This is a great thread! I've learned SO much this year as it was my first true "gardening year". There definitely were a few bumps in the road but overall I think it was a great first year considering I had very little to no experience, and a sad, naked patch of grass when I started. I must credit the many experienced, helpful and friendly people on this forum for all the invaluable information you have shared on this forum over the years, as I have picked it apart this year and it has been a priceless source of knowledge and inspiration. Here are a few lessons that stick out to me right now. 1- Give roses SPACE... apparently more than you think they need. As someone that is brand new to roses, I made what I assume to be the most common error made by a new rose grower & planted my roses way too close together. And a few of them too close to my house. This has caused me all kinds of trouble, most of all it has encourage blackspot to spread from one plant to the next, down the line, eventually reaching the other side of the boarder, I'm still not entirely sure what to do about certain layout problems that I've got, but several things will be moved/removed this fall, so I'll just have to sit down and plan it out... which leads me to ... 2- PLAN PLAN PLAN where to put big things like roses, trees, and other shrubs. Most of my most frustrating gardening errors revolve about my placement of something, be it a rosebush or another large plant. 3- I need to pay more attention to the shrub sizes given in online reviews and forums and less attention to the shrub size the nursery lists in the description. 4- Rose slugs are jerks. They really are the worst, and now that I know what they look like and where to find them hopefully they won't cause as much devastation as they did this past spring. 5- Plant everything immediately or ASAP. From my experience in trying to care for plants that are still in their nursery provided pots I have gained a whole new respect for nursery gardeners & the magic they must use to keep these masses of fledgeling plants alive. These baby plants (mostly talking about perennials, but tiny bands fall into this too) in their poor quality soil and flimsy nursery containers are the equivalent of a ticking time bomb when left in my care, even on a mostly shady porch and watered regularly. I have lost so many plants that were waiting on me to plant them, for no apparent reason at all other than they were tired of waiting on my unrelenting schedule. 5- Cut back the rose more severely after big blooms. So many of my roses are looking scraggly and overgrown right now and it is driving me crazy, but I know cutting them now could put them in danger of suffering more winter dieback, so I guess I just have to live with it. Next year they will be getting more regular haircuts. 6- Sweet potato vine, my newfound love this year, was both a blessing and a curse. I think someone above mentioned putting sweet potato vine in with their roses for container interest, but I would have to recommend against it. These things form a thick, chaotic network of roots like I have never seen before! Every planter that they were in they choked out all the other plants that went in with them. They completely killed all their companion annuals, and just plain sucked the life out of their companion roses. Just for an example, I bought the famously free-flowering Easy Going and Living Easy as bands, put them in GIANT containers with a small sweet potato vine in each, great soil, full sun, consistent water and they haven't done anything all season. I think easy going had maybe 2 tiny flowers and Living Easy had zero. Neither has grown any taller or wider than when I got them, meanwhile the fragrant cloud (not the most free flowering plant) which I got at the same time, in the same shipment is in a tiny pot off to the side on my porch with only afternoon sun & is already 2 feet tall and blooming regularly. It has to be the sweet potato vine, it is one hungry, fast growing beast. I love the bright green foliage and draping nature of this vine so much next year I might just put it in its own pot on a tall plant stand behind the shorter pots so that it may drape down behind them all, but it will never be a companion plant for me again. there is so much more but I don't have enough time to write it all! Jessica

Jason, I went to the Wikipedia and put a link to this forum a while back. I too was reluctant to put what I "know" since I am a relative newcomer. Wikipedia allows the editing of the page by anyone provided that it doesn't violate copyright laws. Also it must state facts and be verifiable and from a credible source or it may be subject to deletion or editing. It would be a good place for the subject matter due to its permanency. Chuckii, I wasn't sure why Moni posted another new discussion either when she had already had a topic called easy searching on the 12th she could have appended her helpful tip. It would have bumped up the easy searching or she could have added her facts to your FAQ's... a statistical history google post and it would have bumped itself up. I don't believe that this forum is in dire need of a FAQ. I just thought it would be nice to have another resource for those newcomers who would probably find it easier to read a compiled FAQ than do a search for (get OR getting OR "how to") start and have to review 214 (215 when this one gets added) discussions. Either an FAQ or the "bumping" would be a major benefit if the posts do drop off the forum like I fear they do. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers in this forum which has always has friendly and helpful people in it. I thought that a FAQ for the Vermicomposting forum would be a helpful addition for commonly asked questions and answers in one place in a logical format. I'll drop the FAQ issue. I do plan on making one for my site later on to share with others. We're looking for a new home right now so time is limited. I still think it would be good to go through the good posts and bump them to keep them active so they won't drop for those newcomers who don't have access to a hardcopy printout of the good stuff in this forum. There is a caveat to bumping. I was looking at the Gardenweb User Agreement and it may be against their policy for anyone to "bump" reference no 13 on the GardenWeb User Agreement: "Posting merely to manipulate the position of a message is forbidden." But I think GW would let the bumping slide due to the intent of preserving some good information unless we had alot of posts being bumped. That's why I suggested a compilation similar to a FAQ, but I'll drop it since there doesn't appear to be support from the regulars and the grizzled veterans here. Just my 2 cents. Happy Holidays everyone, Charles Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia - Verifiability

sapphires, I don't even like bananas, I don't even eat banana bread, but I eat this cake. Ashley says it's her favorite, the best she's ever had and it is darned good. It was posted on the Cooking Forum by a former poster, J. Garner, who worked as a pastry chef. Banana Cake (Rose Levy BerenbaumÂs Cordon Rose Cake) Jgarner-Cooking Forum (good as layer cake, elegant, delicate texture) mix together: sifted cake flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 c + 2 Tbs baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp puree together: 2 large ripe bananas 1 c sour cream 2 Tbs or up to 1/2 c 2 large eggs 2 grated lemon zest 2 tsp (I left this out since I don't like the flavor of lemon with banana) vanilla 1-1/2 tsp soften: Butter 10 Tbs (5 oz) Add butter and half of pureed mixture to dry ingredients in stand mixer and mix at medium with paddle for 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape bowl and add rest of banana mixture in two batches, mixing 20 seconds after each addition. Pour into 9"x2" round pan (I just lined the bottom with parchment, no spray or butter) and bake at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then turn out onto rack to cool completely. Hint: Use smallest amount of sour cream and 3 bananas for more pronounced banana flavor Cream Cheese Icing Cream cheese, softened 8 oz. Butter, softened 5 TBS (2.5 oz) Sour cream 1 Tbs Vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. Rum 1 Tbs Powdered sugar 1 1/4 C (5 oz) Process (yeah, the food processor) or beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and pulse until smooth. Makes enough to frost the top of a 9x13 sheet cake. I used regular flour, because I never have cake flour, and it always comes out great. Annie

Our old Pier1 was a place I could spend hours. It had that mix of incense and rope that greeted you when you wanted in the door. The floors squeaked and it had a second story loft that was the big furniture department. You could pick your basic white plates from the racks in the back right next to the bins of sea shells and brass bells. I could spend hours there and I think I still have a bunch of things from that store. Same here! Used to love exploring. It was a hippie haven. Remember the carved wooden boxes from India? Perfect for rolling papers and a nickel bag. ;) And the leather water buffalo sandals from India. Loved those! Some of my favorite dresses came from Pier 1. Hey Jen, I don't know how many times I've seen you post about the poor quality of your phone pics. Why not treat yourself to a new camera to go with the new house? ;)