Cheflara, Yes, the anchors are entirely plastic. The anchor requires first drilling a pilot hole into the container. Then you hammer the plastic anchor into the hole. Then you twist the blunt end of the eye bolt into the interior threads of the anchor. The hole for the anchor needs to be exactly the correct diameter. Wide enough to accept the anchor, but tight enough that the angled plastic flanges cannot slip back out through the hole. Today I gave the hollow door/wall anchor a test. I tried the anchor on an empty bucket I have in the house. I drilled a correct diameter hole, hammered the anchor into place, and then twisted the eye bolt into the anchor. After twisting the eye bolt into the anchor I applied all my strength trying to pull the bolt out. It didnÂt budge. BUT WAIT!!!! I found an even better idea. And much easier. Along with eye bolts, Home Depot also sells something called a Screw Eye. It is the same as an eye bolt, but it is a screw with a sharp point rather than a bolt with a blunt end. The other end is the same as an eye bolt, a closed metal loop into which you can fit a thick bamboo stake. The Screw Eye doesnÂt require a hollow door/wall anchor. It doesnÂt require drilling a pilot hole either. You can simply screw it directly into the container. You merely need a hammer to puncture the container wall to get the screw eye started and then you can finish by easily twisting it by hand into the container. As a test, I tried my very best to pull the screw eye out. IÂm a very big guy with a very muscular back, but if I kept trying, my back would have given out before the screw did. I am sold on screw eyes. A package of 3 zinc screw eyes is only 93 cents at Home Depot. You can see what this looks like on a 5-Gallon plastic bucket by copy/pasting this URL into your browser: http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=showPhoto&albumID=421746491&photoID=421795755&security=JKqdhc Now if only I can figure out how to keep the squirrels away. IÂm thinking a combination of ammonia, moth balls, sacks of dog hair, a rubber snake, and fox urine pellets. The Family Dollar Store also sells a motion detector barking dog lawn ornament for $5. Also pin wheels that spin in the wind for $2. Ace Hardware sells a plastic owl for $16. Here is a link that might be useful: Bucket with Screw Eyes

I'm not sure about melons/etc but tomatoes will live for several years if the conditions are right. They do not survive frost so if you're in VA, you will need a very sunny indoor spot for them or some kind of light setup. If they're already in pots, simply trim off any diseased or dead leaves and bring them inside. Keep them damp but not soppy wet, letting the top of the soil dry out between waterings. I wouldn't feed them over the winter. Then when the weather warms up in spring, put them back outside, feed them, and treat them like any other potted tomato. If they're in the ground, you'll need to dig as big a root ball as you can accomodate inside and give them some extra TLC for a bit. Now is a good time to dig and pot them up so they have time to adjust to the pot before you have to bring them inside. All gardening is a but of a gamble and with some extra work, we can sometimes change the odds. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. Sandy

I planted shallots purchased at the feed store last fall.I got huge tops which bloomed but never died down.Finally ,I cut back all the tops in the spring, hoping the bulbs would finally get the message & mature to be harvested.Nope. Since then, I have a whole new crop of green shoots from multiple little unmatured bulbs. They just won't quit. People here use "onion tops" from shallots to sprinkle on gumbo & most everything else. Do I have a mutant Cajun shallot that never matures/develops a papery skin or am I missing something? I've grown onions before, so maybe I'm expecting onion type behavior from shallots.Don't stores sell mature shallot bulbs, though?? The original bulbs I purchased looked like that. I think...

Thank you shebear! The plants are in 1.5' deep containers, about 18" in diameter and are covered with cedar mulch (put down in about April and topped off in June and July). I wasn't sure if cedar mulch would release too much nitrogen so I have been adding calcium enriched slow release fertilizer once a month and since they reacted so well fish fertilizer every three weeks per instructions. Both plants have 5 or more flowering vines and more creep in everyday but I can't prune out the new ones because they curl leaf everytime I try. Not all the flowers set (only 3 so far since Sept 1st.) so I am hoping that assisting the pollination will help with the 30 or more flowers I have now... I drove off the pollinators with the aphids.