$109 for seeds? Packets cost $2 or so. That's a ton of seed, or is it $9 with $100 for shipping? I can't see how that would make sense to me if I was shopping on Ebay, even late at night. Sorry you got scammed, I went with the closest reputable company for my mail orders and have been quite pleased. Glad to see you're garden is growing regardless! My seedlings are just starting their journey toward harvest. Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

Hi y 'all. I've taught pest management for many years in training programs for landscaping professionals. I drilled into their heads that labels shoud be read before you buy it, before you mix it and apply it, before you store ir or dispose of the container. EVERY time. That should apply to homeowners and the ready-to-use products that they buy, too. Dorie

Anyone thinking of trimming branches from neighbouring trees should check with their municipality first. It is not always the case that you are allowed to do this. In any event uneven trimming like this may destabilize a tree, and then you'll have bigger problems than falling leaves to deal with (and if your trimming of neighbour's trees contributes in any way to the decline of a neighbouring tree or plant you could be in for some legal trouble). Not to mention this doesn't do a lot for neighbourly relations - and being on good terms with the neighbours is worth way more than not needing to weed (and you always need to weed). I do know how frustrating it is to have to pull out tree seedlings by the hundreds or thousands - I have three different trees raining their seeds onto my plants. I also have a very unsightly alley on the other side of a chain link fence, and I have had more than my share of 'black thumb' neighbours. I screen out the ugly alley with trellis attached to the fence, I pull tree seedlings by the dozens on a daily basis, and I smile and wave at the neighbours, and wish they'd learn to love a nice yard. That's the life of a gardener. All nice gardens are a lot of work, all the time. You can never sit back and say "I'm done". Weeding is something you'll have to deal with, weather or not it is trees or dandelions - there will always be unwanted plants trying to take over the nice spot you have made. Sometimes you have to rework your garden plan to take into account other people's problems, but that's something that happens on an ongoing basis as plants mature and die in any garden. One thing I would do is to ask the neighbour with the leaning maple if you could have permission to have it inspected by an arborist (not a landscaper that says he "does trees"). Some commonly planted maples are fast growing and get pretty big, but they don't have a huge lifespan. If this tree is nearing the end of its life you might want to have it taken down before it falls down (especially if it might fall on your house!). And this one is leaning? You might want to find out why. If you're trying to protect an eating/sitting area from falling berries and leaves, you can make or have made some sort of arbour or pergola. You can use screening, bird netting or trellis on the top to provide some sort of cover that still lets in light. A solid roof will protect from rain too. How much mulch do you have around your existing plants? And what kind is it? You want to have a lose mulch, like finely shredded bark (or shred those leaves you have so many of), and probably to a depth of three inches. You'll still need to haul out tree seedlings, but it's a cinch with a good layer of mulch. Ignore ones in a lawn - just mow them down when you cut the grass. Crunch up the seedlings in your hand and toss them in a compost pile - look at them as future organic matter that will benefit your wanted plants. And finally, remember to sit there with a glass of your favourite drink and enjoy what you have! That'll give you the extra oomph you need to get the weeding and cleaning chores done :-) BP

Tom, you should know that the VAST majority of butterflies, moths, and their kin are important pollinators. The VAST majority of caterpillars are not major defoliators of garden vegetables. What a silly remark! You should know that by planting a small selection of crops, you will attract those creatures that feed on those crops. Count a few caterpillar species in with all the rest of them. After all, we are setting the table. sahmof, is there anyway that you could take some pictures of what you are finding? Cutworms curl themselves into a fat 'C' and are found in the soil, besides grubs. It's helpful to know who the culprits are. Don't bring in any fishing worms to your garden. Believe it or not, soil can be perfectly healthy without worms. But if you continue to build the soil with organic matter of some kind (compost, fallen fall leaves, etc.) and mulch adequately, you'll soon find that the right kind of earthworms have moved in.