Agreed! Josh and mike have both been called lucky because their plants flourish, but they're not lucky at all, and I can understand why they might take offense at the label. There may be elements of luck that affect their growing, but calling them lucky is little different than calling Lance Armstrong lucky every time he wins a race. These guys are simply well-skilled. Luck pretty much only has a place of any importance in the growing experience of the beginners or those less skilled. I'm not talking about hailstorms or plants being blown off railings, or hordes of descending insects - I'm talking about having the ability to consistently produce high quality plants in spite of imperfect cultural conditions. There is no luck involved in that ability. This is just my opinion, but I don't put a lot of value on experience in many cases, either. A wood chopper, having wielded an axe for years and claims title to being a star axeman, pales in his ability to produce cord-wood at a pace equal to that of even a novice chainsaw operator. Those who practice the same methods day in and day out, even if they are at the pinnacle of perfection for those methods, are, w/o considering there might be a better way, gaining nothing by adding more years to the total of their experience. IOW - they're parked - stuck in a rut. Guys like Josh and Mike, and lots of others here, are focusing on knowledge. They don't cling tightly to this idea or that idea. If something makes better sense - they try it. They are open-minded and willing to make adjustments. They actually think the same way that I do, in that acquiring knowledge about growing is more important than actual experience ..... but hold on before you disagree ..... they also understand that using their practical experience - practical application, to validate that knowledge is what has propelled them forward. They learn the facts, then let their experience prove them true. If their observations don't match what they've learned, they mistrust and reexamine their observations instead of inventing new science to fit what they think they observed. THAT, is what makes a grower good in the shortest amount of time possible. How many growers with much more 'experience' than Mike or Josh have they passed sitting in a rut at the side of the road and shouting at them that they'll never make it to the top of the hill because they're 'doing it all wrong'? Where they came from is where a lot of others still sit. We can look up to them or look away from them, but they're still pretty darned close to the top, and I'd put considerable value on what they say. I only mentioned Mike & Josh because Jodi and JJ did in their posts previous, but there are a lot of others here that are free from being chained to the same spot and also deserve a lot of credit. Way to go, guys! Al

Spikes such as every one likes to put in containers with begonias and geraniums are actually Dracena. Dracena is fairly easy to grow and nurseries love it when they are tossed at the end of the growing season. The so called Lucky Bamboo is also a Dracena, just a different variety. Just dig it up and rinse of the dirt to avoid any hitchhikers and pot them for houseplants. You would need a lot of tennis balls to keep a hole in the ice. If you did use them they should be corralled together. A large inflatable pillow would do the same thing which is to protect the sides of a pool from damage by the sideways pressure of the ice. It gets wedged in pretty tight so it wouldn't be of use for gas exchange. There are plans for a homemade deicer if you do a search. It is what I use. Sandy

Hi Cassiope If you have left your plants just in their pots in storage you will no doubt have lost them to the frost even if they were in the garage. What I would suggest is the following; 1) Stop giving your plants water at least a couple of weeks BEFORE you want to cut them back; 2) Cut your plants back by approximately 2 thirds (making sure that they have at least a couple of buds below the cut; 3) When you cut the plants back use a PVA glue on the cuts to stop the sap bleeding onto the stems; 4) After the glue has set, you should wrap the plants in their pots in newspaper or preferably garden fleece; 5) Place the wrapped plants in a large box which has had all sides (including top and bottom) covered with some form of insulating material (sheets of polystyrene are good for this and if all else fails you can use the material used for packing electrical appliances or the small beads that are sometimes used to fill cushions or bean bags) anything that will insulate. The plants will need checking a couple of times during the winter to make sure that they do not become too dry. Water sparingly and replace the plants until you are happy that you can bring the plants out of their 'hibernation' and start them back into growth. I would like to say that you could keep the plants growing in the house overwinter but unless you have all the conditions correct you will either have stunted growth or leggy growth. Much better to try and give the plants a rest during this period. Sorry I can't be of much help .....but -35 now thats cold!!!!. Tight....

Here's a little update. The Scotch Bonnet plant is now out of buds/flowers and has set a total of 7 fruits. Three of them have turned red, rather quickly so, with a fourth on the way. The other three pods have set a few weeks after, so I'll likely have to wait that much longer. I've taken the plant out of the mini-greenhouse for now to see how it does with natural light from the large patio door, as I don't have to worry about blossom drop. I'd rather use the space to grow more radish and Swiss chard for now. I still can't tell for sure whether these really are Scotch Bonnet peppers or a hybrid of sorts with a Habanero or else. Even when I get to taste these, I won't be able to tell due to lack of experience. If I see things are headed that way, I'll probably let the plant go dormant after I harvest the peppers.