Thanks! I’m in central Texas - zone 8.
My wife and I are talking about moving up north towards the end of the summer, so I’ve been trying to make the most of this last season. I’ll definitely miss the early start of spring, but I’m excited to try out new local plants wherever we end up. Having to hunt for plants that can deal with weeks of >100F days and no rain gets old after a while.
All that being said, don’t feel obliged to follow any of this if you don’t want to. You’ve definitely set yourself up to get something edible and tasty, so don’t sweat the details if it starts getting in the way of your fun. Hope it helps and happy gardening!