I agree with Amber. They are good, but not a miracle. You will still have pests and diseases. But you should have vigorously growing plants that have a better shot at withstanding them. Pros: (1) It is nice not to have to weed at all. (2) If you will follow directions, you can grow a lot of things very well in the Earthbox. Sweet peppers and especially eggplants do particularly well for me in Earthboxes - I get much higher yields than I do planting them in-ground. (3) As long as you use the right kind of soil and fill the Earthbox according to directions, you can't overwater - so no root rot. (4) If you're careful to keep the slits in the plastic mulch as small as possible, there's very little soil splashing on the plants during rains. This reduces (but does not eliminate!) diseases. (5) No nematodes. (6) If you use dolomitic limestone per the instructions, you shouldn't have too much trouble with blossom end rot on your peppers and tomatoes. (If you can't get dolomitic limestone, get some other source of calcium and magnesium.) (7) Except for the plastic mulch covers, they hold up well to sunlight and weather. My oldest Earthboxes are about 7 years old and have been outside all that time. Although the long sides have bowed out slightly, they are still good working condition. Cons: (1) If you use the wrong kind of soil or fertilizer, or don't fill/plant according to directions, the results may not as good. (2)The support system they sell is completely inadequate for large (indeterminate) tomato plants. It is pretty marginal for the larger determinate tomatoes, too. Unless you are growing true bush-type tomatoes, you'll need to construct your own supports. However, the support works fine for eggplants, peppers, etc. (3) If you grow tomatoes in the summer, the Earthbox does NOT hold enough water for two large indeterminate tomato plants in intense heat. Even with daily watering, the Earthbox will dry out and your tomatoes will experience water stress. You can either water twice daily, spring for the automatic watering system, or plant only one indeterminate tomato per Earthbox. But if you grow your tomatoes in the winter, I doubt you'd have this problem. (4) The plastic mulch cover breaks down fast in our intense sunlight. One season is all you should expect. Sometimes the elastic falls apart before the season ends and you have to try to tape it down for the rest of the season, which is annoying. May as well order some extra covers with your boxes, so you don't have to pay shipping for them next year. (5) The soil/fertilizer kits are usually a rip-off compared to big box store pricing, especially if you are getting more than one Earthbox. I'd price it out before ordering. (6) Earthboxes are not good for plants that like to dry out between waterings, like some herbs. Because of the support and summer watering issues with indeterminate tomatoes, I use my Earthboxes for eggplants and peppers in the summer, and lettuces in the cool months. In the past, I have put my tomatoes in the ground. If I have a LOT of organic matter worked in, the nematodes don't keep me from getting a crop. I will be trying my tomatoes in new raised beds this year. (Crossing my fingers!) Your mileage may vary - the above is just based on my personal experience.

I agree with lazygardens. You shouldn't use these beans for human consumption. Those mold spores (mildew) can also be deadly aflatoxins. You need to take care storing grains/beans/seeds to prevent mold, so do some study on the subject to prevent so much waste. Another suggestion... Although they have a good storage time, I'd suggest you purchase only what you can reasonable use within a year or two. and keep it rotated. Old beans don't work well for food preparation, and take a lot longer to cook, which requires a lot more energy. If you do need to use old beans, they will cook faster if you mill the beans into bean flour before cooking. "Fresh" pinto beans will be a creamy tan color. The older they get the darker they will get, so that is one way to check age. -Grainlady

Hi! I am new to this site. I just wanted to say that I found a great way to organize my die cuts. I bought a Sterilite plastic (kind of see through) box from Walmart. Seperated my die cuts from larger ones to smaller ones and named them and alphabetized them. I cut down some index cards and taped tabs for the names of the die cuts and then filed them like that. It's very portable and organized. I think you could also just do themes though like I have in my sticker binder instead and it would be just as easy to find the die cuts that way. Best of luck in your organizing!

Hi Mary Beth, I think what you are looking for is the Crop-in-Style Paper Sticker Binder. It sounds like what you describe and is definitely on my wish list, but not in my budget right now. I have priced them a few places on the web, two of the best seem to be at creativexpress.com (flat shipping of 3.75) and scrapbook-nook.com (free shipping). Hope this helps! Have a great day, Stacy