Hi Tom - I talked to my brothers yesterday and they told me they were prepared, I will call back tonight to see how they are doing and if they have power in their houses. I can only pray for them, it is really not fair after the bad winter that they had. And talking about the garden, I am keeping very busy most of the time using and giving away crops, yesterday was the day for the collards, the eggplant and the avocados. I am really surprised that people who were born and raised in Florida are new to the best crops that we home gardeners can produce, like everyone is saying praises about the Brogdon avocados, and the question that I get when I give the green glaze collards, "are these collards? but they are so pretty! no sign of bugs or ugly like in the stores, the neighbor that I gave even smelled them,lol And the friend that I gave the eggplants said, I cook the whole bunch and they were not bitter or anything, they were great! In the fall I don't grow as many squash or cucumber plants because of the nematodes being active and number of bugs when is hot. I grow only the compact summer squash and a couple of winter squash, they are doing well in the containers. Tomatoes are getting big and struggling with the heat, you are probably hotter than me, I can see the tomatoes not liking the high temperatures, some do better than others for me when is so hot. Started seedlings for collards, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, some herbs And some views from the garden, eggplants and butterbeans Bush green beans The mini orchard Hi Luther Nice pictures like always! Sorry that you did not get a lot of sweet potatoes, maybe the soil was too rich. I have mine all around the garden where I only amended with used container soil. And Luther I have to tell you that yesterday I was working in the garden and Willy said the same thing "I don't know how you doing, but you never sit down" lol Your set up for the tomatoes is really high class like in the growers systems.:) I just learned a new thing from the community gardens, they bought some cheap wood sticks 2x1 for under a dollar and cut in half, they are 10 foot long but they are sturdier, so I got some this morning for the tomatoes that I have all over the garden now, like this one. Silvia

Hi Scarlet - Thank you and I am very sorry that your veggies did not turn well, we all learn after we failed and try not to make more mistakes again. I grow some some veggies in pots, always the tomatoes but they have to have room to grow unless they are the dwarf size and can be grown in a smaller pot and of course the red mulch is a big no. I don't put any mulch in the containers because I like to test the soil for watering and also with the humidity here it can create problems, You have to look for veggies that can be grown in containers, I had success with Renee garden seeds for containers. You can do well with peppers, herbs, lettuce, dwarf kale, some zucchini and cucumber varieties will need a bigger containers. Growing in the ground or raised bed is easier but sometimes not possible due to space or in case with the tomatoes and the nematodes. Don't give up and try to find better containers. I have some inexpensive plastic tubs and growing celery, parsley and cilantro, sometimes I do lettuce in them or start seedlings, all my containers have multiple uses. Hope to see you on the forum more often and asking questions, that is why we are her for, don't give up! Hi Becca - I hope that you solve the problem with the tomatoes, that is the main reason that I plant more than I need, something happened or they get diseased, I have other ones. With the weather and the bugs here it is not the easiest thing to do to grow healthy plants unless we are very careful and spray if we have to. Good to know that you are getting beans and greens, the other veggies will follow, broccoli and cauliflower take a long time. Try to get some transplants of a different tomato variety and put them in a different place if you can, to see if you have better luck, I plant heirlooms and hybrids for the same reason, something has to do well. Eventually you will get to know what does better in your conditions. Silvia

I too thought you were in Mexico again, Jen, with a margarita in your hand and sand between your toes. :-) beache and amysrq, thanks for the nice thoughts. My computer croaked in mid-December and it took me a while to get another one. (Freecyclers tend to have an interesting definition of "working" when it comes to computers...) While the library has computers for public use, lines were long and time limited so that by the time I got through basic email and "business" (one of the drawbacks of being on electronic payment and paperless billing for everything!) there was no time left for fun. Hey, has anyone else been here long enough to remember that there was a lot less downtime, lost posts, and general messed-up-ness when Spike ran this joint? (That'll probably get me a Friendly Reminder, eh?)

What a thread- oldie, but goodie. My take is a bit of a compromise: All of our friends understand my 9 year old sweet Beagle Max. He was abandoned by breeders when he was 6 weeks old, due to their loss of lease on a property. We adopted him, brought him home and did our best. But this way-too-young-to-be-away-from-his pack was needy. We gave him all the love he needed. He's very smart and observant, and so simply started emulating his pack. That includes hugging when people enter our home, since this is the behavior he's always seen. He hugs, too. That's really all he asks, from a visitor. A hug, and maybe a sweet kiss- no tongue, he just puts his face on your neck. Funny doggie! It can get a bit "rambunctious" as people enter. But our friends get it, hug him like he's our furry two year old, and then Max calms down. Not everybody loves it, and we know the friends where we just need to remove him for a bit, until he gets less excited for company. Now, if children enter? Another story. He's not allowed to do that. He LOVES kids, but I can't have Max bowling toddlers over. So we keep that in check, and wait to see if the child is interested. Then we introduce them, let the child pet him (silkiest hair, ears you've ever felt), and he's gentle. Max is, like most hounds, also driven by his nose and stomach. He's not allowed around guests as they eat- he knows where to sit. If he get's invasive, then he has to go to his "room". He hates that, since he's social and just wants to be around people, so it's rare that he won't comply. Now- when a stranger comes to the door? We let them have the "full effect". Aggressive barks- and loud- until and unless we signal that it's safe. And we put his 'good dog leash" on, if this is (for example) a repair person, there to do a job. But if you're not invited? You're not invited, and he sounds like the Gates of Hell are opening, until he's told "ok". A compromise that works for us and our friends. My sweet pup, in his first month at my house. He just wanted to be ok. Grew up to be fairly mellow Still thinks he's a person.