Mrs. D - sorry for your construction nightmare. The water shut offs alone would make me crazy. We have that all the time here, too. And the boil water advisories that go along with them. UGH! Hope they finish up and move along soon.


I think you could grow coreopsis in your pocket. Tough stuff. I had one tiny sprig two years ago, now it's spread all over. I could hand it out to everyone who walks by this month and still have too much.



The tomotoes last year too. A lot of fruit fell and the seeds sprouted. Had I known they would be so successful I never would have bought plants. I have about 50 volunteers. Dh is going to bring some to work and plant them around the rail yard.

Oh, and I have a little tip for you. Neem. It's an insecticide made from chinaberry tree seeds. It has a systemic effect, so it will protect against pests that feed from inside the plant, not just on the surface. And it has a tolerable smell - almost like oranges, not too chemical.

It is almost non toxic to mammals ( they have to eat the Neem or treated plants, and even so, there seems little evidence of effect) and is biodegradable. Since it has to be eaten to be toxic, it has minimal effect on bees or other beneficial bugs/ animals.

And they are now seeing some evidence that it also prevents and treats diseases too.

I bought some concentrate at Lowe's and saved a filbert and some sand cherry trees from the japanese beetles last year.