This has been one of the most helpful threads on clothes that I have ever ever read. I just went through my closet yesterday, because I've been "out of action" and then away for so long, that I'd lost track of what I had. Also, we are now going from cool weather into our hot season, so I was ready to change things over. Well, I thought I was doing well yesterday when I filled a grocery bag with items I simply didn't like anymore. Now, after reading on here, I am going back in there, to pull out the two linen shirts I kept, because they are simply great shirts. I haven't worn either of them for 2 years, but they are classics, and so I thought I'd hang onto them, for that skirt that I might find that might just be perfect with them. Now I realise that there are a lot more "mights" to factor in... They might be out of date, might not fit, might just be a waste of space, might, meanwhile be useful to someone else, might be tired of hanging around for the skirt that I "might" find. They're out of here....gone! And the more posts I read on here the more things are going out. I think too, that as we get older, it's not variety we need, but what suits our shapes and lifestyles and age. When you're glowing with youth and vitality, can any clothing be a "mistake"? I have 3 slim lovely DILs in their 20s, and my son's GF is a beautiful 18 year old. They can throw on a hessian bag or a silk sheath and look stunning. They don't bulge, sag, wobble, spread or fade. I'm learning that it's no longer a matter of liking an item of clothing in the shop. It really has to like me. Sometimes I've thought it would be nice to just find something I like and know it'll look good, rather than having to search and wait to find the "just right" piece. On the other hand, when we're older, we can relax about "trends" and "fads" and get away with just a few good pieces. When I was younger, I remember avoiding stuff that made me look like my mother. Now I am my mother, and it's rather nice to go "classic" at last. I find that I now have clothes that seem to be able to go "anywhere", by just dressing them up or down. Put on black stockings and court shoes and a lace top with that simple black skirt and it's ok for a night wedding. Throw on some sandals and a T-shirt, and I can wear it to a beach party. Not quite that simple, but something like that anyway. We recently had a 92 year old lady visit us, and she looked like a queen. She was wearing the softest pale pink fluffy cashmere sweater with a classic blazer, and a floaty skirt. She looked a million dollars and I decided I wanted that look when I'm an old lady. It was comfortable, and yet so dressy. So I've already planned my old age look (LOL). But I realised when I was studying her outfit, that she could have worn it anywhere, at her age, and fitted right in. She wouldn't need anything else to wear outside the house. Thanks for all the helpful advice on here. Lily

Starting now is fine but I don't like late season plastering. The initial cure is about 4 weeks but it does continue to cure for several months after. As plaster cures, the pH of the water rises. Left alone and unchecked in the off season, the calcium in solution tends to drop out and form calcium scale stains. Waiting until Spring to plaster will afford the plaster more time to cure when the pool is open and being tested regularly. That will reduce any opportunities for scale formation significantly. The down side is the back yard will be a quagmire for a while and could present some safety issues that will need to be addressed. If an animal such as a deer, raccoon, skunk, etc... finds it's way in the shell in the Winter, guess who gets to help it out? Scott

Image by: pixie_lou Wonderful basket of cherry tomatoes This is a thread that was posted in the New England Gardening Forum in September, 2013. A few minor edits have been made to correct typos, but otherwise the content is as posted. Claire ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by ontheteam 5a-6 (S.Eastern, MA) (My Page) on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 21:51 Hi gang! A friend of mine wants to start growing her own veggies. She asked me what she would need to get started...and I drew a blank LOL It's been a long time since I was a newbie. SO I told her 1) A strong back 2) hand trowels 3) a pitch fork 4) a square headed shovel what would you say? I also told her to make her plot area now by laying manure down covered with several layers of news papers. 
What do you think is the best way to start a veggie plot from scratch? 
She may stop by because no new gardener advice would be complete with out a link to this forum lol..I know you all will be super kind and helpful to her! Follow-Up Postings: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by defrost49 5 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 16, 13 at 7:59 I like to start beds using the lasagna method so wet newspapers go down first than top with alternating layers of green (fresh grass clippings, kitchen waste) and brown (chopped leaves). I top with composted manure in the spring. Bed should be about 24" high. It will settle, compost, etc over winter. Using the lasagna method, you don't need a tiller. I use a spading fork but also have a hay fork for grass clippings,etc. 
