Wow! strawberry that looks cold out in your yard, even the little trucks have ducked under the shrub.!! Nice pic! Big contrast between the 2 locations about 1500 miles apart! All my spring bulbs are about ready to bloom, if frost doesn't get them before they do wonder if there will be anything in spring. Guess if they die back, I will wait until frost is no longer a danger & fertilize. I was thinking strawberry has it easy until spring- I guess only if no snow to shovel!! We are getting the daily leaves falling so have to clean up couple of times a week. Hope ya'll have a wonderful time tomorrow with friends & family!! Jan

I found the answer from this link posted in the Container forum (below). From the article: "Bryan goes on to say "the murky water that is left after one initially rinses the diatomaceous earth (NAPA Super Absorbent) for the first time is actually a mechanical pesticide. I spray the liquid on my trees if they get aphids and the aphids are gone the next day. The sharp microscopic edges of the Diatoms cut through the exoskeleton of the insect causing them to dry out and die." Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Litter as Bonsai Soil

I am at a loss as to where to go,we have a large swarm of bugs similar to teds except black, some have a red spot on their back, some just have a red out line, that makes it resemble a tuxedo.I am new to the area, when the warm weather first arrived it was swarms of lady bugs trying to get in. that did not bother me except that they would die, so I scooped them back out side as much as I could. I just do not know what these are . thank you Gail

Hi, I was just going through some hollyhock seeds last night before putting in the freezer! Did you know that if the weevil is getting big in the seed, you will get a tiny bit of bug ooze coming out when you thumbnail the seed? Yuk! Anyway, no, freezing doesn't damage them at all. If you put seeds in an air tight container and put in the freezer, you must wait until the container comes to room temp before opening. Opening early can kill the seeds. That is why I just put my hollyhock seeds in a paper bag in the freezer and leave them in there for at least a week. Now, if I was doing long term storage of seeds in a freezer, I would put in an air tight container. Remy