Your plants generally look healthy in the photos and bugs are a normal part of gardening. They only become a concern when the damage they do is severe - yours isn't - of when there are lots of them. Your melon leaf in the first picture shows some signs of very early Downey Mildew (the yellow spots). Otherwise I wouldn't worry about the problems you have described. Splits in stems aren't caused by bugs but by inconsistent soil moisture levels. Just leave them alone and they will usually scab over. The stem base damage in your last pic is due to slugs or snails and there are organic controls for them but it doesn't seem to be hurting the plant. New gardeners too often over-react and that can lead you to doing more harm than good so developing some patience and tolerance for less than perfection goes a long way toward successful gardening. :) Dave

Thanks, GJers...yes, I like to spend time in my Secret Garden & I like to use old barn doors around the place because I have "board fence" envy from seeing all the wonderful decor used on fences on this GJ forum! sunnyca...I painted that barn door w/barn red outdoor acrylic paint before I put it out in May 09...it's just weathered some more. And when poured the star, I asked DH what he thought would work for a hanger & he thought heavy duty wire...so he twisted a pc for me & I put it in & let it dry that way...hoping it holds up ok...it's getting the "test," I guess. LOL! Jeanne S.

Composting in the Winter in UpState NY Living in Upstate sure creates a problem if you like to compost when knowing we have several months of almost cold dormancy. Like many of you we started kitchen composting years ago with a small 1 gallon bucket. It always worked fine in the warmer weather but in the dead of winter we always ended up with gallons of frozen compost in the bin that took weeks to thaw in the Spring. By the time it was mixed in with other greens and browns and turned into soil Winter was almost back at our doorstep. What I've been doing now to overcome some of that problem and hasten that process came somewhat by accident. One Winter long ago, I left a gallon pail in our unheated 5x8 outerroom walkout basement where it became somewhat forgotten. There was generally about a weeks worth of kitchen waste whereas the bottom was always a little soggy under those circumstances. Then when I remembered the pail a few days later the waste was frozen solid. I couldn't get it out of the bucket. Having a lid I secured it tightly and brought it into the warmer cellar to let it thaw where again it sat harmlessly in the corner for probably at least a good week as we had already started another gallon container. Then when I realized I'd better get it outdoors to the compost bin you can imagine how ripe things had gotten. Because a great deal of the waste had broken down into a slurry this is where I got my idea long before I heard of the Garden Web that has a great Compost Forum. Some might be thinking if this is about Composting put it on that Forum, but then again this is Central (Upstate) New York not Central Texas where they benefit by composting all year long. Hence hopefully this might be a Garden Secret for those who don't go to the Compost Forum and experience the same problem I used to have. So I started Winter Basement Composting on a small scale using two 1 gallon pails. When the first kitchen pail filled I took it to the basement and let it set there 'til the second gallon pail was filled. Then I emptied the first one that was sitting for at least a week or more into the bin. There was always an odor but fortunately our home was adjacent to a park and I would dump either early in the morning or when the wind was coming out the west. I'm sure my neighbors must have thought I was nuts checking out the slight breeze after putting my index finger in my mouth and then either bringing out or not bringing out a bucket. Did they ever realize it was for their benefit :>) It seemed to work so well and plus not having to go out in the cold as often I graduated to two 5 gal pails with lids. This also eliminated the need for having a kitchen pail as I would take whatever was available to the cellar. One pail would fill and sit with the tightly closed lid 'til the second pail was filled. Now with five gallons of slurry I really had to check the wind. Whew! Then we moved. Then we had neighbors on both sides. Whew! What do I do? Shredded newspaper to the rescue. I figured if the slurry could be absorbed the odor wouldn't be as severe, which is the case. Yes! There is an odor but almost minimal and not that offensive. So what I do is shred a section of newspaper and put that on the bottom. Depending on how much waste is available after I put it into the pail I either shred a section of newspaper right then to put on top of that or wait a couple of days. But I always place a whole untorn section of newspaper on the top whether I shred a section of paper or not. It's amazing how much the untorn section at the top absorbs the evaporation, again cutting down on any tell tale odor. Plus it tells me the little bit of heat inside is rising. I fill one 5 gal pail and wait for the other to fill before I dump the first into the bin. The process can take up to 3, 4 or even 5 weeks. Obviously it doesn't break down to a slurry like it used to but it does break down somewhat. If you don't have neighbors slurry is the way to go. But then again indoors like the basement you will get some odor every time you open. In fact by using the newspaper the odor is definitely more of what I would call organic. Another thing I noticed was, when the weather warms I continue to use the 5 gallon pail method by bringing them up to the garage. What I've noticed is after a period of time the material in the pail is definitely breaking down more rapidly because the whole untorn section is more moist and when you lift the section up you can feel the warmth coming from the inside. Why would I want to do this throughout the summer or warmer weather when it could be breaking down in the bin? Good question? And I hope the answer makes sense? Less turning the bin and more time to pull weeds :>). So I hope some one benefits or maybe even has another Garden Secret idea on the way they Compost that I'm unaware of. I'm sure you Wintersower's are glad we're back to Winter, for at least a few days? Jim

I think we live in such a toxic world that being cautious about materials in toys, and ingredients in food are so important. I try to buy U.S. made toys and the best food I could possibly find. I even have considered making my cat food and freezing the portions, but unfortunately most of the supplements are made in China nowadays....even people supplements. I'm still looking into it. I had the opportunity to talk with the vet about Thomas a couple of days ago, as I took Bella in to be checked. She is 8 years old and wasn't doing too great after Thomas died. Thank goodness she received a perfect bill of health. She is going through a grieving process as well. She is doing much better now and being snuggly. Basically, the vet said that jaw cancer seems to be more common in dogs, but rare in a cat. There isn't much information as to causes. However, Thomas had some teeth in the past that become infected, and she said that chronic inflammation is a known cancer causer. That poor kitty endured 4 dental surgeries all together to get those bad teeth out, but he was a happy kitty and I'm thankful for the extra time it bought us. At the time, decisions were made with a cat specialist vet to save what looked to be healthy teeth and only take anything out that was infected. In hindsight, maybe taking them ALL out in the beginning may have made a difference. Some cats have teeth issues from day one and when they get them all out do much better. Then again, maybe not. We won't know for sure, and at the time we made the best decisions possible. Unfortunately, jaw bone cancer was something that couldn't be fixed. I am very thankful I have all my other kitties. They are all precious to me, and have been a source of comfort. I have had a hard time sitting at the computer because Thomas would always lie down next to me on the arm of the couch. It has been very, very empty there and it hit me hard a few days ago. The next day one of the kitties parked himself there. Bella came the day after that and satyed with me. There is usually a kitty now when I am on the computer. I am positive that Thomas had something to do with that! Each day gets a little easier...the pain a little less, and the memories bring a smile. There will always be a little ache in my heart though. I miss him. I will always miss him. Sandy