- hoe for making rows 
- a really good hand weeder. I originally had a Cape Cod weeder and use something similar. I think a Cobra headed weeder is also similar. I never find a good hand weeder in any store. I think she'll have to order this unless there's no witch grass within 10 miles. This is esp good to use if you have wild sorrel that sends out runners. Drag the L-shaped weeder thru the soil to get as much of the roots as possible. I usually find several little plants attached to each other. 
- garden gloves. I like the inexpensive cloth ones with fingers and palm dipped in rubber. Better to grip weeds with and keeps my hands from getting worse callouses. 
- 5 gallon buckets. Great if you can find them free from a dry wall cdntractor. 
- liquid fish or seaweed fertilizer. Great when you transplant to give plants a little boost. 
- a really good seed catalog. I love my local farm store but there is a far better selection from catalogs. I think Confection winter squash from Johnny's is the best. I also like poona keara cucumbers. But it's also good to find a really good source of tomato and pepper plants. My source sells individual plants @ 60 cents. My favorite marigold is lemon gem (lacy foliage, tiny flower, wonder lemon fragrance) is very hard to find since the local backyard grower stopped growing. I grew my own from seed this year. 
- good gardening guide. I still refer to Crockett's Victory garden which is a nice month-by-month guide for New England gardeners. Used copies are readily available. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by diggingthedirt CapeCod Zone7ish (My Page) on Sat, Sep 21, 13 at 13:05 Nice summary, defrost! The only things I can add is that she'll probably need: 1. a location with easy access to water and plenty of sunshine 2. fencing, unless she lives somewhere with very few bunnies, fewer deer, and NO woodchucks (my veggie bed is raised about a foot, and has rigid wire fencing about 18 inches above that) 3. a slew of non-gardening friends to take her extra zucchini next summer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by spedigrees z4VT (spedigre@sover.net) on Sun, Sep 22, 13 at 12:53 I would say: a shovel with a pointed end for turning over the ground a hoe a rake (or you could substitute a rototiller for the first two tools to save on manual labor) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by nhbabs z4b-5a NH (My Page) on Sun, Sep 22, 13 at 15:19 A stirrup AKA shuffle hoe that cuts weeds coming and going. Enough hose to reach from the hose faucet to the garden, and a good hose nozzle and sprinkler. I use a spading fork for digging in compost, digging potatoes, etc and a square-ended flat bladed spade for digging holes, edging, etc. Some type of plant supports for tomatoes, cukes, melon or squash or whatever she is growing) Lots of organic matter annually to use to mulch beds and improve soil 5 gallon buckets for hauling weeds, water, compost a garden cart for hauling weeds, compost, etc. large plastic baskets or those big rectangular containers to use to wash potatoes, garlic, onions a basket for bringing in produce from the garden lots of old yogurt cups or something similar to use for cutworm collars on the young plants I like light weight goatskin gloves - wash well, last forever, don't get stiff like many leathers I agree whole-heartedly with the suggestion of good seed catalogues (Johnny's and Wood Prairie Farm are my most frequent non-local vendors), a site with good sun, and Jim Crocket's Victory Garden book (though please ignore the advice on pesticides in it!!) There are also some good books from Rodale Press on organic pest control and gardens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 12:52 7+ pair of Atlas Nitrile Garden Gloves, so I have a clean pair every morning. They get thrown in the washer. Fit is very comfortable and can do any gardening chore with them on. Nice to have a pair for someone helping you too. :-) Stainless Steel Hand Trowels and hand tools because if you leave them out in the rain, they won’t rust and they last a long time A pitchfork Quality hand pruners and good pair of kitchen shears and something to sharpen them with 5 gallon buckets are used every day for one thing or another Liquid Fish Emulsion/Seaweed Fertilizer combination with a large watering can to mix it FEDCO seed catalog in addition to Johnny’s Eliot Coleman’s book, ‘The New Organic Grower’ Kneeling Pads and/or a rolling seat Large milk crates, for many uses, especially good for shading a newly planted transplant on a sunny day Comfortable Work Clothes with lots of pockets and a pair of LLBean Rubber Mocs A headlamp from LLBean if you want to go out to the garden at night ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by diggerdee z6 CT (My Page) on Wed, Sep 25, 13 at 18:22 Being an organic gardener, I've found my laminated Mac's Field Guide to Good & Bad Garden Bugs of the Northeast to be very helpful. It's only one page, bad bugs on one side, good on the other, with small color photos, size info, and what the bug eats, and being laminated it's so easy to bring it out to the garden with me. It's not as comprehensive as I'd like - I have admittedly seen some bugs that were on neither side and therefore needed more research inside at the computer - but this thing is pretty handy! Dee 
