No doubt! Something for everyone here. I didn't stop after my first fail, and always try again with anything annual. Some years, some things do well, some yrs they don't. It's a gamble whether it's Zinnias or melons. For someone in Idaho, the exploits of those in totally different climates might be interesting, but maybe not terribly relevant. Few things in gardening are 1-size-fits-all.
You could also ask for anecdotes in the veggie/fruit section:
http://garden.org/forums/view/...
The melons we grew last summer were free & effortless (and small, but good.) I make compost but the melons were just in the lawn in the back yard, not in a bed because I don't have a bed big enough for melon vines. I saved some seeds from a tasty melon, used a screwdriver to poke some holes in the ground, stuck in some seeds. Some sprouted & we mowed around them. After they were finished making melons, we mowed over them & it's back to looking how it did before.
Our water is about $18 per month. During the summer, I run the hose for about an hour a couple times a week if it doesn't rain for a while but it doesn't make a noticeable difference on the bill, (and I only went out to where the melon vines were if I noticed they were wilting.) I think all the extra laundry during winter evens things out.
