I saw this thread and thought I'd give you an update. I did my experiment with some interesting results. I put lobelia (Crystal Palace) in three pots. One on my front porch, under the roof, by the brick wall; and two in concrete pots at the foot of the porch steps out in the open. Frosts burned the ones in the open pretty badly, but they didn't die. The ones on the porch under cover were un-fazed. Week before last it fell into the low twenties, and the pots in the open gave up the ghost. This past week it went below twenty degrees two nights in a row. They're all toast now. I'm glad Lowe's carries pansies all winter long:)

Well Hi Shell, I just read your "some of my junk" post. I wish I had read this one first. I keep forgetting California has a zone 9 too. Welcome!!! Pics are a +. Any good "junk turned treasure" pics are so wanted. CT

You can repot anytime,anywhere as you can move a pot-lol. Just do it in the shade ,make sure the new potting medium is almost sopping wet,leave the plant in the shade[called hardening off] for four or five days,then move it into partial shade for a few more days and it should be raring to grow.(Can't believe I said something that corny.] Don't let the roots dry and make sure you don't leave air pockets.

This is a funny post. I am laughing with you LawnNoob, Not At you. Hope you donÂt mind a response from a former pot smoking flower child of the 60Âs, who happens to love the crawlers and bugs hopping around in his mostly organic lawn. Now then, lets see if I can find enough neurons in my head to continue. First off, I will put your mind at ease about insects and worms. Certain insects and worms in the SOIL are good. You will hardly be aware of them, and will probably see no more of them with an organic lawn than you do with any other nice lawn. If you are going to cut your grass yourself, obviously you are going to need a lawn mower. Highly recommended that you do that yourself. It will be done so much better and you will have ultimate control over the task. Most lawn service companies that weed and feed use chemicals (that you could buy and put down yourself) and do a pretty poor job. Organic fertilizers are readily available at Lowes, Home Depot and others. Many choose to use grains such as soy bean meal, corn meal and corn gluten meal. They are available from farm feed outlets. You will need to purchase a spreader. Although it is heresy to say this here and I might get pummeled, I think the best approach for you is to control you weeds with chemicals until next summer. Start with weed-be-gone, for broadleaf. Pre-emergant crabgrass control in the spring for crabgrass. In the meantime keep reading posts here and in the Lawn forum (link organic lawn forum near the top of page) Take a look at the organic lawn care FAQ. Also advise us please what kind of grass or grasses you think you have in your lawn. Good luck with your new home, lawn and gardens. Bill Hill Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Lawn Care FAQ