JUST MY OPINION... I am not really in favor of leaving someone a favorable comment simply because they followed through in sending an SASBE in order to get seeds. To me, it's like praising someone for coming to the dinner table and eating my food. And if we leave positive feedback for those who send out their SASBE requests, then shouldn't it follow that we leave negative feedback for someone who doesn't follow through? If that was the case, I'd be leaving negative feedback for dozens of people, as I'm sure anyone who has offered seeds for SASBE would as well. Though it's frustrating to hold seeds for someone who doesn't follow through, I don't really think it's an important enough of a matter to leave negative comments over. The whole concept of posting comments regarding SASBEs has other drawbacks. Last spring I offered a lot of seeds for SASBE, and one in particular stuck out. When I had looked at the person's want list, I saw she was looking for hardy geraniums. I found a few odds and ends, small amounts of several varieties, so I packaged them separately and included them as well thinking she'd be happy with the additional surpise. I was quite taken aback when she emailed me after receiving the SASBE and told me that I needed to read the FAQs, that "10 or 12 seeds was not considered a sufficient amount of seeds" and she would be leaving me negative feedback. I was stunned. Fortunately for her, she didn't leave the comments, or I would have responded with words including "ignorant", "selfish", and "ungrateful"... (Can you tell I'm still a tad steamed, LOL...) I think the sample comments for negative reviews are very good ones--Jack Webb of Dragnet would be happy with the "Just the facts, Maam" attitude. However, there are a few gray areas I am wondering about. What do you suggest regarding feedback if the trader sends mismarked seeds (ie, agastache instead of lavender); unviable seeds (such as sunflower seeds that were flat, white, and bendy, obviously underdeveloped); or a trader who waits until he/she has received the other person's seeds to tell them that he/she is out of several of the seeds they wanted and that they need to pick substitutes. I've always handled these matters privately. I know honest mistakes happen as in the first two cases--but the third example has happened to me a few times now (twice with the same trader--not going to trade with her again) and is starting to bother me as I feel it may be a bait and switch tactic. Still I'm not sure I'm comfortable about leaving negative feedback even in that situation. I'm sure it sounds as though I am focusing on the bad side of trading/SASBEs, which I am, but it's only because good trades and positive feedback are pretty self-evident. Kate

Volunteer FAQ Editor Needed text: We are looking for someone to help create an FAQ for this forum. While compiling information should be a group effort, one person would be charged with pulling it together into useful FAQs. This could mean a new document OR just pointing to helpful posts that are already on the forum. A good example of a helpful FAQ can be found here:Winter Sowing FAQ. If you have a desire to make this forum even better, have good writing skills and work well with others, please reply to this thread or send us an email --Letters to Garden Web .

Again, I'm no wizard on St. Aug, but some of the general stuff I can answer. Yes, you can skip the compost if you want. Bacteria and fungal spores blow around and you picked up billions to trillions to quadrillions over the last year. Rain delivered plenty and washed around what you already had after the sodium bicarb diluted out. Feed 'em and they'll start merrily reproducing and eating and dying and feeding the grasses the way they're supposed to. Others will tell you not to skip it, but again, opinions on it differ. I tend to lean toward not using it unless you chemically treated large sections of lawn for years. I skipped it on mine and my home was built on cornfield--the soil was tapped out. You can either go straight to grains or use Ringers. Ringers is more expensive per pound, the grains tend to be the cheaper solution. If travel adds enough gas cost maybe the Ringers works out better. However, either decision will work out fine. You don't have to use soybean meal. Corn meal, alfalfa, they work fine, too. Some people use the free coffee grounds from Starbuck's. Every time you mulch mow, you're adding organics, too. However, all of the others I mentioned are lower in nitrogen and take more to equal the same amount of nitrogen for your lawn. Just for fun, make sure to photograph your lawn before the feed and about a month after (organics take about three weeks to start showing a change). You may not be quite amazed at the difference, but you should see it plainly.

Here are some fantastic home plans: http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/country_home_plans.php If you don't like that flavor, their search engine rocks. As far as the rest of it goes, for you, You have a choice - Deal with it, or Don't. Pretty simple, eh? If you choose to Deal with it, you will get a tremendously varied & experienced wealth of information - but (like the rest of us), you need to work for it. Yes, you will read a lot of stuff that you don't need - that is what "skimming" is all about. If you choose to Not Deal with it, then we all wish you the best of luck I'm sure. But you should be careful about your judgement calls about those here on the board - you literally have no idea with whom you are speaking at any given time. When you come to a Party & throw red paint in our face & on everyone's decor, what type of welcome to you expect?? Seriously..... LOL