Welcome!! I am also an MFP, as are a few others here. We have all levels of expertise here and welcome questions! The intent is to sort out the tested, reliable methods from the fly-by-night postings. However, there are no "police". Ultimately, each one has to decide what level of risk they're willing to accept. Some of us aren't feeding at-risk groups. Some are selling are markets to total strangers. In general, we are not here to judge, sometimes folks want to argue when they don't get the answer they wanted, but there's really no point. The science is what it is. Recipes have been tested...or not. What each person chooses to do with that information is completely up the them! You don't say where you're located, but here in Western Oregon, the strawberries are just coming on and they're beautiful. I pick at a local farm where I can get an approx. 4-5 lb. bucket (depends on your talent for heaping/stacking it) for $8.50. Gorgeous berries, nice fields, good people. LOCAL!! I grow my own blueberries, but there is a U-pick farm nearby that sells for $1.25/lb. Picked ones are $2.50. How do our prices compare with yours? Where? Deanna

Welcome to the forum. One significant difference you'll find is that, in east Texas, your soil was likely much more acidic that what you'll find anywhere in central Texas. So pines are replaced with oaks, azaleas are replaced with sages, etc. And there will probably be much less rainfall than what you're used to. There are lots of things that grow well - even on caliche - and whitecap's suggestion of checking out Cabela's landscaping will inspire you to ID things that do well in central Texas. You might also take a trip to the S.A. Botanical Gardens, which has some beautiful exhibits of water-wise landscapes. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, you are so nice! Mo, if your work won't yell at you for poaching their shrubbery, I'd definitely cut some branches! Burning Bush is so vibrant. In case you're in the market for these, I got the pumpkins from Hobby Lobby the other day. They are the plain white ceramic craft type that you are supposed to paint. I just filled in the indentions on the stems and highlighted a little bit of the grooves with watered down brown paint. To keep the white from getting damaged too much, I sprayed them with clear satin poly. MUCH less expensive than the fancy white ceramic pumpkins that were already done. The larger one was $4, and I bet the craft stuff will go on sale soon making them even more affordable.

tey again,,he he...