Outside the hoop house are a lot of clods, churned up by a “spader,” this effort of a fellow gardener necessary because of the compacted soil (cattle and a tractor plowing to the south) and the tough root balls of the rye cover crop. Despite the rough terrain I have transplanted melons, summer and winter squash, and direct-seeded cucumbers and summer squash. And I have installled the drip lines for irrigation. This is about a month later than I usually reach this stage, but lots of things got in the way.