When I was a boy in high school back in the '80s, it was a lot easier to sprout a grocery store coconut. Back then they didn't refrigerate them which can kill the seed (which is behind one of the eyes), if they are exposed to cold for too long. Also, in the last 10 years, I have tried sprouting about 60 grocery store and farmers' market coconuts with only about 8 or 9 sproouting. In the '80s, I would have gotten 2- 3 times that number to sprout and survive, which tells me either the growers, the shippers, or the government is doing something to them that prevents them from sprouting. Out of those that I did get to sprout only about 3 survived. It is best if you can find a large one in the husk, then set it out in full sun for a few weeks to let it brown up, then plant it in a 5 gal. pot on its side with a good organic potting soil. Cover it about half to two thirds of the way up the side of the husk. Set it out in full sun in 90+ degree weather and water it once a day until it sprouts (which should take about 2-3 months, but may take as long as 4-5 months). You can try thsi too with the unhusked ones, but many of these as stated above quickly crack open and then are no good. I have a beautiful sprout growing out of an HEB grocery store coconut that I bought in Bryan, Texas back in the spring. It is in the husk and was green when I bought it. I let it brown up for about a month before I planted it. I planted it in April and it sprouted the end of June. It is now about 5 inches tall. Like I said, you have better luck if they are in the husk, and the bigger, the better (about 8-10 inches long and 6-7 inches wide). Don't fetilize them until they are about 9-10 months old. The sprouts feed off the nutrients in the milk for the first 6-8 months until they have a root system developed. Use a good palm fertilizer with the Nitrogen content higher than the phosphorous and potassium content, and make sure it has the micronutrients. You only need to fertilize them 3 times per year, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Take it inside whenever the nighttime temperatures are predicted to get below 40 or when the daytime highs are only going to be in the 50's for a prolonged period. Once they sprout, water them 2-3 times per week in the summer, 1-2 times per week in the winter. Enjoy! John

I guess it still come down to how much you value it and how much effort are you willing to give to your orchid tree? I keep hoping someone will chime in and say it comes back from a Austin winter. I have heard of them surviving a San Antonio with a protected position. As to more harm to replant it, welllll I know I wouldn't like it butttt it may not survive (but maybe it will?)if left in the ground. I can't say much about quick start or in general most miracle gro products ( I am biased against them personally) and use rocket fuel, alfalfa pellets and seaweed to kickstart my transplants. Too much phosphorus the main material in quick start and most "root stimulators" are probably best in acid soil conditions not the alkaline soil condition we have west of I-35. I am not saying it can't help it is just not what I would use or could personally reccomend. If I were to repot it I would consider a couple of things. 1. Am I going to keep it in a pot long term (over 1 year)? 2. If so I would amend any potting mix definely if I used mircle gro. ( I use the broke bags at the garden center but add more perlite, soil conditioner (fine shredded pine bark), coconut coir and of course alfalfa pellets and then more osmocote 18-6-12 and medina micronutrients to it. Then dust the rootball and the bottom and sides within the pot with rocket fuel. Then I water the transplant with a weak solution (1 tsp per gal.) of seaweed to finish the process. 3. I am just saying what I use not that this is what everyone should use because it has worked so well for me but just so you know that I have a different approach to the whole transplanting process than many and one that evolved for me over several years of experimenting and observing the results and this is what I found work best overall for me. 4. The key to long term pot success IMHO is to have a majority of the media to be an inert product or at least something that doesn't breakdown too fast. Keeping a good air exchange in the pot profile is of utmost importance. Again this is not the only way but science and practical experience shows me and many others I have worked with and shared gardening containered culture ideas with that this has the best chance of long term health for most any plant (except bog or water plants). If you want to discuss it more let me know what you have questions on and I will offer whatever help I can. Good Luck and Happy Growing David

