Steve Young wrote:
"Poe" wrote
[...]
Sorry for my long winded answer, but I wanted to outline where I am at
with regard to gardening, and my interests.
yep, lots of info conveyed.
Seems you've got your first order of business well in hand.
If you've never attended a Master Gardener course, I would think you
could learn enough to make it worthwhile. But as Vandy suggested,
talking with a past student, (one that currently gardens), may assuage
any concerns.
I'm glad I am getting this feedback, because it does require a number of
hours for the classes, and then volunteer work afterwards. I want to
make good use of my time. I am hoping the materials they send me in fall
will fill in some of the blanks, too.
How much space do you currently till? How much could you till?
Didn't till at all this year, which was a mistake. I've tilled before,
but this year I just put down some peat moss that I had hoped would work
its way into the soil, and covered with that black landscaping fabric to
keep weeds down. Unfortunately I think my soil is rather deficient, as I
had tomato blossom rot and somewhat late maturity of a few things. That
didn't keep my summer squash down, though, I have enough zucchini to
feed a village!
Going forward I plan to till twice a year, beginning and end. At the end
of this year's growing season I plan to till in a pile of what I guess
amounts to a casual compost pile (I don't tend to it, it is just scraps
and garden waste), along with dead plant materials and a couple loads of
manure from a horse farm up the street. At least that is what I am
currently planning, unless I learn something better.
Would you like to derive income from your excesses?
If I could, sure. I don't know how to go about getting into that,
though. I am semi-retired, so I have time at home t work on my garden a lot.
Do you have interest in maintaining organic methods?
Yes, in fact I have been trying to stay as organic as I can, although I
did have to use a store-bought spray for a squash bg invasion. I tried
to select a chemical that is deemed fairly safe.
I'm in NE Ohio myself, far enough south I'm usually considered zone 6,
(though I plant like it's zone 5). Here's a suggestion for a crop that
will flourish in your local, perhaps find many appreciating palates.
Look at the varieties and how much they are charging per pound:
http://67.199.35.172/ZenCart/index.p...=index&cPath=3
and: http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/boutique.htm
Yummy garlic, one of my favorites!
and this fella will buy any excess garlic, even produce retail buyers:
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/fewgood.htm
I'd guess garlic lovers outnumber cigar aficionados by a fair margin 
Probably, and we have better breath
Steve Young