Sheila: I do my peach thinning in several stages, let's say about three. Each time, I remove the smaller, slower-developing peaches, and leave the larger ones. Any that have been damaged by insects, or show signs of mildew, have to come off no matter what size they are. If you properly thin your peaches, they will not experience a "June drop", since you will already have removed the peaches that would have dropped. Final thinning should leave the peaches about 6-8 inches apart, but these numbers are not cast in stone, and you should use your judgment about what each twig or branch can support, depending on its size and vigor. Bear in mind that a fully-developed peach can weight 3/4 pound or more. I have had some large peaches reach a full pound each. I would estimate that, at final thinning, 95% of the peaches on the tree have been removed, but those that are left are beautiful. Why are you collecting your thinned peaches in a shopping bag? Small thinned peaches carry no insect pests or pathogens, and may be safely allowed to fall to earth. After a few weeks they will be gone. When I thin a peach tree, the ground under the tree is covered with little peaches. Eliminating the collection step might improve your thinning efficiency. I have been down the teenager road (a few years ago), and hate those piles of dirty clothes. But enforced thinning is likely to lead to poor results. See how the teenagers react when you produce some really beautiful peaches. They might be inspired. And if you cannot comfortably reach all the peaches on your tree to thin, prune it down right now. I prune all the time as I thin to open up the tree and ensure that each peach is exposed to sunlight. That's what makes them big and sweet. Now is not the time to ease up on your spraying, using an effective insecticide such as permethrin. I also use fungicides to fight peach scab and mildew. Plum curculio is very active right now, and oriental fruit moth may also be present, which will ruin your peaches. By the end of June you may be able to ease up or stop spraying entirely, after the peaches are half-grown and the skins are tougher and less attractive to insects. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Excuse me if this is the wrong forum, but I did not see a sprouting section. Anyway, I am new at sprouting. Just grew a salad mix and some broccoli sprouts in a sprout master. I rinsed twice a day and drain thoroughly, but I noticed that the roots look dirty. Is that normal? The dinginess stops right at the root. In other words it does not extend onto the stem, so I don't think it is mold, but I am not sure as this is my first batch. To be on the safe side, I attempted to trim off the roots, but man that is difficult. Between root trimming and trying to remove hulls and left over seeds, I probably lost half of the volume. There must be an easier way to clean these things. Any advise?

Seal pullers will possibly be the safest, fastest w/o any damages (after searching and seeing you will probably have very little metal lip to work with. A small engine shop might pull the seal at a reasonable cost. With the saw disassembled and your reassembling. See the seal puller in the link below. Some puller might be reasonable to purchase or rent that I saw at the 2nd address below. My searchers were: 1. how to replace stihl fs80 chainsaw crankshaft oil seal 2. how to build a stihl crankshaft seal pullers Good luck! http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KIo9ciVKBU9BsAG7v7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBzZWQ1aGR0BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMTI-?p=how+to+replace+stihl+fs80+chainsaw+crankshaft+oil+seal&vid=aad5a60093a23e3f9b5d1e8c76673cbc&l=2%3A20&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.608040839788301030%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVNq07CcWPjs&tit=Chainsaw+Seal+Replacment+%26+Vacuum+Testing&c=11&sigr=11brnalup&sigt=119kfa4fj&age=0amp;fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&&tt=b http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0LEVzOwWKBU.2YAcDNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBsa3ZzMnBvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--?p=how+to+build+a+stihl+crankshaft+seal+pullers

If it is glass, you could also try putting very hot water into the glass jar...that will remove those really sticky type labels. I like to reuse bottles and jars also. I buy those big containers of nuts at Sam's Club and the label comes off with the hot water trick but you can't get it too hot or the container will melt (ask me how I know!). Then you can remove the rest of the sticky glue with goo gone or even oil will work.