I need some help/advice. The only thing i have ever planted are vegetable plants. last spring a co-work gave me a fig tree cutting. Tt was about 6 inches high and had no leaves on it. i repotted it into a five gallon container and gave it a shot of MG fertilizer for tomatoes as that is the only fertilizer I had. It gree very well and i got some very small figs on it but that ws it.My friend told me to expect that and that i would get figs next year. He told me wait until the leaves fell off (I live in upstate New York and my first frost date is around Sept 15th. He said to put the container in my garage away from light which i did and to water it about once a month which i did. This spring i put the container out and gave it the same fertilizer. I am in zone 6b and my last frost date is May 15th. At first nothing seemed to happen. he advised me to check all the branches and to cut a little off the top of each one. if the wood was brown to keep cutting until i reached green which i did and all of a sudden the thing took off. It got so big that I decideed to put it into a 10 gallon container. before long the tree was filled with green figs. in all there are now about 2 and a half dozen very large figs on the plant. I checkeda few website and determined that the figs i had were called Conadria because of their light green color. I also noticed that the figs were very hard and this was now into August. I spoke with someone from Willis Oorchard who told me that the figs should ripen before my last frost date. I also found out that they grow bst in zone 8 and above. two weeks ago I noticed two of the figs were turning a purple color. that week were were hit with heavy rains and when it stopped two of the figs were nice and soft so I picked them and they were very sweet however the rest ofthe figs are still hard and some are starting to turn purple. Is there a chance that the figs will ripen before i get my first frost?? what type of fertilizer should I be using and how much and how often. I know that when my tomaotes do not ripen in time i put them in a brown paper bag in a dark closet and they will turn red. Will the ame thing happen with figs?? I forgot to mention that i plantedthe tree in MG potting soil for containers. I will be heading up to Canada tomorrow morning so if canyone can give me advice before then it would be appreciated. Thanks

Joyce, I'll bring some peonies too. I started them twenty some years ago and they are quite big now with lots of fragrant flowers each spring. I love the beauty and smell of peonies. It's the flower of good (money) fortune in many oriental cultures. That's why you often find large paintings of peonies in Chinese restaurants. I've done a few paintings of peonies myself, and sold some too, including 3 at the Fairview hospital, I believe. Unfortunately, I only have the Sorbet? I would like to trade it for other fragrant varieties, especially in red, white, mauve or yellow. Pauline, sorry about your knees. Hope your are feeling better. In case you can make it, I'll bring some bugle weed too. Don't worry, if you cannot, I'll save some for you later. Since Pauline probably won't come, does anyone have aloe vera and bee balm to trade with me? I'll bring some dieffenbachia and jade plant (money plant) too. I cut the dieffenbachia when it almost reached the ceiling and stuck the cuttings in the soil. Some rooted and some died. There are a few good-looking babies now. The leaves (often longer than a foot) are poisonous, if eaten. Therefore, keep away from children and pets that like to eat things. Anyone want orange daylily? If so, I have plenty to bring too.

This post makes me nostalgic for my very first CF post about six years ago. I was making a TURKEY for the first time for my family (being a vegetarian but finally deciding to bite the bullet and make turkey to make everyone happy) and also doing an organic free range bird which I was afraid would be dry owning to NOT being injected and also not being "fattened up" so to speak. Well let me tell you, that was the best turkey we ever had! And I did nothing out of the ordinary. One of the main reasons it was so good, IMHO, is because it was relatively small, (12 lbs for my family of four at the time), so I didn't have the trouble of the different types of meat getting done at different times like you might with a turkey with a hugely inflated breast. We also liked the nice mix of dark and white meat. And the meat as a whole is just so much more flavorful. Brine if you like brining, but I can't be bothered. I just salt and pepper lightly inside and out, stuff lightly with onion, apple and fresh or dried herbs, (apples instead of celery for super picky dad. Use more fresh herbs than dry, so if you're going to use dry, cut the herb measures by 1/2 to 1/3 if using dried herbs, depending on how touchy your family is about herb tastes, lol!), raise up with a roasting rack OR use a line of carrots for ease and flavor. I used the half high heat half regular heat method, although either one seperately will work too. I tend to be kind of Buddhist so I was seeking the middle way. :) Here's the recipe. I don't start breast down and flip. It might make a SLIGHT difference, but to me not worth the trouble. Also I didn't baste it nears as much as the recipe says. I only basted the last hour. You may have to tent the bird with aluminum foil if you find the wing tips browning too much or too fast. Herbes de Provence Roast Turkey Serves 12. Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Ingredients: 1 fresh or thawed frozen turkey, about 16 lb. (Adjust roasting time for smaller birds) 1 yellow onion, quartered 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths 3 or 4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs 2 to 3 Tbs. herbes de Provence Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 4 to 6 Tbs. (1/2 to 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted Directions: Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Do not leave the turkey at room temperature longer than 1 hour. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425F. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and reserve for making gravy, if desired. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the onion, celery, parsley and 1 Tbs. of the herbes de Provence in the body cavity, and season with salt and pepper. If desired, truss the turkey with kitchen twine. Brush the turkey with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle with the remaining herbes de Provence and season with salt and pepper. Place the turkey, breast side down, on a buttered roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, basting with some of the remaining butter after 15 minutes. Using 2 pairs of tongs or heat-resistant kitchen gloves or mitts, turn the turkey breast side up and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Continue roasting, basting with the remaining butter and pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165°F, and into the thigh, 175°F. Total roasting time should be 3 to 3 3/4 hours. (LESS for a smaller bird). Transfer the turkey to a warmed platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for about 20 minutes before carving. Here's a link to the recipe I used as a guideline. There are a TON of great recipes on the Williams and Sonoma Web site. I use it every year at the holidays and it has never steered me wrong.

growing up we always had a bbq, the whole family together. some members would go to cemetery, but as soon as any decorations were put on graves here they would be gone the next day, so we stopped. i never went anyway, honestly i think its morbid but thats just my opinion...we always looked through albums. i know it sounds awful cold but i wont go to funerals at all. i do however think its in very poor taste when families do visit loved ones and plant something that your loved ones loved like say mums, something non invasive, only to go the next day and see a huge pile of everyones plants in a huge pile...boy that makes me madder than a wet hen!!!!