Susan, When I make my own seed-starting soil-less mix, I normally use equal parts of either coir or sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. It probably would work equally well with just coir or peat moss and perlite. When I use peat moss, I normally add a small amount of lime to counteract the acidity of the peat moss. It is always such a relief to me to see seed racks and seed-starting supplies arrive at the stores as it is just a tiny reminder that planting time will be here before we know it. This year our local Home Depot kept seeds and other gardening supplies in the stores much, much deeper into late fall than they normally do. On the ridiculous side of the equation, though, our local stores kept "fall tomatoes" and 4" and 6" pots in stores as late as November, and I'm not sure who that thought would be buying tomato plants after the first frosts had already occurred. (They did cover up the tomato plants and keep them from freezing in October which is an improvement over what they did last February when they let them freeze.) I normally have all my seeds ordered and on hand before most of the seed catalogs hit the mailboxes because, along with the increased interest in gardening, we're seeing a longer waiting period for folks who don't order seeds until January or February. One thing local stores do that really irritates me is that some of them, including Lowe's and Wal-Mart, often either start out with their seed racks outside in the enclosed "garden center" area or they move them out there after the seed racks have been inside for a month or two. I never buy seeds off racks that have been sitting outdoors and exposed to all the outdoor fluctuations in temperature and humidity. A higher sugar content in a given tomato variety is not an issue in and of itself when you are canning tomatoes. What is important is the pH so with some tomatoes that are lower in acidity than the average tomato, you might have an issue. However, the lower-acidity varieties aren't generally used for canning and I believe all tested and approved "safe" recipes include something (vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, or citric acid) to ensure canned tomatoes are in the proper pH range. Jay, Isn't it sad that soil-less mixes have fallen so far in quality the last few years? It is pathetic that profit is more important than producing a quality product. I gladly pay more for a high-quality seed-starting mix when I find one, but just try finding one now that matches the quality of what was available a decade (or two) ago. Happy Birthday to both you and your sister. Christie, I am in far southern OK (almost in Texas) and I have to drive south about 60-70 miles (or farther) down to the D-FW metro area to find Botanical Interests seeds on the seed racks, which is frustrating. About the only seeds sold in stores around me are either Burpee, Ferry-Morse or Wal-Mart's or Target's own lines of seed. I normally just order the BI seeds I want from their website or catalog (new last year and just as beautiful as their seed packets). Seedmama, I am so jealous that y'all have a source there. We have very few choices here but considering how rural our area is, that's not surprising. Carol, So, now you've developed a "Pro-mix problem" to go along with your "seed problem"? I'm going to assume these were not really humongous bags? Dawn

Good morning! I've RECEIVED!! :) My super box from Shirley! In my MOM was: C: Candy: Jolly Rancher Bites...the kids LOVE these!! Columbine: Pink/White Cleome: Pink...THANK YOU! Mine fizzled out this spring :( late frost...now I can start again AWESOME! Cards, handmade by Shirley, of course! I love your cards! You are so talented!! A: A pack of 4'O Clocks :) R: Roses..these are going right out in my ceramic container the kids made me for mother's day. I've been trying to get to the store to put some flowers in there...and here they are! :D O: OOOHHH BOY! Life Savers..Right up there with CHOCOLATE in my book! Terrific! L: Lint Roller, lol! How did you know...piggy hair is very sticky :) F: Magnet Picture Frame...I just, and I mean, just yesterday, went and bought one of these for Taylor to put the boys picture in her locker. This morning Billy wanted me to put his picture in a frame to do the same thing...YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!! LOL!!! life saver...see 'O' :) Shirley also included a beautiful hand made card for me, and one for my mom. I won't open her's, but, I just know she'll be so tickled you thought of her. THANK YOU!! Zackey, the iris' names are written on the leaf and I hope the daylily made it there okay too. "S" Strawberry Candy Daylily...lol! It bums me a little to think the box was open :( This was such a super fun swap! Thank you Shirley for having such creative and fun ideas for us... YOUR AWESOME!! Have a super day!! vina

