indicators that thereare problems that amendments and mulching wouldn't fix.
June - Please don't plan on having weed and bug problems! First off,weeds are often edible themselves and many have medicinal qualities. Afterall, God made weeds to perform a service, NOT to irritate gardeners. Weedscan be positive and to begin anticipating set-backs isn't fair and hopefullynot accurate. Same goes for insects... There are more beneficial insects togardens than pests. If you have healthy plants they can handle most insect"problems." As you can tell I am organic in my gardens. I can't stress toyou enough that our culture is addicted to using quick-fix chemicals and theunhappy fact that we are contaminating our soils, ground water and watersystems. Don't begin your gardens with the "going-to-war" attitude. Please.
July - I have some easy hail-proofing ideas for you. Let me know if youare interested. Again, most healthy plants can survive most hails. (But,alas, a gardener's life isn't perfect.)