A local extension office is an extension of your university. A good place to turn for advice in your specific region for gardening and outdoor related questions (plant diseases, soil analysis, insect identification, noxious weed lists. Also nutrition information, safe food preservation at home like canning guidelines, more.) OT - the suggestion brought back a laugh ;) MANY years ago when first married, my sis mailed an insect sample to WSU extension office, there was no office convenient to her home. The letter she got back said something like Dear Mrs. XXXX....We would have been happy to help you with the identification of your sample but they were crushed beyond recognition by the stamp canceling equipment. She'd mailed them in an envelope, they arrived as dust. Here is a link that might be useful: MA, UMass offices

Last Fall my family went to a large fruit ranch (you know to do the pumpkin thing) and they had a giant sandbox filled with dried peas that they get from a wholesale seed co. All the kids loved it!! Does anyone know, can I do this? Their sandbox was covered by a tent but still exposed to the weather a little. Our sandbox is under one of those play structures. So it will be covered mostly too. Any advice you have would be great. If I can get away with this, does any one know where to buy a small amount of seed peas?

Hello. We've just moved up from Florida, and I am struggling to adjust to *very* different soil! I hope to find wonderful advice here, just as I did in the Florida forum. We are putting in a simple sandbox. In Florida, we removed the grass, put in four 2X12s, and filled it with sand. I'm getting suggestions that here, with the clay soil, we'll need to put in some kind of drainage system. Would you agree? I don't mind damp sand - much more fun to build in - but if it will stay so wet that it will get mildewy or actually hold standing water, we'll do so. (We're in the Valley, if that matters.) TIA! Good to be here.

I like Mikie's idea of covering it with black plastic for a few days, especially if it's in the sun. If they have laid eggs there, you might think about covering it longer so the eggs can hatch and those will die. The other alternative would be to replace the sand. Dump the old stuff somewhere else. I'm sure you keep the cover on at night and when the kids aren't playing to keep the cats out. Sandboxes are a lot of fun for kids, and while Mikie had a bad experience, mostly kids are ok in sandboxes. If you have pets, be sure they are treated on a regular basis with one of the good flea products available now.