Haha, Larry! That sounds like me. . . not sure what I'm growing, but looks like plenty. The red mustard cracks me up. Just popped up here and there--in the original bed and out of the bed. I've been brining some pork lately. We're having a hard time finding loin and even tenderloin that's not tough. I've about decided to stick with pork shoulder roasts. Frankly, I think the taste is superior to the others. Happy second Thanksgiving. I was a bit worried about counter space, Amy. I measured carefully. But then I thought, "What can I get off these counters that doesn't need to be on them. Actually was room where the toaster and coffee pot are. The toaster will be gone anyway because of the toaster oven, . . And that's a corner of the counter space that had plenty of room where the toaster was. PLUS I moved some other stuff off the other counter space next to the fridge and then on either side of the stove. I'm excited about the electricity we'll save--really, used the stove almost every day. And for two people--awfully big stove for just two people. I guess you know now I'll NEVER make it to a Vitamix. Or to a nice Kitchenaid mixer. Besides, those things would take up serious counter space, too. Do you like the piricicaba? How does the taste compare to heading types? I think I might like to try it, depending on your opinion. I'm a little jealous about all your greens, Larry and Amy, which I think is nuts, considering I'm not that crazy about greens. But with the new scare with romaine, I can definitely see the appeal of growing one's own greens. And since I don't have any big plans for the garden, I guess I'll plant a bunch of greens. HJ. . . I would think Dispelling Wetiko would be perfect for Oregon! My kids in Mpls have talked about how much they love that area--and how beautiful much of Oregon is. I've only been on the coast, not inland. I got a chuckle about kolaches/klobasnek/sausage rolls this morning. I was all excited about trying them out, Danny, so was looking at recipes specifically with the crescent roll dough. It seemed to me they might be a little crispier fixed that way? Are they? One of the bakeries in town sells sausage rolls. We get the jalapeno sausage ones. BUT. I have kind of a love/hate relationship with them. I can't love the soft roll-like quality. I start out liking them (with mustard), and by the time I finish one, I decide I don't like them. I tried crisping one up in the skillet, and liked it much better. But found a really good-looking recipe--they used ground sausage and mixed it with cream cheese. I might experiment a bit. Why I chuckled was that when I got up this morning (slept in until 8:30), Garry had left me a note that he was on a trip to town for sausage rolls. He must have felt the vibe. Okay. . . to work!

Hi guys, I don't post a lot on this forum but as a book lover and a gardener, this thread caught my eye. I know a few of you have referenced libraries (yay!) , but one thing I wanted to emphasize is that if you are looking for vintage books, do check out the book sales that libraries have. I work in a library, and sadly, non-fiction books are slowly becoming a thing of the past (up there with magazines). So many people go online now for info, and libraries are shrinking the size of their non-fiction collections, and often sell off their non-fic books. Secondly, it's absolutely amazing the number of books that get donated to libraries when one's loved ones pass away or downsize to eldercare. And so many people don't recognize the value (literary or monetary) of many books. I could almost guarantee that the above-referenced $185 book, or books similar to it, are donated regularly to libraries because it's "just an old book", and nine times out of ten, the library staff doesn't know or doesn't have time, effort, funding, or staff with knowledge, to research the value of donations. So they sell for a buck or two at the sale. Or even if they ARE recognized as something valuable, you can still get a better deal at a library book sale. Lastly, this might sound offensive to some, but check the dumpster at your library regularly. It's absolutely heartbreaking the amount of perfectly good books that get tossed. Sometimes libraries won't sell discards from their collections because they figure folks won't buy books with stickers, labels, or books marked "withdrawn". Other times again, they don't realize any value in a given book and it gets tossed. Heartbreaking. As a book lover I feel that someone somewhere could appreciate any book, and as an environmentalist I always think they should take the time to remove the covers, etc. and recycle, at the very least. But again, on the environmental point, it comes down to funding, staffing, time - as well as attitude! Okay, I'm getting down off my soapbox - or should I say my pile of books lol? Just wanted to remind folks of another option to acquire - and rescue! - a good garden book! :) Dee