Hey, Billy Rae! Go for it! You have nothing to fear! My only advice, up front, is this: Don't buy a braided group of plants. In my opinion, the braided plants are doomed to failure. Now, onto the story of how I came by my Pachira: My brother has a Pachira that used to be braided...slowly, all but one of the trunks died. The remaining trunk had been the largest/healthiest from the start, which is why I always suggest that a buyer simply purchase a full, healthy, single-trunked specimen. Anyhow, my brother is rough on plants. During one of his "moods," he broke several leaves off his Pachira...I can't remember if he bit them off, or if he was swinging his glow-sticks around the room like weapons. Long story short, he placed one of those leaves in the bottom of a plastic cup, filled with generic peat-based potting soil. The soil was constantly moist/wet because there were no drainage holes in the cup. He handed me the cup, and said here, take it. So I did. I brought the leaf from Sacramento to Auburn, where it sat from February to May on a warm Eastern window-sill. Surprisingly, it grew into a full-sized plant! Now, I summer my Pachira on the front deck (western exposure), beneath a large maple tree. One year, I put my Pachira out before the maple had leafed-out...big mistake! Nearly every Pachira leaf was sunburned white. New leaves grew when the dead leaves dropped, but now I know to wait until I can offer filtered sunlight. After a period of acclimation, Pachira can handle quite a bit of sun. Josh

I used to get "glue ear" when I was little. I had tubes put in five times. And now that I have used peroxide as well as an alcohol/vinegar mixture in my ears as an adult, I REALLY wonder if over half of my problems as a child could have been avoided if the d@mn doctor (ENT) had just told my mom to put alcohol in my ears every time I got water in them. I seriously think a lot of it was swimmer's ear. That said, do have a doctor check out her ears so you know whether or not the eardrum has been perforated. Even if it has, it was NOT necessarily the peroxide that did it. The fluid buildup could have done it. Both of my eardrums still have perforations. I have used peroxide during a bad earache, and even with the perforation, it can hurt really bad from the fizzing. When that happens, I just dump it out immediately. That immediate release of the fizzing liquid can also cause what feels like a "pop." Earaches can hurt really really bad, yet not cause the perforation. It's just such a delicate system, and pain is the body's way of telling you there's a problem. When you do go to the doctor, ask about using the alcohol and vinegar, as well as the peroxide. That way you have the doc's input as to whether one or the other is better in her situation. And don't let them put you off and say it's a waste of time. I've cleared up an outer ear infection with the alcohol and vinegar as well as gotten a great deal of improvement on an inner ear infection. It CAN work. I hope she feels better soon! A combo sinus/ear infection is the PITS! You might also try getting her to take some Airborne to boost her immune system.

Scrap wood is certainly fine and it what I use in my garden. First make sure the box is located where it will get at least 6-8hrs of direct (no shade) sunlight, not daylight but direct sun. If you stand between it and the sun you will see your shadow. It looks like there may be some things nearby that will block the sun. < I should get a tomato cage for the tomato plant, right? Do the peppers need anything?> You can try the cages on the pepper plants, often the soil is too soft to support tomatoes in cages but can work for peppers which won't get as big or heavy. But for tomatoes I like Upright supports screwed to the side of the bed. I found some links from days gone by but feel free to search for more. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2162223/can-tomatoes-and-peas-climb-twine Vertical Support Not sure which side is North in your photo but make sure you plant your taller plants (tomatoes) on the North side. This is so the tall plants don't block the sun. Spacing can be taken from the seed packet - use the seed spacing after thinning since you won't be thinning. Draw it out on paper to see if you will have room for what you have planned. Keep a Garden Notebook. Each spring review what went well last year and what needs improvement. Winter is a good time to plan the next garden layout, plants, etc. Start small and try to avoid overcrowding. If you want more plants next year make another box. Cherry tomato plants tend to grow very tall (vines) and will provide lots of tomatoes. I am so glad you are teaching your son to garden. Kids are like sponges and learn so quickly then will ask you questions you never ever thought of to make you think AND learn. HTH and good luck. Any other questions?

Sansevieria Fernwood for the first two pictures. "A hybrid produced by Fernwood Nurseries in California, one parent being gracilis. Dark cylindrical arching leaves with close to the soil runners producing offsets. Hybrid made by Rogers Weldt". By Bob Smoley from his web site. Mikado is an art form from Japan. Plant grouping together of cut spears. "Japonesa is a 'technique' of planting sans leaves, not the name of a sansevieria". By Russ, Second picture show new juvenile leaves growing from the cut tips. Common for the juvenile leaves not to resemble the mature leaves in a lot of species. Could be wrong with 2nd. picture. Not familiar with S. francisii. Just looks like my Fernwood. I really like the 3rd. one. It looks more like S. francisii.