Q:So, my vegetable garden is finally dying because it's getting colder. I feel kind of sad because I didn't utilize it much. A lot of good crops went bad and were wasted. Also, I had a hard time keeping pests away and preventing my squash plants from rotting. Anyone have any tips to share that I can keep in mind for next year as far as utilization and pest/mildew control while keeping everything organic?

Think about what you grew that was over kill and plant less of that. Weather is a killer. If you are getting to much rain tent up some clear poly over the plants. Make sure your garden is located in an optimal part of the yard and each of the plants is growing far enough apart to get the full effect of the sunlight. When the ground is very moist lift ground vegetables with a Styrofoam florist ring. Planting marigolds and putting trays of hot pepper around plants deters bugs..As does a daily spray with dish soap and water. Don't pull but rather till in the dead plants and add lime to prep the bed for next season. Do not plant the tomatoes in the same spot they need to be moved every year. Compost the leaves and grass cuttings it will make great mulch for next year.

Q:to control insects etc, on vegetables and herbs.

Half okorder /

Q:I need to buy my mom a washer/dryer but live out of state, so it has to be valid online. Thanks!

Here okorder /

Q:i lost a page from the cookbook. its the drop cookies page and that page contains the chocolate chip cookies recipe. i you have this cookbook, please, could you get it out and copy down the recipe. i would love to have it so that i could bake my kids some cookies. thanks in avance for any help!

Where does you becoming dead enter into it? I think you lied when you said ...you could literally save my life...

Q:We have clutter like the shed, playground and bricks that my mother does not want to remove. Also, we have weeds growing and tons of branches so I don't know what to do. Let alone, my mother keeps on saying landscaping is needed but she very rarely asks for a person to cut the grassand we don't have the budget to cut our two tall trees.

Bundle the branches up and tie them with string, put out with the trash if you confirm your trash removal company accepts yard waste. Once they are gone, a good raking to remove leaves and dead grass using a lawn rake, bag them up and get rid of them. Tidy up the bricks and any loose items you want to keep and stack behind the shed if possible. Once all the yard is clean, look at any high or low spots, get a few bags of topsoil from Home Depot ( $1.29 a bag) , some grass seed, and a small bag of starter fertilizer. The cost should be under $50 for everything. Use the soil in low spots, and then sprinkle the grass seed and starter wherever there is a bald spot and in the new topsoil. Water lightly but often, the idea is to wash the oily covering off the seed, but not wash the seed away. Keep it moist for a week and you will have new grass growing. Follow the directions on the seed package for proper lawn care once up.

Q:Hi,I wanted to start a home garden right now. What crops could I plant? What herbs?thanks

Check the attached link from Texas A M. It is the best vegetable planting guide I have found for our state. It's got info on all seasons and zones.

Q:the one's from stores don't seem to work

Good home made fertilizers: Compost: made form leaves, twigs, grass clippings and garbage. Wood ashes from the fireplace and/or grill. Epsom salt (in small doses )can make nutrients more available to plants. If you decide to buy some fertilizer use a balanced organic fertilizer Gypsum is a good additive for most vegetables.

Q:looking at raised bed garden company's that will come to your home and build and start these gardens for you

Good grief ,are you going to hire someone to water and weed it as well? you screw together some lumber and fill it with a good mix of soil and compost, nothing to it. You can even buy kits that are pre-cut and drilled

Q:Hi I'm trying to create a mini home garden of veggies like spinach, lettuce varieties, cherry tomatoes, basil chives ..etc. And some flowersMy little seedlings are growing well the have just germinated and are sproutingBut in some pots I didn't use pots with holes in the bottom simply because I didn't find any good ones is this going to affect my plants?! What can I do to get around it? I am worried about the nitrogen stacking up in the soilAnother thing is do u have any ideas for sprouts o leaves that are edible, a nice quick harvest and that can grow in small pots like beansprouts for example.. I can't seem to recall any names of these VeggiesI would appreciate any kind of hone gardening tips and Ideas so please feel free to elaborate or summarize, be creative or realistic I could use all and everything

Well, I always use pots with holes. Plants don't like wet feet, except they're pond plants. Use some base layer (gravels, or some crushed bricks) then put the soil. (not garden soil as they will turn firm and soggy, for beginners use ready to use soil based potting mix) For worrying about the nitrogen stuff, adding perlite to your soil are the solution, they will absorbs the nutrients and keep them inside the soil. Alfalfa sprouts are quick, they just like bean sprout. :)

Q:We are purchasing our home from our landlord and they have to do an appraisal.The house is fine and I am not really worried about except for the fact that my backyard has a ton of flower gardens and I have not had time to weed them. Do I need to hire someone to help me clean them up before they come?Also, Do they go through your closets and stuff like that?Thanks.

Unless the yards are really a mess it shouldn't make a difference in the appraised value of your house. Appraisers have some latitude considering over all curb appeal. They will often take the overall appearance into consideration especially when the property is close to the needed amount to make the loan.....if the property really looks good they might bump the value up 2%-5% to meet the loan requirement. I have seen appraisers bump up the price as high as 10% because of the curb appeal (several years ago).....but in today's market appraisers are being much more cautious and conservative. Now it isn't unusual for lenders to get a second appraisal.