getting a new bed ready

Okay, guys I'm getting ready to plant my seeds!!! I have a brand-new bed to
plant, due to the fact that the neighbours moved out and I got access to
their old garden plot. It's a fenced area (necessary here becuase of the
deer factor) about 30x50 feet. It's on a slouth-facing gentle slope down to
a large (for this area -- about 45 acres surface area) lake and gets pretty
well full sun all day except for the dappling effect of the leaves of the
widely-spaced and not very tall orchard trees, a plum on the east side and
an apple on the southwest corner. I'm planning to surround the fence with
greenhouse plastic on three sides to create a hot spot by stopping the
prevailing breezes (and sometimes big winds) up off the lake.

The plot has a couple of negative aspects, the main one at this point is
how wet it is. This property is on a heritage farm that was divided up in
the seventies and the garden plot in question is below the old well head.
Apparently it is sited right over a seam of clay, because the ground is
really wet, in fact where I dug out a hole it has filled up with water that
has not disappeared. By mid-summer all will be dry again, but in the
meantime, it's boggy and squishy. So here's my plan.

We are building a house next door and have large diggers in periodically to
excavate various areas around the foundation. I'm thinking to get a couple
of dumptruck loads of sand dumped on the garden plot and spread around by
the backhoe, then start adding amendments. Last year I got a dumptruck load
(70 cu. yards) of composted chicken manure and used that to create last
year's new vegetable garden, so I thought I'd do that again and dump it on
the sand. Then I'd get a neighbour with a tractor to plow it together for
me? Or should I just keep piling up organic matter  (lots of seaweed around
the beaches of this island, and another farmer neighbour has loads of
spoiled hay for me) on top and not try to mix in the wetter lower layer
(which is full of blackberries and witch grass)? Milkshake or layer cake? 

My preference with the seeds is to try to start them in place with cold
frames, but since the plot is not ready, I guess I should plant them in
pots inside. But when? Last year I started them in February and had to
transplant them twice before it was warm enough outside to put them in the
garden. This spring is MUCH warmer and earlier, at least a month earlier
than any other year to date with the flowering bulbs. I know that
transplant stress can be a real problem with pumpkins, and I don't want to
slow my babies down.

Then there's the problem of which seeds to plant. I have an embarrassment
of riches, since Chris Anderson so generously shared his prize-winning
seeds with me, and when I bought Don Langevin's book, I also got seeds from
him! So what I'm holding are Anderson 977 (1006 Greer x Self), Anderson 815
(697 Ciliberto x 1006 Greer), Anderson 634 (449 Marcellus x 1006 Greer)
seeds from Chris, and the ones from Don, which are from Howard Dill and
himself, I don't have them right in front of me. Should I start ALL of
them? I figure with the size garden I have available (about 1500 sf) I can
only grow a maximum of two plants, one at each end. I can't bear the
thought of sprouting a prizewinning seed and then just tossing the plant on
the compost heap! Especially considering the auction prices for those
Farmer Gus seeds! I could always put an ad in the lcoal paper and give the
plants away to others who will try to grow a prizewinner. Then we could
compete at the Fall Fair.

I know this is a too-long post, but I'm really flailing around in a morass
of confusion at this point and any suggestions at all will be gratefully
received. Thanks!

Denise McCann Beck
USDA Zone 7
Sunset Western 4
Coastal Bristish Columbia
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