I raised rabbits for years. But I got sick of the frozen water in the winter and gave it up. I still get a steady supply of poop from a neighbor. 2 buckets is not likely enough for "a pretty good sized piece of land." It is a fairly well balanced and mild fertilizer. I usually mix in 1 gallon or so per tomato or pepper plant - right into the hole that I am using. Half that for cukes, twice that for melons. There was a time when I had enough to actually mulch a 10x30 foot garden with it. That was when I about 15 breeders. I've never had a problem with urine burning anything. But then, I prefer to shovel the dry stuff becuase it is lighter, so I occasionally rake the stuff away from their favorite corner so that it is dry by the time I need it. One year my MIL came over every 3 or 4 days for months, taking "just a bucket or two." More often than not, she didn't return the 5 gallon buckets. I didn't mind an awfull lot becuase I know how sandy and barren her soil is, so I figured my loam did not need as much, even tho' I didn't get a single bucket of it that year. Then I found out she was giving it away as gifts! Birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, just becuase gifts. I actually had one woman, a comlete stranger until that day, tell me how generous my MIL was for giving her my poop! And yes, she knew it was mine, but it was my MIL who was the generous one. Then mom got huffy with me when I asked her to stop giving it away....Sheesh. I just wanted a little. Kay.

I am very lucky to live close to Austin and its very active native gardening scene. LBJ wildflower center and the Natural gardener caries the different types at varying times if I keep my eyes open. I also have an anual winecup AKA callirhoe leiocarpa. I have seen an occasional Callirhoe pedata (palm leaf winecup)growing in the woods but they do not seem to proliferate. My favorite is the Callirhoe involcrata var linearloba. There is variation in this species. Sometimes it is mostly white , and sometimes it is heavily striped. Native american seed company has seed for some of them. Their Liniarloba looks all white. They also have the anual wine cup (leiocarpa) I buy a plant and collect the seeds. Here is a link that might be useful: Callirhoe involcrata var linearloba

Carol, I order most of my books used from Amazon.com. I just look at the listed price for the used books and the condition of the book, add the shipping cost to it, and compute if I'd save by ordering a used book online. The answer is almost always "yes". Even when I've ordered a book whose condition is rated only as "good", they are always in great shape and often look brand new. Of course, some of the older ones have some wear and tear, but the book reads the same as a brand-new one in perfect condition. I have found some great "old" gardening books on Amazon.com for as little as one cent, so even with shipping added in, they're only costing me about $4.00. Some of the books aren't even that old, but rather just were incredibly popular and now there's a plethora of them on the used book market. I go on a "book binge" 3 or 4 times a year and order maybe six or eight books at once from Amazon. With the used book prices, it isn't a huge expense and I often get 6 or 8 or more books for what I'd spend for 2 or 3 purchased new. Recently, Half Price Books announced they'd finally entered into a partnership to sell used books online, using a system someone else developed. I visited the website they mentioned but became frustrated with it because it is much harder to navigate than Amazon.com and much slower. Someday when I have time to kill and patience in ample supply, I'll probably go back and try the HPB online option again. Chandra, With all those books arriving in the mail, it must feel like Christmas. Dawn

Hi. I have experience with outdoor worms and manure as feed-stock, I have chickens and a horse. I believe you could put both chicken and rabbit cages above worm beds. Worms are quite tolerant of fresh manure. As long as you don't stir up the bed, your worms should stay below the heat and be fine. I find native wigglers working in chicken manure below my coop. I also mix chicken and horse manure fresh and top feed my beds. My squirm is quite happy! Rabbit poop is said to be worm candy A few suggestions. Do NOT put a solid bottom on the bed. Use wire mesh hardware-cloth for a bottom to protect from burrowing critters, such as gophers, moles, and voles. Don't worry about worms leaving. They will only leave if the bin conditions are bad, but will return when things improve. You may need something to keep out birds and such. start small with a simple worm bin and work your way up. The knowledge you gain from raising a pound of worms and expanding the herd is invaluable. You also will save money. Chickens and worms are a great pairing. My chickens free-range and make sure that no worms leave their resorts.... free chicken food! They are also skilled at de-clumping my castings. They line up and follow me and my tusty wheelbarrow as I bring horse-poop to add to my beds. It is quite the scene Good luck and let us know how it goes. Pete.