Hi! I read your post and it sounds somewhat like our situation (though no accusations about affairs or anything--just unsupervised children!) Anyway, since we moved to our home with a 2 year old, and another on the way, I insisted that if we did nothing else to our landscaping, we needed to install a fence! Since our neighborhood was somewhat established, and none of our bordering neighbors had fences, we opted for a split rail fence with a green mesh exterior--which is nearly invisible against the grass and landscaping. This design allowed us to "pen" our child(ren) in, keep the neighbors kids and dogs out, and it was subtle enough so as not to look like a "spite" fence. Once the fence was up, we then planted a mixed row of Rose of Sharon, smallish arborvitaes, along with roses, and barberries (the thorns are also helpful in the fight against would-be entruders!!! LOL!) The other nice thing about this kind of fence is that is CAN be temporary and removed after other plantings fill in, and it is one of the least expensive fencing designs, and both the mesh and individual timbers can easily be replaced if needed. We were able to fence in a relatively large 1/2 acre back yard for about $4000--it may sound a bit expensive, but it was WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! Just something to consider! Good luck!

Works for me, Lilo. I enjoy reading them so much, and check them every day when I come visit the party. I'm glad to fill in, but we have some really neat ones when folks come out of 'lurkdom' to do them. Who's next?

Yes Martha, I'm still here from time to time but the composition of this Forum and most of the questions just don't interest me as much these days, and it really is time for others to answer questions as I see it b'c I've been online doing same since the mid-80's which is a looonggg time. So I do most of my reading/posting elsewhere most of the time. But do usually pay attention when someone asks about a specific variety, where to get, and any history. My tomato book went out of print about a month ago, but you can still get them from a couple of places at a decent normal price, otherwise at some places they're now asking for upwards of $200/book which amuses me to no end, so I think I'll hold on to the four new ones I have here at home until the price maybe hits $500 or so. LOL Marv, there's a lot more than my fingers that work well, you should be so lucky. LOL I'm also a dedicated tennis fanatic so watch a heck of lot of Tennis on TV at this time of the year. Other than that I love my new lenses following cataract surgery for both eyes last Fall, can now spear a wooly mammoth or mastadon a mile away but can't see a darn thing up close so have a new pair of prescription glasses for serious reading and cheap drugstore ones here by the computer, out in the backroom at the table where I pack my tomato seeds and do my bills and another pair in the kitchen so I can see the expiration dates on stuff and also know if I'm to add a can of water or milk to this or that. And also VERY upset at the weather, not that that will do any good. Freda, who does all my cleaning and gardening for me put the battery back in my car and got it out of the garage and up by the front door but why should I even venture out there in my walker when it's 40 F and the winds from the West at 30 mph when I could be reading a great book, of which I have plenty b/c I'm also a book fanatic. Am now getting shipments of the newest perennials I ordered and my tomato plants are warm and happy, I presume, in Raleigh, NC b'c Craig LeHoullier raises all my plants for me after I send him the seeds and I have three others, 2 in NC and one in IL who also help with seed production. Nothing special for Mother's Day since my two cat kids aren't able to order up great dark chcolate for me, so I have to do that myself. LOL So that's the situation as in I'm here occasionally but spend most of my time elsewhere when it comes to posting about gardening and tomatoes in particular and where at one message site I still do my annual free for a SASE seed offer. Carolyn

The old saying is to prune when the forsythia starts to bloom. That is a good indication that the soil has warmed up enough for the plants to start actively growing. Those tiny leaves you are getting now are coming from the energy in the canes that was stored last fall. It is not coming from the roots being able to begin to take up nutrients and feed the plant.