I've personally never had any problem with organic potatoes from the store -- they always seem to sprout and grow well. It's not a bad way, IMO, to try something you can't find locally, or don't want to pay the high cost and shipping. Especially if you're just planning on planting a few pounds. I guess there is the risk, at least in theory, of introducing a disease. I've never had that happen, either. Doesn't mean it won't, there is always a first time. Non-organic potatoes definitely can have sprout inhibitors -- if you plant those, make sure they're definitely sprouted and growing beforehand. The only other issue aside from sprout inhibitors with grocery store potatoes I had was that they sometimes masquerade as something else. In 2008 or 2009, I bought the cutest little fingerling type red, crescent shaped potatoes at a local grocery. They were about an inch and half in diameter, and about 2 to 3 inches long. Much to my surprise, when I dug them in the fall, they had made really nice, large potatoes about 3 inches in diameter and 6 to 8 inches long, still a sort of crescent moon shaped. Very nice, but not a true fingerling -- someone figured out a way to make some $$$ on the small fry that probably previously went into the compost or to animal feed -- they were $3.99 for a 2lb mesh bag at this grocery store.

I was up in eastern British Columbia this Spring and saw many square miles of bark beetle infestations. I was in Colorado from Steamboat Springs to Pagosa Springs this summer and saw the same thing there. I crossed the Continental divide 28 times in one trip from Montana to New Mexico. Yellowstone twice, going and coming. The destruction is devastating! I was also in Yosemite National Park where they do a lot of controlled burns as well as in the Calaveras Grove just north of there. We stayed in Oakhurst near Yosemite and Angels Camp near The Calaveras Grove of Sequoiandendron gigantea. Heat and bare ground are necessary for seed germination for these trees. That's why they burn, in addition to reduce fuel build up caused by fire suppression. The forest Service has numerous pamphlets outlining the benefits of controlled burning. They even admit it took a while to soak in. Their new goal is, diversification in both number of species, and varying ages in the same stand. Bark beetles have always been around. Good forest management might be able to minimize the effect on our forests. I can't see spraying as a viable option in the long run. We also visited the Redwood forests near Eureka, California and the forests around Mt Hood in Oregon for a week. We did some real traveling this year! Now I get to play catch up in the garden! Mike

Hi Knotz, I'm in Portland, and was curious whether you overwinter yours indoors or leave them out with protection? I'm new to this and have some started but haven't decided whether to pot them or try them in the ground

FedEx Stores (formerly Kinko's) do rent mailboxes at many of their stores, and they do receive packages. Your best bet is to call and talk to the manager to make sure they can handle something that big and heavy. Also, make sure you get a tracking checker so that you can get down there and take it off their hands right away unless you're told that they can hold it for a specific period of time. How long should be in your contract. You can also check The Letterbox online to see if there are any complaints about them, etc. It sounds like they're an independent in the same kind of business. The big problem is that most of these places only deal with mail rather than carrier freight. If it's a smallish, lightish sink (e.g., 25" stainless) instead of a honkin' big, heavy sink (e.g., 33" cast iron) it'll be easier. You still don't want to leave it there long enough for someone to sit on it. You can also check private storage companies. Some of them also have mail drops and accept packages. You might just as easily be able to rent a storage unit for a month or two and have them put your sink in that. Do you belong to any clubs or a church or something that has members in Washington? You might be able to go Six Degrees of Separation and have a private individual take delivery for you and put it in her garage. Perhaps in exchange for a donation to the local chapter or something. But after all of that...is it really that worth it? Can't you get it somehow in Canada? I got a cooktop FedEx'd from England to the U.S. I had to pay duty, but FedEx handled the whole thing for a $5 fee. Folded into the cost of it, the retail, plus shipping, plus duty added up to a reasonable price for something that just isn't sold in the U.S. If that's how you feel about this sink, you could have it sent to you FedEx ground and let FedEx handle the duty, and whatever, and bring it right to your house.