Any time a stamp has any markings on it, or tape, it's assumed that the stamp has been previously used. And yes, unfortunately, some people do put tape on their unused stamps by mistake, but more often than you'd believe, we catch people re-using the postage, which is a HUGE no-no. So, whenever we find suspect postage, we return the package so the sender can try again. Another thing we find a lot of is people will order something, open it, then try to return it without paying any postage. Once a package is opened, it becomes the responsibility of the person opening it up to pay for the return postage. If you receive something you don't want, simply don't open it up, mark it Return To Sender, and whoever sent it to you will then be responsible for paying the return postage. If you ever have any questions about this, or anything else, all it takes is a question or two for your local mailman. We're simply trying to help you receive and send your mail in a timely, efficient manner. No scams, we don't have time for them. And let's face it, trying to get you to pay for an extra unneeded stamp or two simply isn't worth losing our paycheck. We don't make the big bucks, but we're comfortable, and in one of the most secure jobs in existence right now. It just isn't worth it. Dan, a mailman, and proud of it

HARVEST PAST MULCH LAYERS BEFORE APPLYING NEW!! Any gardener continually mulching over last 5 or 10 years, will know correct answer to this posted question. As long as they are interested citizen scientists, who actually observe how things develop with Mulch over time. Fact is, decomposing Mulch actually turns into rich soil. And goal of mulching, is to improve condition of original soil levels. top "O" horizon. Otherwise rather than Mulching, gardeners could just put down new layers of rich soil instead every spring. Gardeners need to be aware of most important horticultural rule, which states "Never raise existing grade" over trees original root systems underneath. Otherwise suffocated feeder roots growing just under soil line, produce new adventitious roots extending upward to get above obstruction. Like drowning swimmers, adventitious roots become disorientated, and grow in all directions. Including back toward tree, becoming SGR's or stem girdling roots. Along with causing soil to become compacted over time from confused networks of knitted crossing roots. Which can result in tripping roots growing above smothered ground.

Grass clippings can harbor rust and infect your garlic crop with that disease if they are used for mulch. Both myself and a friend had this happen. No rust after we stopped using the grass clippings. Also, yes, it is normal for the feeder roots to seek out heat, moisture and nutrition in the top layer of the soil. Here where the winters are relatively mild, I believe that the roots grow all winter. My early, soft-neck varieties get pretty sad looking without a good dose of high nitrogen fertilizer in late winter or early spring. I have already fed and mulched two times this year. All-in-all, it appears that I will be having a good harvest this year if we don't have late rains as we have had the past two or three years.

Done and done. It is cool for me to see a Middle School, or any school, looking into landscaping, gardening and/or horticulture. That is one area that schools in England and Australia are miles ahead of our own schools. Of all the classes my kids' school offer (including the high school they eventually might be going to), none are outdoors-oriented. Constructive criticism: A question asking what kind of weed barriers people use (with a list to choose from) could have given more data. I clicked yes to using a weed barrier because I use newspaper and/or cardboard, but all the questions seem to deal only with plastic bags and store-bought weed mat, which is often made from plastic itself.