While some people think this totally unnecessary and bordering on parnoia the Center For Disease Control, National Institute of Heatlh and the USDA all recommend that animal manures used in gardens be applied from 90 to 120 days from harvest. If you are growing crops that the abvove ground portion is the edible part the manure should be applied not sooner then 90 days from harvest and for those crops where they edible portion is the root (carrots, beets, etc.) not sooner than 120 days. Potatoes should not be planted in freshly manured soil.

kippy... A bear ate a friend's chickens for lunch. He just reared up and leaned on the chain link fence and he had full access. The proposed wolf program would reimburse ranchers for lost stock, so they are not opposing the introduction of wolves because the elk herds are getting too large. The elk get into orchards by leaning on the fences, too. You really don't need to be afraid of being sprayed by skunks. I had them in my back yard for years, until the fox arrived, and they would pretty much go about their business even when I talked to them. Of course, no sudden moves on my part. Even my cat got along with them. The funniest sight was seeing three skunks going up the stairs to the upper slope of my property and Scamp was fourth in line. No, he did not come back smelling of skunk. That said, since they are wild animals, there is probably a skunk out there that will prove me wrong ... lol However, the bears are a huge problem. In our county, we have the largest black bear population in the state. The cougars that come to town are very young or old and are not efficient hunters. They come after the tame deer. However, if they are hungry enough, anything is fair game. Wild animals don't have a concept of food chains. They do what works to stay alive. Smiles, Lyn

Sunnie, what kind of avocado is it? Mine are Hass, and they have been ready to eat since November. By August they are rancid. Have you picked any to let them ripen? Hass don't ripen on the tree, you have to pick them. If you live in a neighborhood that has possums you will just get new ones if you get rid of the old ones. A large dog is the best defense against too much grazing by possums. Fortunately, they usually don't eat as much as raccoons or squirrels. We have tree and ground squirrels, and the ground squirrels are winning. I put so much water down their tunnels that my California Redwoods are actually green this summer. We have expensive poison stations, traps, cats, and dogs. Our neighbor even got a rat terrier! They have destroyed the lawn, the terraced part of the yard-- it's a nightmare. If I had any guts I'd pour gasoline down the tunnel and blow the whole neighborhood up. Just kidding. Don't call Homeland Security yet. Hey stanofh- I'll bet gophers taste a lot like guinea pig. Renee

Thanks poochella for those measurements, that is exactly the information I was needing. I don't have a lawn but yes they do that to my garden. They are devastating. Last year they ate three 50' long rows of perennials in a matter of a few weeks. I built a homemade gopher blaster this year and I expect to be rid of them by the end of summer. Blasting their tunnels and caving them in to rid my garden of the network they have mined throughout the years should help get a handle on the situation. Combined with trapping and wire cages, I may be able to keep a perennial around for more than half a season. Someday I will tell you about the corn stalks they were pulling down in their as I stood there and watched. Dana