I am not sure if the plants were grown in a greenhouse but I did buy direct from the grower here in NC so there is no chance of regional relocation issues (greenhouse maybe but I am not sure). I will not be adding any fertilizers until spring and the only thing that I added during planting was bio-tone. The compost was bought in bulk (1 cubic yard dumped in my truck bed) from a much place. The only description offered was "Certified Compost: 100% composted materials from food grade production residuals, yard trimmings, and aged sawdust. This product is very light and fluffy and includes the nutrients necessary for healthy planting and for reseeding yards." I mixed this 2:1 compost:existing clayish soil and did end up with good drainage (via the puddle method). I think I will poke around this weekend with a moisture probe to see if there are major differences in the soil under each plant. I have previously checked for bugs but didn't see anything I will check again and maybe apply a pesticide just in case.

Hi Leticia...do you have a picture of H. waslli? I've never heard of that one and googled it but came up empty. Would love to see it. Congrats on your new and great price hoyas!

This was really, really good! I was happy with the recipe, but the meat itself was fantastic. I have never felt completely successful with pot roasts. I always seem to have dry meat under the gravy. This roast, which I wound up cooking almost three hours at 225° and then letting it rest for another 20 minutes while I strained all the juices out, let the fat rise to the top, removed the fat and returned the juices to the pot with all the chopped onion, was delicious. I cooked it to an internal temp of 175° worrying that it would be overdone, but it was perfect. I found a reference on the web suggesting an internal temp of 165° but it was not tender enough and the juices were too bloody for a pot roast. I blitzed the juices and the onion into a smooth sauce and added just a little, about a teaspoon, of cornstarch stirred into a couple of ounces of red wine to thicken it. The meat sliced smoothly and perfectly and was meltingly moist and tender. It was certainly the best pot roast I have ever made and I thought this is what you would get if you ordered a fancy braised beef in a good restaurant. Everyone enjoyed it and the simple sides of baked sweet potato and steamed green beans were perfect. I'm looking forward to cooking my other piece in a more savory manner, undoubtedly with mushrooms and red wine. I will be looking for more PRIME cross cut chuck. Thanks again for all your help and if you see a prime grade cross cut chuck, grab it, in fact grab all you can. Lee

The $700 or so to replace your gas line from the street is chump change compared to the 3K you will need to spend to upgrade your electrical service from the pole to your house and replace your current panel. All of that will need to be done before taking your home to all electric. Then your utility bills will go up. Electric costs more for the same amount of heat than gas does unless you are somewhere that hydroelectric is the primary means of generation. Now, if you were to install a heat pump system for your heating and cooling, you would see a reduction in energy costs for heating and cooling your home, but you would still need the new electrical service in order to be able to do that, plus the costs of installing the ducting and heat pump system which would be 15-20K on a small house. You would never achieve payback for the expense for the amount of time that you live in the house. If you want to save costs on the gas line replacement, dig the trench from the street to your home yourself. If piping in the interior of the home needs to be replaced, you can do the distribution system piping as well. Black iron is only moderately difficult to work with for someone who can do a bit of math. Then you can call a plumber out to do the connections at the street and at the regulator outside of your home. That is assuming that your insurance company and municipality do not have an issue with DIY work on gas systems.