Hard question. There was a time I was a fan of Meijer's which is a superstore here in Michigan. They have every thing from Tofu to shells for my .30-06. Much of their advantage is simply turn over... the produce is fresh because they just recently put it out. In college I had 3 of them within a 30 minute drive... Okemos, Lake Lansing, and the old Lansing store. Recently prices have been rather steep on basic things like beans and rice. Walmart is my favorite because they are the only place open at 3am. I won't buy meat at Walmart... I used to buy the uncut round roasts but those went away. For awhile I could get decent lamb chops but I think I was the only person in the store buying them (Tuna loved lamb). We have a meat market in town that does nice pork. A 30 minute drive and I can get short loins for under $7/lb so they get most of my steak business. My "hamburger" I buy from a local dairy farmer which is currently $3/lb in one pound frozen packages... also get free hearts, tounges, and oxtails with my hamburger. Simply love oxtail soup. Local market had a baker that worked there for many years. When she retired the baked goods section just faded to nothing. The third time in my life a baker has retired and it changed my life. Growing up there was a wonderful bakery in the middle of town... cinnamon twists to die for. Then they closed and we had Stanley's. Then they closed so it is store bought bread or bake your own. Unions are not perfect but they can do good. Much of what is wrong with Unions is the direct planned actions of Management. A common stunt is to pick a Union worker and allow them to get away with anything... being late, poor work, being drunk, sitting around doing nothing. The idea is to make the normal workers angry at the Union for "protecting that guy". On the other side my non-Union employer has sent me for drug testing twice this year because I wear a respirator. I been sent for "medical" examinations and had blood draw 5 times this year by direction of the company. No I don't think people should be high at work and don't object to genuine concern about my health but things are getting a bit sadistic. Even after the company's comp Doc advised me to continue wearing the respirator the Plant Manager informed me the company does not think I need it. I now have written orders from my MD and if there is more trouble over this the next "doctor" will be a JD. Either God or the Devil loves me because my lawyers has been working for free... as the regulars here know I've a running battle over Safety issues (yes, I am the Safety person). : ) lyra

My mother separates mixed frozen veggies she gets on sale. Dad does not like the 'blends'. She has a table next to the freezer in the breezeway shed and takes a bowl with her and takes out a bowl full of frozen and takes what she wants...they don't eat much because they eat small snack meals. He likes his roasted sweet potatoes with cauliflower rice. Broccoli with a small steak. The rest in soups. In their late 80's now they don't garden much but i gave them seeds for a compact variety of zucchini and some mixed micro salad greens they have planted and are very happy with that. I did not see anything trite, self-centered or food snobby discussing frozen peas...many on a cooking food forum are just putting out there what they do and hope for some ideas for their pantry/freezer. Initially i did not see a mention of poverty or the elderly. Just a sharing of a good basic freezer stock. I stock baby peas and baby limas in the winter. Frozen spinach is just a good bargain any time of the year. Other veg frozen are from my garden. Or the farm stand like corn i cut off the cob, then freeze. I have a big freezer because of my garden and over 100 tomato plants. I keep forgetting about nutmeg! Such a special flavor and i need to try it with beans. Artichoke hearts frozen i forget as well. We have one great dish and artichokes in season are 2 for 5 dollars so it is a seasonal treat. Not very often. Frozen is often a better option for out-of-season veggies. Or those that do not grow well as Annie mentioned. I had great years for broccoli and cauliflower and nothing the past five or so with so much heat...basil was destroyed once again...bunnies maybe. No fruit on the trees from a late frost but tomatoes are gorgeous. Beets gone from a critter but radishes and garlic are beauty. Early peas are now leathery but inside are good shelled. Hoping string beans will be good this year. I plant sooo much as seeds are cheap and always get something great.... Leeks are expensive here so i grow a big bed of them and freeze. I spent high school frozen cold with a kerosene heater in a small kitchen/tv room and grandparents that layed out paper towels on the counter to dry and recycle and Pop pounded on the bathroom door to remind not to flush and only use a sprinkle of water to wash hands...with a sign that read "drips dribble dimes down the drain". I've worked very hard to not have a food budget as an adult but got up this morning at 5am and made stock from smoked organic chickens from the weekend and made salad for DH lunch and three meals and froze 4 pints for future soups not because we are food poor but because it just tastes so much better. And i just enjoy it. (then worked a 14hr day). Like every day. I bet my food budget if i cared to keep track is so much lower than most by not buying processed foods.