I put the raccoon into the shed Wednesday evening because rain was in the forecast. Saturday morning was dry and a squirrel had dug where my Sweet Treat carrots were planted. The raccoon came back out and today (Sunday) I heard a squirrel making a racket in the far corner of the yard. He seemed upset about the raccoon being there. I think I will leave him out even in the rain from now on. On a side note it looks like a pair of hawks has moved into an abandoned rooftop across the street from me. I think they're Cooper's hawks but they seem rather large. It will be interesting if they nest up there.

I grew all of those varieties last year in 18 gal containers, all doubled up like you are considering. I wish I had only planted one per container. It must have been a root war in there by the looks of it when I cleaned out the containers in the fall. I didn't get a lot of fruit, and the whole first month of fruit setting was wrought with BER. Just too much root stress I think. I promised myself that if I use those containers next (this) year, I would only put in one per container. The only reason I might recommend it is if you just want to try a lot of varieties in the same season. That's why I did it, and it was mission accomplished. But it was also frustrating because there wasn't really that much fruit per plant. But no matter what you decide, be sure to grow the Neve's. The 5 or 6 fruits I got last year (after BER season) were divine, and he will always be on my grow list.

Thank you for IDing the silver squill. I am in Kansas, in an old part of town and some of the trees I have no idea what they are. Some maple, mulberry, elm, red, bud. There is a tree that is growing next door that I have no idea what it is. I know in the fall, when we drive down the driveway the seeds pop as we drive over them. Another one has clusters of greens seeds. I think I may just put them outside in their pots and see what they do.

Yes, you put it on the leaves (powder or spray). The point is to get the caterpillars to eat the stuff. Of course, if it rains or you irrigate from above, it'll get washed off, and you ought to apply it again. Same with lots of sunlight. But after a while, there won't be any more caterpillars, so you can back off on it. Most pests are very seasonal, so for a given pest, it'll only be necessary for a month or two. You'll find it handy for many veggies. Where I am, greens/Brassicas can be totaled by cabbageworms/moths. Bt does a good job on them. Bt is marketed in a number of pesticides. Look for Thuricide, Safer, etc. Anything that lists Bt as a primary ingredient. It is very non-toxic, and breaks down readily in sunlight. It has rarely been associated with allergic reactions.