I've never been to the swap before. But I'll answer as best I can. Guess it's time for me to stop being a lurker. Speaking of lurkers I'm surprised no one else is answering. 1 I'm leaning towards a but my final answer is c. 2 10:00 am 3 north Knoxville 4 b 5 e don't know 6 c not sure but it sounds good 7 b I'm always up for learning more 8 a I don't want to take notes while eating 9 no 10 a or b 11 not yet anyway 12 b

bamakrautie, about the bird houses, what kind are they? Are they decrative or do you plan on trying to attract birds to nest in them? If you plan on having birds nest in them please please get information on how and where to place them. If they are decrative plug the holes, you can take a thin peice of wood and paint it black to place behind the hole that will not ruin the look. Most people don't know the responsibilities that go with providing homes for cavity nesting birds (I didn't)there is much to learn to avoid a horrible outcome. It is however the most rewarding and exciting thing I have done in a long time. Some cavity nesting birds are Blue Birds, Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, and Woodpeckers. Here is a site that will give you a lot of good information www.sialis.org Hope this helps! Lisa

akrauss... I maintain 86-88 with the solar cover from June thru August. I checked the proplane tank today, I filled it last May, it's showing 20% full, so I used 4/5's of the tank in May and September last year, with maybe a time or two turing it on if there was a really cold spell. I have a thread here on getting a new solar cover. They tend to last 4-6 years dependingon your pool chemistry and your gentleness and care while rolling and covering. My first two were plain blue and the last was blue and silver. It seems the silver helps the pool heat faster, but may not retain the heat quite as well??? Personally, I can't say I really noticed a difference other than you want a heavier plastic vs. a lighter one. Basically it's bubble wrap (bubble side inthe water) to cover the water surface. They work great for me, but I have a rectangular pool, you would need to buy the rectangle and then cut it yourself to fit your shape. IIIRC the reel had instructions with it for attaching to covers for irregular shaped pools, so I don't think that should be a big deal. If you haven't tried the solar cover, I'd give it a shot, especially if you have full sun for a major part of the day on your water. I leave mine off for days at a time in July and AQugust to prevent the water from getting too hot. I included a link to teh site where I'm thinking of ordering my new cover from. The page it brings up shows the different types they carry and how well they heat and then retain the heat... I'm debating between the 12 mil blue and silver and the 16 mil blue and blue one, I've read many reviews saying the clear really are not good and that the diamond shapes leak water into the bubbles so I'm purposely avoiding the clear or diamond ones. Here is a link that might be useful: solar cover site

This looks like fun! Here are my answers: When protecting your plants, who is your worst enemy? Bugs, mostly green caterpillars because they hide so well. I recently had a HUGE tomato hornworm on my potatoes- it was hidden so well, I didn't even notice it until it was right in my face! Where do you look for new plants and flowers? Websites mostly, also some retail stores. I try to do local nurseries for the most part, I feel like they just have better stock (and more options). I haven't ordered online yet, but I've been getting into starting from seed vs transplant so that might be changing soon. If you could shut down a government program and use the funds for a plant project, what plant project would you choose? School Gardens- I think it would be great to get kids understanding not only where their food comes from, but the effort that goes into growing that food. What has surprised you most about Gardening? All the plants that are edible. I enjoy the reward at the end of the growing season! Favorite Plant: Artichoke Favorite Swap or Swap Group: Never done it before, but perhaps one day Favorite “Natural” gardening trick/advice: Picking bugs off of plants, killing them and leaving them near the plant they were found on- I did that for a while and now I've got a few songbirds that do a daily evening hop through my container plants, looking for new bugs to eat! Work free pest removal!