P.S. Hmm, strangely, I just realized I ONLY use this in my veggie garden. I've never consulted it in the perennial beds, but I'm a lot more lenient and less worried about bugs there than in the vegetable garden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Thu, Sep 26, 13 at 8:10 Dee makes a good point about being lenient in the perennial beds. Leniency does not make a successful veggie bed. I've been thinking about how I have a different attitude with my veggie garden. I'm more vigilant, diligent. If I have a perennial flower that doesn't bloom one year, I'm "Oh well. There's always next year." If I have a tomato plant that doesn't produce fruit, I'm pi****. I'm cursing. I take it really personally. Whereas the flowers are there for my enjoyment, I eat my veggies. Which is a more personal level of enjoyment. A more intimate level of interaction. With perennials, I feel like I can stick them in the ground and ignore them. It's survival of the fittest. Eventually you get rewarded with flowers. Not so with veggies - you need to spend the time. Weed. Eliminate bugs. Stake plants. Fertilize. Water. Harvest. Or else you are setting yourself up for huge disappointment. There is no "next year". Since veggies are annuals. But in the end, nothing tastes better! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by diggerdee z6 CT (My Page) on Thu, Sep 26, 13 at 11:55 Agreed, pixie lou! If you have a perennial that doesn't do so well, you know there's always next year. Even annual flowers - if they don't thrive and bloom, well, your plan for your pretty bed is affected. But if your tomatoes don't grow, thrive, and produce fruit, you've got no tomatoes to eat and pretty much have wasted your time and money. I guess you may have wasted time and money on the annuals and perennials as well, but I think with veggies you expect a more immediate and concrete result - i.e. dinner, lol. And then after all your work you have to go to the farmers market and spend even more money... Dee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: What does a new veggie gardener need? Posted by spedigrees z4VT (spedigre@sover.net) on Thu, Sep 26, 13 at 12:22 After growing tomatoes every summer over the past 40 years, I gave them up entirely after the late blight claimed my little crop a few years back. If it were a blight that struck early on, I'd try tomatoes again, but no way am I ever subjecting myself to the disappointment of caring for the plants throughout the season and watching the fruits start to ripen, only to have them rot just before harvesting. Never again!

This is a new era of buying and selling after the real estate "bubble". Two years ago we sold a condo in Florida and a custom mountain lake home in Tennessee. Both buyers were obtaining mortgages, one being a jumbo mortgage. The Florida condo was appraised slightly below selling price. It was completely remodeled by us (new kitchen and two baths, etc.). The inspector told the young lady she would never find a condo in better condition. All new appliances, new water heater, new air conditioner. We owned it for two years, but decided even as snow birds we would rather have a house. But her Daddy told her not to pay over appraisal. The comps were condos in the same development that had never been upgraded or maintained. Many had been rented out. We sold it to someone else for our asking price. They didn't obtain a mortgage. The home in Tennessee was not on the market. A realtor showing another home in the neighborhood asked if they could see our house. They came back with an offer the next day, which was not the greatest offer We decided to accept the offer and move to the Florida house we had purchased two months before. It gets confusing, I know. :) The inspector was ruthless, but came back with nothing wrong in our new custom built home. The pest inspector came back with nothing (yup the bank required it). The appraiser on the other hand was a bit rude. When I said I wasn't too concerned about the appraisal price since the sell price was below tax appraisal value, he said, Oh, we often appraise homes below the tax app. value now. He told us our home was beautiful, but every home in the neighborhood probably had the same upgrades. No they did not. In the end they said there were really no comps, which wasn't true. But the most chilling experience I had was that the two appraisers used exactly the same words in two different states. It is beautiful, but this doesn't count. This is overkill, it doesn't count. Only the comps matter. Only square footage matters. I have bought and sold quite a few homes in my life. In a brand new builder developed area you get the basic house for the price of the model. Upgrades are paid for as an extra expense. Years ago we had no inspectors and no formal appraisals. It seems the banks do not want to pay for the upgrades, and are driving the prices. Now it has eroded into buyers with cash that look at comps and again do not want to pay for the upgrades. Even 11 years ago I sold a home in Ft. Lauderdale by myself (height of the market) and the buyer had an inspector, obtained a mortgage, but no appraiser came to my house. I sold my "model" for a higher price than anyone had ever sold for. Does anyone think that perhaps the banks are running the market??? Money makes the world go 'round.