Katie, I just bought mine from Lowe's. I was leary of Sears because I heard their extended warranties were so expensive. I probably could have gotten a better deal someplace else but my husband was getting on my case about buying a washing machine. If you have axcess to a military exchange you can get a great deal!!! I remember somebody saying Best Buy was running a deal too. I got my washer and dryer for right around $2000.00 with the 5 yr extended warranties. I will get a rebate check for the delivery. I liked that they hauled away my old set. Make sure you get the more expensive stainless steel hoses for your washing machine ($22.00) and a good dryer vent. The extra cost is worth it in the long run from everything I've read. Also, you should get a rebate for around $200.00 worth of free laundry detergent and dryer sheets if you buy both the washer and dryer. That comes from Whirlpool. I have the cabrio without the agitator. So far I really like it. I can do double the wash I did before. There are a few things I have noticed. Some of the clothes do come out more wrinkled and they are hard on bras. I'm going to try washing them in a special garment bag next time. Good Luck!! Carlee

If we assume they have been waxed, you can store them in the warmest part of your refrigerator. Commercially they are stored at 46F and 90% humidity.

I've had excellent success with the Pro-Mix HP and BX (w/ mycorrhizae) products. 30+ cherokee purple tomatoes, 200+ cherry tomatoes, 10+ bell peppers, 30+ japapeno peppers per plant in 5gal paint buckets (holes added for drainage of course), southern exposure balcony in Ontario. Brand probably doesn't matter but their mix is about 70% peat moss with perlite making up the rest. You need to water frequently in the summer but the roots are very happy. I have not had any problems with compaction, likely because of the very high percentage of perlite. You do need to 'agitate' the mix, but it never gets as hard as it was in the compressed bail. The Berger BM6 product is basically the same thing as ProMix HP but has a "sustainable product" logo on the package, for whatever that is worth. I have a relative who has used a peat/coir/perlite product with good success too, I don't recall the brand. One caution: soilless mediums like Pro-Mix HP or BM6 are effectively hydroponic growing mediums. There are no nutrients which are naturally occurring so fertilization will be required regularly through the growing season, especially if rainfall will be doing some of the watering (nutrient leeching). In order to provide all the necessary macro, micro and trace minerals/elements required you will need to use multiple conventional organic fertilizers (annoying), or hydroponic fertilizers (organic or conventional, both are produced). My example yields were with regular all-purpose miracle-gro w/ micronutrients and occasionally Dyna-Gro foliage Pro for the trace minerals.

I buy the big bags of Miracle-Gro potting mix at HD - 3 bags or more at a time. It has slow release and other micro-nutrients in it (so they claim). There will be some rough material in there - sticks, once in a while construction gravel but overall, I've had good luck with it and easy to find. Slow release for young plants or water soluble (weak weekly addition). For more mature begonias I use the granular plant fertilizer with no issues. Some folks mix their "secret formula" which I long ago practiced but it got to be expensive, messy, and time consuming. Been there, done that. Don't overthink this. Light, water, good potting mix, and a little fertilizer go a long way. Let the plant tell you how to proceed. In other words, there is no "one size fits all".