FYI, The My Page email links aren't working very well. You should keep checking back here. You might post that you have free koi in the Atlanta area on other pond message boards. Koi Shack, JB's and American Ponders are three that I know of. Your pond and patio and pool are gorgeous! Koi do breed like rabbits. With 1400 gallons, I would not have over 3 or 4 Koi. They grow like crazy too.

The biggest factor in what will be effective against critters is the density of their population. I live by two large wild life preserves and have a neighbor next door who feeds the deer, so the population is very large and completely unafraid of humans. Rabbits also have come to love the diversity of plants in our yard, and because we have several acres of woods (why don't they just stay there???), their population is abundant as well. I have used sprays containing bitters, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and any other smelly thing you can imagine, have gotten hair from the barbers, used fox and coyote urine (expensive as all get out and so nasty to use), even went so far as to use mothballs before I found out how toxic they are, had the men in my family run out in the early morning and pee around the plants, tried interplanting with mint, garlic, etc., and nothing worked for more than a short period. And I don't think I have a single plant out of the hundreds I grow that has not been browsed at one time or another, regardless of how many Pest Resistant lists they may be on. Soaps are effective if your critter population is not too large; contrary to what most folks think, it is not the perfumy smell of Irish Spring that repels, it is the tallow (fat) content of the soap. A friend who runs a commercial apple orchard tried it over the winter with absolutely NO success and felt it was actually detrimental in keeping pollinating bees away the following spring. Pepper sprays are a taste repellant--if you have a lot of deer or rabbits, they each need to take a bite of the plant to realize it's been sprayed as they don't tell each other that what you've sprayed tastes nasty, which means if you have lots of pests, they will still eat down your plants before they all become aware they've been sprayed. Actually, the one time I used a pepper-based spray, the rabbits ate everything I'd sprayed overnight--I think they thought it was a flavor enhancer. Several years ago I used a garlic based spray but there were certain things such as zinnias and sunflowers that were eaten off despite it. By early August the critters were used to it and ate anything and everything I had sprayed, and the only thing it continued to do was give me a huge craving for garlic bread every time I applied it. I have heard that Milorganite does work well as a repellant; however, it is not considered organic (it contains sludge), so I've never tried it. One of the great things about the 20% egg spray is that if you whir it up in a blender and spray it immediately, it will not clog up your sprayer. There is no need to ferment egg sprays--it is not the stink that keeps animals away, it is the smell of the protein from the eggs (if stinky smells kept rabbits/deer away, I'd simply drape my husband's socks around the yard). And at a concentration of 20% eggs, the spray does not wash away as quickly as one with a lesser content which means applications can be less frequent (you will need to experiment to determine what is necessary with your garden). Plants (such as lilies) which are deer and rabbit magnets I spray after every hard rain; other things get sprayed I would guess maybe every six weeks. The best testimonial I've had for this spray is from a friend of mine who lives on an island. Years ago a rabbit farmer on the island gave up his business and released dozens of rabbits, which, well, bred like rabbits. There are no natural predators on the island so the rabbits have destroyed almost every plant, even girdling large trees. I gave her the recipe for the egg spray and she has a garden again. She makes up several gallons of the stuff and sprays EVERYTHING. She even uses it over the winter, spraying in late fall and on days in the winter when the temperature reaches above freezing. The neighbors she has passed the recipe on to have had great success as well, and she kids me that they are going to erect a "St. Kate" statue in my honor, lol. I have also not seen any effect on wanted wildlife, such as bees, butterflies, frogs, toads, walking sticks, etc. I spray it on the plants next to the water garden and it has no effect on the tadpoles, polywogs, and dragon fly larvae. Of course, this means it will not be harmful to bad bugs either--you'll still have to use something to control insect damage (I use organic products with Neem oil for that). Forgive me if I sound overly enthusiastic about this, but it has worked so well for me and has made gardening fun again. I can go outside in the morning and look forward to seeing what is in bloom, NOT what has been eaten off during the night. Here's to a great gardening season! Kate

There are quite a few seeds that can be saved over a season (or two or three). Things like tomatoes peppers and radishes can be saved for a couple years with minimal changes in germination. However, things like carrots and alliums lose their viability over the course of a year. Generally, you'll experience poorer germination rates. Seeds should be kept in a cool dry place. Heat and humidity can destroy the seeds. Here's a chart, with the general rule of thumb about seed storage. Here is a link that might be useful: Seed storage

I hope no other readers felt I was 'judging' them, or anyone. I don't mention anyone's weight to them (nor do I gossip about it). Should someone tell me she is 'fluffy', 'curvy', etc. I would be silent. I DO wonder if encouraging avoidance of the word 'fat' is helping anyone. Sometimes we talk about things like this around the KT. I'm not attempting to enlighten anyone; just asking if my 'take' resonates with anyone else. Chrysalis -- I haven't said a word about health costs due to obesity. We do have epidemic obesity. I wonder about the causes, and possible 'cures'. I told the story because I thought it might help someone to *consider* if there are psychological reasons contributing to a weight problem. I have questioned, not made judgements. I feel sympathy for the stressed military spouses we see on TV. I wonder if they could get some support and help! I am *asking* if anyone else had wondered the same things. No person in our culture wishes and hopes to be fat. (Well, we've heard of a few, unique individuals!) I know there are non-psychological reasons for some people to be fat. Is there something wrong with asking people to consider if therapy could help them if they are struggling? As for me, personally, I am now a scrawny little old lady, but I was an unhappy adolescent of 150 lbs. and unhappy again as a middle-aged housewife at 140 lbs. I suspect my current ills are genetic inheritance, but also just part of wearing out -- and living in a society where I am tested to discover the ills!